Rigel QuickFinder

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Brand and Model:Rigel QuickFinder
Price ($USD):39.95
Type:Finder
Description:

Vote Highlights Vote
Rigel QuickFinder
How do you give the previous review a trustworthy vote??? And a weight of 10!!!There is no way that the rigel is a 2!!!! I sold all my Telrads and now have 3 Rigel finders precisely because they are so compact and lightweight. The function superbly as a straight finder with none of the parallax problems mentioned in the previous review. If there is a shift it is due to mounting the base with tape, instead of rigidly mounting it with a machine screw. The telrad has the advantage only on 2 counts...it has a wider longer base to allow for a more rigid alignment when tape mounted...and has the extra 4 degree circle. Other than that the Telrad has many negatives. It's big, heavy, bulky, and requires you to purchase extra bases and the pulse option for it. That's $77!!! to get it to the value level of a $40 rigel finder. It can cause balance problems, because of it's weight...and lastly, though not as importantly, it's ugly!
The Rigel finder, when screw mounted, will do the same job as the telrad, but give you many advantages over the Telrad...It's lighter, more compact, has a pulse circuit, has a quick release tab, gives you an extra base, and actually looks good. The 2 degree circle is not a problem except for the few who are strictly starhoppers, and are transversing the sky looking for the supper faint fuzzies. I find that the Rigel is every bit as good for most types of starhopping and easily find most of the Messier and brighter NGC objects with no problem what so ever.
It is a much better all around choice than the Telrad for the vast majority of amatuer astronomers out there.
Respectfully,
B. David

Overall Rating: 10
Performance:9 Value:10
Weight: 21 (Notable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=66202 

I bought mine in 2000 to replace the el cheapo 6x30 finder on my 8" Dob.  I am still using the original battery.  No complaints at all.  It gets a bit dewy, but so did the finder scope.  I made a cover out of a small box to keep the dew off when not actually using it.  The so-called parrallax problem mentioned by some reviews does not exist in my experience.  Some may prefer the 4 deg. outer circle of the Telrad, but for me, the lighter weight and higher profile of the QF was preferable.  I bought a second one for my TV101.  I use the mounting tape with no problems.

There was one situation that I thought a dot-finder was better.  I have a 5" f/12 refractor and stuck a QF mount above the EQ head.  I wanted to be able to use the finder either from the position of the EQ lock controls of from the eypiece.  At the eyepiece, however, I was so far from the QF that the circles appeared bigger than the window.  In that situation the Stellarvue dot-finder was better because the dot looks like a dot from both vantage points.  Otherwise the QF is the favorite.
Rigel QuickFinder
I had to weigh in considering the diverse opinion about this 1x finder on this site. All I can say is that it is everything I need in this type of finder with the pulse feature an extra bonus. As its name implies you will find objects quickly or get to an area quickly. Set up is a breeze and the learning curve should be fast for most users. It is a fine product and a great value. I am not sure why its detractors are having so many problems, but I can say this is the most commonly used finder for even advanced users in my club.

Overall Rating: 10
Performance:10 Value:10
Weight: 20 (Notable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=578331

Rigel QuickFinder
I have had the Rigel for close to three months now. It could be that I am just not too happy with zero magnification type finders, but I am much more happy with my Orion 9X50 CIRA finder.

The Rigel does point accurately enough that the object lands in the Orion's FOV. But then, placing objects in the Orion's FOV isn't too much of an issue when not using the Rigel.

On the other hand, the Rigel by itself seems to have difficulty placing objects in the the FOV of a 32mm PL on my 14" f/4.7

Overall Rating: 7
Performance:7 Value:7
Weight: 18 (Trustworthy Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=494076

Rigel QuickFinder
I love the Rigel Quickfinder. I give it a solid "10" all the way across the board because I can't even think of any complaints with it whatsoever. It is smaller and lighter than a Telrad, and the higher profile makes it easier to use. It is easy to adjust, and the batteries last forever!

A "must have" for star-hoppers!

Overall Rating: 10
Performance:10 Value:10
Weight: 11 (Trustworthy Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=296746

Rigel QuickFinder
I own a Quick Finder and a Telrad and use them on 2 different scopes. I like the Rigel's light weight, ease of adjustment and blinking light feature. On the other hand, I prefer the Telrads display and longer battery life. The parallex is quite noticable on the Quick Finder, and the Telrad display pattern goes out to 4 degrees vs. only 2 degrees for the Rigel Quick Finder. The Telrad loses out in the overall appearence department. It's a close call, but overall I prefer the Telrad.

