Quality 1.25" 2x Barlow for good price?

[Benboy (Ben)]

Ok, so I am looking at buying a 1.25" 2x Barlow for my new 6" Dob. I've read that if you get a good quality barlow the image should not really be degraded by using the barlow. I realise I can't just get the cheapest barlow I find and expect it to work really well , so I am hoping some of the members here might be able to share their experiences with any GOOD barlows they have come across that were also a really good value. Basicly I need to spend as little as possible - but would rather spend enough to get one that I will be happy with long term. (Of course I you happen to have one to sell you could mention that too. )

Thanks in advance for any advice

Ben

[that_guy (Tony)]

you can get a decent 2.5x 1.25" apochromatic barlow for $50 in Andrews com. Gonna get one my self...

[MikeyB (Michael)]

You can't go wrong with a Celestron Ultima, IMHO and they're common enough and old enough that there's tidy used ones around for less than $100. Many seem to like the Orion Shorty too - same vintage and price - although I haven't personally tried one. I've heard TeleVue's Barlow praised also, but they don't seem to be all that common - I think most people go for the T-V Powermates instead.

[JethroB76 (Jeff)]

The Orion deluxe barlows are very good, new I think the 1.25" is now only about $110

[Quark (Trevor)]

Hi Ben,

Good and Cheap are two diametrically opposed descriptions of astro optics.

You get what you pay for.

The Televue Barlows are good value and perform very well as do the Nagler Powermates. Check out the planetary images on my website, most were captured with either a Televue 3 x Barlow or Nagler 5 x Powermate. However, I would never recommend the 5 x Powermate for use with visual observing you would be extremely disappointed with it for that application. For use with visual observing the Televue Barlows are quality products that will not disappoint.

Regards
Trevor

[astro744]

Originally Posted by Quark

Hi Ben,

Good and Cheap are two diametrically opposed descriptions of astro optics.

You get what you pay for.

The Televue Barlows are good value and perform very well as do the Nagler Powermates. Check out the planetary images on my website, most were captured with either a Televue 3 x Barlow or Nagler 5 x Powermate. However, I would never recommend the 5 x Powermate for use with visual observing you would be extremely disappointed with it for that application. For use with visual observing the Televue Barlows are quality products that will not disappoint.

Regards
Trevor

I agree 100%. Save up for a better one later than waste money on a cheap on now.

The 5x Powermate when combined with a 24mm Panoptic does make a very fine 4.8mm Panoptic though it's usefulness depends on your telescope focal length and quality. The 4x and 5x Powermates are more suited for imaging but perform exceptionally well visually as long as magnification is kept within reason.

[Robh (Rob)]

I can vouch for the compact Orion Barlow Shorty-Plus 2x.
BINTEL sell them for $129.

Regards, Rob.

[dannat (Daniel)]

there is a celestron ultima on evil-bay at he moment

[Benboy (Ben)]

Thanks everybody for the advice. I probably won't be making any decisions for a couple of weeks. The celestron ultima's and orion shorty's seem popular and from what I have read on the web are actually the same.

Thanks for the heads up on ebay dannat but if the orion shorty is indeed the same I can get a better deal through scopeoptics.com at the moment (42 USD).

I may possibly spring for a Televue Barlow tho. We'll see.

Cheers again guys

Anyone else reading - feel free to add in your opinions - Am I better to forego the barlow altogether and just invest in EP's?

[Starkler (Geoff)]

if you get a celestron ultima or orion shorty plus keep in mind that the actual mag is about 2.2x rather than 2x.

My order of preference would go:

televue barlow
Orion deluxe
celestron ultima
orion shorty plus

[ausastronomer (John Bambury)]

With the Televue 1.25" 2X barlow currently selling for $140 new and less 2nd hand, I can't think of a reason anyone would need to consider any other product outside the 2.5X TV powermate for visual observing at the high quality end of the market.

Cheers,
John B