dobs and australian suppliers

[Starkler (Geoff)]

I know of one IIS member who recently bought a 10 inch dob from Bintel and they most certainly did not reassemble and collimate the scope correctly. Collimation was out and the primary mirror pinched in its cell.

As you will have to learn how to collimate anyway, may as well go for the deal that you think is the best value and collimate yourself. Also check the howto section for my article on checking the optics on your GSO dob

[acropolite (Phil)]

Dave, for my two bob's worth, go with the dealer that covers their freight with insurance. When I enquired with Andrews 6 months ago they refused to freight into Tasmania. Bintel on the other hand not only freighted, but had my equipment covered for damage in freight. Unfortunately freight into Tassie has a habit of turning up damaged, I have first hand experience of that. I've lost count of the number of mainland dealers that refuse to freight to Tassie because of past damage. I'm not trying to frighten you but it would be disappointing to see your new toy arrive bent and broken.

[davidpretorius]

thanks phil, i am getting final figures and specs from andrew as we speak. i am asking him on insurance. In regards to freight, Bintel were $220 to get to tassie, Andrew $75.

Hope to order as soon as that tax cheque comes back!!

[p medcraft]

Hi guys, I have purchased scopes and a lot of gear off both Dealers and can attest to their sincerity. leigh Andrews is principally a radio business with spare space out the back to also run a wholesale scope business with no significant overheads. There is nothing wrong with this because it allows us all to get access to Chinese scopes at unbeatable prices. Mike Smith at Bintel on the other hand is running a retail business which includes ongoing support and direct servicing and repair of telescopes including 14" and 16" GOTO Schmidts. I know that Don Whiteman, Mikes Meade specialist has flown to customers to set up their observatories. Mike sends his team to the US every year or so to do the update course at the Meade factory so they remain current with the latest gear. Bintel stock a big range on the shop floor including Meades, Coronado, Televue, Telescope building gear including spiders, secondaries and mirrors and a range of Chinese scopes branded with the Bintel name. The knowledge base at Bintel is significant. Don would be one of the more experienced observers and Telescope builders in the Country. He was a judge last year at the South Pacific Star Party. If you need a cheap Chinese scope and don't have a lot of questions or concerns (by this I mean that if there is a optical/mechanical problem you can identify it and fix it yourself) Leigh is the way to go. If your needs are more complex and you need a walk through and hand holding then the extra bucks are worth it. The difference isn't in the delivery of a good scope, it is in the delivery of a one with problems. I have no doubt that Leigh would take it back and swap but if it is a minor issue Mikes team will be able to walk you through the corrections needed so that you don't have to send it back.

Paul Medcraft

[iceman (Mike)]

Paul is right, both have their pros and cons.

When I bought my 10" GSO (a year ago), I ended up getting it from Bintel because at that time, Bintel matched Andrews price for me - it was before the "premium" models and before the price drop of about 6-8 months ago. Hey, maybe I can claim credit for starting the GSO dob plague!?

I agree that star-testing (and collimating to an extent) could prove redundant by the time it's shipped to your house - you STILL need to learn how to collimate, regardless of who you get it from. However the squaring of the focuser and positioning of the secondary should only need to be done once, and if Bintel do that then it could be worth the extra money if you're not confident of tinkering yourself.

I also think it would be worth it if the shops started doing things like checking for astigmatism on these GSO dobs, checking for pinching of the primary and secondary mirrors. For some people, it might be worth paying a little extra for it, and it could mean the difference between great views and good views on the first night out.