GSO 2" 2X Barlow?

[gasman1 (Gary A Sitton)]

Just ordered a Taiwanese GSO 2" 2X Barlow after reading some very good reviews on it. It's a 2 element ED system with a removable lens which can be directly screwed into the eyepiece or camera barrel for 1.5X. I'll be using it for prime focus photography with my 130mm f/5. I have a Celestron 1.25" 2X Barlow, but want to go 2" all the way for stability. Anyone down there have any experience with this Barlow? I took a chance on it at $69 US so I guess we'll see what gives.

[gasman1 (Gary A Sitton)]

Well, I just got and tested my new 2" 2X GSO Barlow and it's very good. I found it to have a sharp, flat, color true, high contrast image over the entire field of view. The machining, finish and construction was impeccable. It compares very well with my 1.25" Celestron X-Cel LX 2X Barlow and gives me a 1.5X option also. It also seemed a bit brighter, but that's just an subjective opinion. The GSO has a 2-element ED lens whereas the Celestron has a 3-element lens with both with multi-coated lens. I'll probably be using the 2" Barlow exclusively as it's much more stable in my 2" focuser. I'm planning some moon shots in a few weeks using my new Orion 2" moon filter.

[Varangian (John)]

G'day Gary, I had this barlow and was very surprised at the quality views I got out of it. I actually improved some of the optics I was using in my f4.7. Cheers, John.

[RobF (Rob)]

I was surprised at how good these are as well visually and photographically. As an added bonus, they make a good 2" extension system with 1.25" inch adaptor if/when you need such a thing.

[2stroke (Jay)]

There was a thread on cloudy nights about them and how the compare and most users said you would not find much of a difference between them and the non powermates. With powermates its another story though and you will see where the money pays off. Its seems they really are the best bang for buck would love to hear how they stack though