I use the Quick Finder on my Orion Starblast. As one of the other reviewers stated, its probably preferable over a Telrad on smaller telescopes where real estate is at a premium.

Overall Rating: 8
Performance:8 Value:10
Weight: 10 (Trustworthy Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=376035

Rigel QuickFinder
One of my favorite astronomy gizmos. I own two of them and use them on all my scopes (SCT, Newtonian Reflector, & Mak). I like the tall profile, light weight, adjustability both in speed and brightness of the blinking target. More bang for the buck compared to a Telrad in my opinion.

Overall Rating: 10
Performance:10 Value:10
Weight: 10 (Trustworthy Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=89772

Rigel QuickFinder
I use the Rigel with my C8. Alignment of the unit is very simple after the instal. Battery life has been long. The unit is very well built (dropped mine a few times and no damage).

I find the ability to pulse and vary the brightness is critical to my use of a "red dot" finder. I have a red dot finder and it is not as useful. I find it very useful to have the finder in a higher postion as my GEM mount often puts me in position where having the Rigel means being able to use the finder. One closer to the tube would in my estimation be harder to use, that is why I chose it over the Telrad.

Those who say it has sighting problems are just not use to it.

Regards,

Jeff Lee

Overall Rating: 10
Performance:10 Value:10
Weight: 10 (Trustworthy Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=66047

Rigel QuickFinder
The sine qua non of a finder is that it should make it easy to find things. The Rigel falls down badly in two respects with regard to this requirement:

First, as an earlier reviewer mentioned, the parallax is terrible. If you have your eye in just a slightly different location than when you aligned the Rigel, it's quite possible for an object that appears centered in the Rigel to be outside the field of view of even a medium-power eyepiece.

Second, the Rigel is missing the third (4*) circle that's present on a Telrad. When you're star-hopping or trying to locate an object geometrically with reference to background stars, being limited to a 2* outer circle rather than a 4* one really hurts.

I give the Rigel a 2 rather than a 1 because it does have a few features the Telrad lacks. First, of course, is its small size and weight. If you have balance problems, you may have little choice but to put up with the Rigel's inadequacies. Second, the Rigel does come with an extra base, which is something like a $7 option for the Telrad. Third, the Rigel does pulse, which is something like a $25 option for the Telrad (unless you add it yourself with components, in which case it's about a $5 option). The bottom line is that the Rigel is grossly inferior to the Telrad. Buy the real Telrad. You won't be sorry.

Overall Rating: 2
Performance:2 Value:2
Weight: 10 (Trustworthy Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=65098 

I purchased a Rigel as an replacement to the piece of pipe I was using as a finder, so my basis of comparison is limited.

However, I also have noticed the object shifting at times in relation to the finder; but I think I know why.
I use both eyes while sighting and don't always use my dominate(sp) eye through the finder. I have to test this but it seems that if I were to superimpose the outside dominate eye with the red target, I would get such a shift.

M. Lout

>The sine qua non of a finder is that it should make it easy to find things. The Rigel falls down badly in two respects with regard to this requirement:
>
>First, as an earlier reviewer mentioned, the parallax is terrible. If you have your eye in just a slightly different location than when you aligned the Rigel, it's quite possible for an object that appears centered in the Rigel to be outside the field of view of even a medium-power eyepiece.
>
Rigel QuickFinder
I love my Rigel. I disagree strongly with the negative comments this thing has received. I've used Telrads and Rigels both. I like the Rigel better on my 8" Dob because it stands up away from the tube. That makes it much easier to use, in my opinion. I do have a bit of trouble finding the right spot to put my eye, but I have the same trouble with Telrads. Overall I like the Rigel better and will buy another one before I buy a Telrad.

Overall Rating: 9
Performance:8 Value:10
Weight: 7 (Veritable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=70318

Rigel QuickFinder
I have a Rigel and an 8X50 finder on my 10" DOB. I use
the Rigel 90% of the time because it is faster and easier to use.
I like the way it stands up taller than the Telrad which means I
don't need to lay my head on the tube to locate objects. It is
plastic, but that helps keep the weight down. My only suggestion
would be to add a small LED indicator so that you can see at a glance
that the unit is switched on. I have left mine on all night a couple
of times, being tired and forgeting to turn it off. Great finder though!
I give it a 9.

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 7 (Veritable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=44358

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