Has anyone had any experience with the Andrews ED eyepieces?

mercedes_sl1970 · #1 07-05-2006, 08:01 PM

Hi there

I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with these Andrew's ED eyepieces:

http://www.andrewscom.com.au/site-section-10.htm
Andrews ED (Extra low Dispersion) 1.25" Eyepieces
Outstanding planetary eyepieces
Type Price $(AUD)
2.3mm, 3.8mm, 5.2mm, 7.5mm and 9.5mm and 12.5mm, 14mm, 18mm, 21mm and 25mm focal lengths $99.00 Each

Am thinking of the 3.8, 5.2 or 7.5 - to go with a 152mm refractor (ex Mick Pinner which is just terriffic - thanks Mick!). I have a few plossls above these. I'm on something of a budget and these are occasionally on special at lower prices.

Thanks

Andrew

janoskiss (Steve H) · #2 07-05-2006, 09:44 PM

Danielsun could tell you more, because it was his EP I tried. I did not like it all that much. Bit troublesome with blackout. But I suppose if you want the long eye relief at short focal lengths and on the cheap there is not much else available. There is a review on the site on one of these EPs. I've seen them advertised for as low as $69. AOE also sell them.

ballaratdragons (Ken) · #3 07-05-2006, 10:31 PM

Are they truly 'ED' though. That is my main question.

iceman (Mike) · #4 07-05-2006, 10:59 PM

I tried the 14mm quite a while ago now, and didn't like it at all. Like Steve said, very prone to blackout and to my inexperienced eyes at the time, it was no better than my 15mm GSO plossl.

Though it was over a year ago, and i'd probably be able to do a better evaluation now. I just know at the time it was harder to use and not very comfortable.

If you're looking for a good quality planetary eyepiece, you can't go past the TV plossls, Vixen LV's or UO HD Orthos. They cost a little more, but the performance gain is well worth it.

ausastronomer (John Bambury) · #5 07-05-2006, 11:12 PM

If you're on a budget and need long eye relief, your best option is the 5mm LE also sold by Andrews. These have a narrow (about 40 deg) FOV but they are reasonably sharp on axis, will work well in your F8 scope and have 20mm of eye relief. They only cost about $50 each. They are pretty good value. A Pentax XW they are not, but they are also only 1/8th the price.

FWIW I dont go much on the Andrews ED eyepieces. I prefer the LE series of the 2 and they are a bit less money.

CS-John B

ving (David) · #6 08-05-2006, 10:10 AM

are they roughly based on the orion eds?

iceman (Mike) · #7 08-05-2006, 10:58 AM

They're exactly the same.

ving (David) · #8 08-05-2006, 11:02 AM

thats what i thought. thnx mike

mercedes_sl1970 · #9 08-05-2006, 05:36 PM

Thanks, everyone for your comments - appreciate the suggestions.

John B - can you tell me a little more about the LE eyepieces you mentioned?

Andrew

janoskiss (Steve H) · #10 08-05-2006, 06:48 PM

Check out Darren's review on the generic long eye relief wide angle eyepieces. I think these are the ones that John means.

iceman (Mike) · #11 09-05-2006, 06:05 AM

That's Ian's review (stringscope).

janoskiss (Steve H) · #12 09-05-2006, 11:31 AM

Oops, sorry Ian.

dhumpie · #13 09-05-2006, 05:54 PM

Yup its Ian's review....I did a peer review for him on that article

Darren

ausastronomer (John Bambury) · #14 10-05-2006, 12:46 PM

NNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Those Eyepieces in that Review are the clones of the Orion Expanse Eyepieces, with medium to long eye relief and supposedly Ultra Wide Angle of 66° AFOV I think. I dont like them much at all, particularly in fast telescopes. The 20mm I owned for a short period was "WOEFUL" in my F5 scope.

The ones I am talking about are different. They are not wide angle, they only have an AFOV of about 40° to 45° and each focal length has the same 20mm of eye-relief. These are not listed on Andrews website but I am sure he still has them for between $40 and $60 each. They are sold as Andrews LE eyepieces. Phone him and ask him. I owned the 5mm version for a while and it was very good optically for the price and very comfortable to use. The 5mm version should be ideal for your needs.

CS-John B

colliedogs · #15 08-06-2006, 07:16 PM

I called Andrews yesterday about the LE eyepieces, as I am also after long eye relief eypieces that won't "break the bank". I was advised that they are out of stock of the LE eyepieces, and don't intend to keep them any longer.

colliedogs

janoskiss (Steve H) · #16 08-06-2006, 07:39 PM

Myastroshop has what they call LE Plossl eyepieces, but they look the same as the Orion Expanse clones; same specs too.

GHarper · #17 24-07-2006, 04:08 AM

Hi,
I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned or tried these, but OWL makes eyepieces and sells on ebay. I have an 11mm Ultrawide ordered. I'll post what I find when I test it out.
I have a 12.5" Discovery dob. Ultrawides are the way to go in my opinion.
Thanks,
G

casstony · #18 24-07-2006, 10:22 AM

With any of these cheap but fancy designs I suggest you buy from a shop that will allow return or exchange if you aren't happy. Most of them will have one or more design flaws that may or may not bother you. I purchased a 6mm Orion Expanse clone from Andrews and promptly exchanged it due to severe ghosting on the moon (in a Chinese 80mm f/5 refractor). Had I not wanted to view the moon the eyepiece would have been fine.

Tony