Skywatcher 6" Dob

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Brand and Model:Skywatcher 6" Dob
Price ($USD):$299
Type:Newtonian
Attributes: un-checked Go-To un-checked PEC
Aperture:152mm (6")
f Ratio:f/8
Focal Length:1200mm
Finder:6x30
Electric Power:
Mount:Dob
Tripod:
Weight (lbs):35
Dimensions (w/h/d):
Description:Skywatcher 6 Inch F8 Dob
Sells in Canada for between 399 and 420 Canadian dollars
I own the new 2002 version that includes some good updates. They have listened to user complaints and improved this already excelent scope.

Vote Highlights Vote
Skywatcher 6" Dob
Paid $399 Canadian + $75 for a half decent 2x barlow.

The supplied 'super wide' eyepieces (I suspect Super MA) are fairly good quality. (Better than I expected)
I managed to pick out a couple of fainter messier objects M1 & M32 (The latter using Averted vision) in fairly light polluted skies.
Saturns Cassini division was easy @ 120, and at 240x Jupiter showed great colouration on its bands. Contrast was excellent. (Is this because it is F8 vs the 8 inchs f6?)

The unit was collimated perfectly out of the box.
The mount is stable, but it takes some tweeking to make sure the az bolt isn't to tight or overly loose. Once set correctly it is fine.
It is a little awkward to move once assembled.
Primary mirror is pre-marked for collimation.
The 1.25 / 2" focusser is excellent.
Great bang for the buck, I highly recommend this scope!

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:9 Mount:9 Ease of Use:9 Value:10
Weight: 10 (Trustworthy Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=65650

Skywatcher 6" Dob
ToRD is home to MANY amazing sktares, but for FAN CHOICE there is a clear standout in my opinion. One name can always be heard being bellowed from the stands when the Chicks are playing, and that name is BOOOOOOOOOOOOOUCHE!!!!!

Overall Rating: 5
Optics:0 Mount:2 Ease of Use:6 Value:6
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=600185

Skywatcher 6" Dob
I have the white tubed 6-inch F/8 Skyliner version. Overall, a very versatile scope tp use. very nice optics that hold collimation well and delivers the goods on both dep sky objects and planets. I'd upgrade the eyepieces that come with it but all in all an excellent scpe for the serious beginner and a great dollar value.

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:8 Mount:8 Ease of Use:9 Value:9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=593642

Skywatcher 6" Dob
I got this scope at a good price $320+$70(accessories) canadian. At the moment, the finder is not well aligned because when I look through the eyepiece, I cannot see the objet at all. But it could be my fault, since I am new at handling telescopes.
The only bad thing is the optics. They sold me two Plossl eyepieces at about $70 together (10mm, 25mm). There is a subtle double vision with the moon. Jupiter is much smaller than it should be (I think), and I can barely see any detail on it. The lines are barely visible, and it is black and white - no colors! Finally the eye relief is bad. I talked to other people about this, and nobody thinks that the scope itself is the problem. I tend to agree too. So I think it is the eyepieces that are of poor quality. They are not brand-names.

This is a good scope, fairly easy to handle.

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:5 Mount:8 Ease of Use:9 Value:9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=367092

Skywatcher 6" Dob
A good value if you're willing to replace things at a fairly easy stage.
While the eyepieces are adequate, the eye relief is minimal, and once you look through better ep's you'll soon start shopping. At this point however, you should also consider replacing the focuser. One of the main reasons you don't pay much for this scope is because the focuser is of low quality. Although the Crayford design is good, the materials are cheap: the screw threads strip and the roller bearings chip off easily. All of this means that with heavier ep's you can't get enough tension to prevent slippage.
Now here is where you run into problems.
When you remove the old focuser, there is such a large hole in the tube you not only have to manufacture a cover plate to hide the excess but also as support for the new mounting holes which end up being very near the edge of the over large cavity.
If you can get past all of that; the mirrors are good, the unit is easy to set-up and handle, and the views are good - especially with Pentax XL ep's ( I recommend the 21mm and 7mm).
With this scope you can see galaxies, nebulas, double stars, bands on Jupiter, rings of Saturn etc. etc.
I really like my scope, now, but being wiser I would shop around and ask about focusers before I bought another.

Overall Rating: 8
Optics:8 Mount:8 Ease of Use:10 Value:8
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=83115

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