Hello everyone, I have been a long time lurker here but thought I'd join up tonight to share my experience with Sirus Optics at Underwood.
I had been toying with the idea of getting a telescope after have spent the last few months roaming the southern pole area with a pair of 8x25 image stabilised binoculars. So I recently picked up a used and somewhat damaged Vixen ED81s (about a 6mm chip out of the lower edge of the lens) from gumtree for a couple of hundred bucks.
I have enjoyed it, but reading posts here and on cloudy nights, have decided I need something a bit bigger to really enjoy myself. Given that my 9 year old nephew enjoys spending time with me looking at stuff we don't know the name of, I thought I'd give this one to him and get a GSO dobsonian from Andrews Communications next payday.
So today I went down to Sirius Optics to pick up a couple of eyepieces as the used scope I have only came with a 15mm plossl (series 500 if that means anything) and a 2x barlow.
When I turned up, there were four or five guys chatting around the counter and they all seemed quite friendly. I think at least one is a member here as I heard him mention the site.
Anyway as I was about to pay, I asked about the Lunt 35 deluxe they had on display and the manager offered to set it up so I could have a look. At this, there was a wave of excitement as we all went out outside to get a look.
I did have an old PST at one point when they first came out and I was pretty underwhelmed at the views. Turned out that I had the version with the rusty lens, and it sort of put me off solar viewing, but the Lunt was amazing. We all had a go and then one of the guys brought out a Lunt herchel wedge on a little maksutov. This too, is pretty good (definitely on the birthday list).
I am not normally a group kind of person given my savant-like ablilty to say the exact wrong thing, but the Saturday afternoon impromptu star-party really was the high point of my week. Even though closing time had passed, the manager was happy to keep chatting with me despite my apologies, and I ended up getting the Lunt 35 deluxe.
Of course, I then got dragged to Ikea with my wife (almost like the rain curse I keep reading about), and did not end up getting another look today.
The willingness to help and the obvious love for the pastime really stood out as well as the friendliness of everyone there. I can definitely say that Sirius has gained a customer today and I am looking forward to sharing the sun with my nephew tomorrow.
Now to talk the wife into letting me get an equatorial mount and a camera
Sirius Optics
