Rigel QuickFinder

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Rigel QuickFinder
It's light and easy to mount/dismount. The target is clear but fades in and out if you don't keep your head still. Offers a blinking feature, and has a good fade. It's quite easy to align. It comes with two mounts so you can swap it between scopes.

The big problem is that the parallax is awful. The target moves as you move your head. If you don't look through it at the same exact angle every time, then it will be off of alignment with your scope.

Some people swear by them, but with practice you can become good at nearly anything. I prefer a finder that let's me look through it at different angles and will always be on target.

Overall Rating: 3
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=44355

Rigel QuickFinder
Great for smaller reflectors (10" and below) due to Telrad's heavy weight and large size. A little hard to find the circles sometimes. Battery lasts forever. Adjustment features are great.

Overall Rating: 8
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=44356

Rigel QuickFinder
I have two of these QuickFinders and I find them quite useful for starhopping.
The plastic housing, though small, could be of better quality; I think it
is a little tacky looking. Rigel should consider making another version out
of aluminium. Alignment is very easy with the three knobs and brightness is
adjustable. You can also make the target reticle blink. Its lightweight, low cost, and performance outweights the utilitarian appearance. Highly recommended
alternative to the Telrad, which I have also used.

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=44357

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

Rigel QuickFinder
I am a user of Meade's ETX RA 90 and I find it a joy to use the Rigel QuickFinder. Within a few seconds I have targed any large object, and by using starhopping it is a delight to find the objects I want. I am very glad with this very cheap looking toy.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 4 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=44359

Rigel QuickFinder
This is a great finder. Easy to target objects and the blinking feature is one not found on the Telrad. I agree w/ the reviewer that said a power-on LED would be handy. I have also left mine on after a long night of observing only to find the battery dead the next time I go out. Good idea to keep a spare button battery on-hand. Good and light for a smaller scope too. Great product.

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=44360

Rigel QuickFinder
Without a lot of fussing this little finder makes finding objects a snap. I agree with the LED for power on idea, having killed a battery myself by leaving it on.

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 2 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=44361

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 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
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 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
OK, maybe it's not a 10, but it's certainly not a 2 like some others are rating it. I wonder if they work for Telrad? The Quikfinder is a great tool. It's easier to use than a Telrad IMHO. I recently sold a scope with my Quikfinder on it, and I immediately bought a new Quikfinder for my new scope. It's way lighter than the Telrad and it's also slightly cheaper. Anacortes has it for $37 (although they charge $7 for shipping). The batteries are expensive (almost $10, if I recall correctly), but if you're smart about turning it off you won't replace the battery often enough for it to matter. Good product. I don't understand why it's been poorly rated by others.

Overall Rating: 10
Performance:10 Value:10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=77862

Rigel QuickFinder
i have to disagree with the negative comments about the rigel finder. i have no problem using this finder, and when compared to the telrad i like the way it stands up away from the scope. i use it on the xt6 from orion. the telrad has a four degree circle, the rigel a two degree circle. i have absolutely no problems finding objects accurately with this finder and i highly recommend it. the telrad is a good finder too but sits to low for me.

Overall Rating: 10
Performance:10 Value:10
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=79788

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 think a telrad is a bit easier to use, but this still works great. The small size make it more suitable for my smaller scopes.

Overall Rating: 10
Performance:10 Value:10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=104166

Rigel QuickFinder
I have usedone of these for 4 years now. I would like it to be about 2 in. taller. Also, I wish the plastic lens was made of glass to give a clear and sharper images. It is hard to find the bullseye. It is a cheaply made item that is overpriced. This is true of many astronomy accessories. Not a great value for the money. But, not much to choose from either, you only have the telerad or rigel system quickfinder. We need a better quality quickfinder!

Overall Rating: 5
Performance:5 Value:5
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=110403

Rigel QuickFinder
Used a Telrad for years until battery corrosion did it in (see Telrad section). I then switched to a Rigel Quickfinder because it was cheaper, smaller, lighter, and had more functions. That, and lithium batteries practically never corrode. It takes much less space in my astro accessory box than the Telrad did. It is so small, I can keep it in my eyepiece case. It does have slightly more parallax than the Telrad, but all you have to do is move your head side to side and up and down slightly to center the circles in the box and then center your target. Practice is all that is needed. It becomes second nature. I don't usually miss the outer circle since I usually align on planets and bright stars and then use my DSCs. Alignment isn't quite as smooth as a Telrad, but you don't have to jam your fingers past your nose to do it since the knobs are on the front of the unit. The pulsing feature is a welcome feature. I had wished for it for years on the Telrad. I'll have to wait and see how durable it is. Over a year now with no problems.

Overall Rating: 8
Performance:7 Value:8
Weight: 4 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=120140

Rigel QuickFinder
I got a quickfinder on a used scope I purchased. I was pleasantly surprised at how well it works, how light it is, and
how easy it is to put on and remove from the scope. I use mine on a small refractor, where a Telrad just isn't a viable option. The blinking feature is tremendously helpful when using the quickfinder on dim stars or in a light polluted area where it is difficult to see what you're pointed at. It seems reasonably resistant to dewing, and since its easily removed, if/when it does dew, one can remove it from the scope and warm it up in a pocket much like an eyepiece. I keep mine in the same case as my eyepieces since its so small. The quickfinder works best when solidly mounted, since a small amount of flex in a typical double sided tape type mount will take it out noticably out of perfect alignment. Its best to mount with a screw rather than tape, if you can. Overall I love the quickfinder, especially for its compactness, light weight, and ease of installation/removal when setting up and tearing down the scope.

Overall Rating: 9
Performance:9 Value:9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=133089

Rigel QuickFinder
The best reflex finder I have ever used. Finding objects with it is as easy as 1-2-3, and they are always right smack dab in the middle of the scope's field of view. I rarely use my regular finder anymore.

Small size and a higher profile than the Telrad, making it much easier to look through. The pulse and brightness adjustment options are great. The three large alignment adjustment knobs make this unit quickly tranferable between several scopes. Battery life is amazingly long - I have used mine regularly for two years and am still on the original battery.

Don't understand the negative reviews on this one. It's a steal at its low price and will make you swear off a regular finder forever (and perhaps your Telrad as well).

Overall Rating: 10
Performance:10 Value:10
Weight: 5 (Veritable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=139471

Rigel QuickFinder
Excellent finder for my 12.5" dob. The unit does its function very well - as a zero power finder for star hopping and aligning digital setting circles. Does basically the same job as a Telrad without the weight and size. Highly recommended.

Overall Rating: 10
Performance:10 Value:10
Weight: 5 (Veritable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=180901

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