This first so-called "review" appears to be posted by the owner of Skycraft Canada, which is seemingly a ploy to gain buisness. It is proper to therefore suggest a high level subjectivity is in fact, at work. I have done buisness with Skycraft as well as sent buisness their way in the past. Considering the fact that I feel misguided by Skycraft for the reasons in my own personal review rating, I am being more than fair in this case.
Know what you're getting into before buying products that are the least bit questionable. Be well informed and speak up when service is not consistent in order to help others.

Overall Rating: 4
Optics:3 Value:5
Weight: 5
Date: 10/07/2005 10:56:21 am PST

Replies: 0

I agree. This is a good quality, 5-element plossl made in Japan. Virtually identical to the Celestron and Orion versions.

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:8 Value:10
Weight: 5
Date: 10/07/2005 10:41:35 am PST

Replies: 0

We've all heard various complaints about chromatic abberation present in achromatic refractors... My Orion V-Block filter works miracles on my Sky-Watcher 120mm f/8.3 refractor to say the least. The planetary views through my telescope were already very crisp and pleasing, and I would go so far as to argue that this filter (very much like the Sirius Optics Minus Violet filter) actually increases resolution. I am not disappointed my the slight yellowish cast this filter imparts as a result of eliminating the violet from the spectrum due to the enhanced contrast. The Moon, Jupiter, and Saturn were wonderful objects to test this filter on. At low powers, they all had slight greenish halos without the V-Block. When the filter was employed, not only was this visual annoyance removed, but I could easily boost up the magnification substantially more than I normally could have without the V-Block. These two beautiful planets literally burst into an array of belts and zones I have only seen in much larger telescopes. Saturns rings also became extremely sharp. With the filter, the Moon boasted countless tiny craterlets and ultra sharp detail. Once again I fell in love with the source of light pollution deep sky enthusiasts sometimes grovel about. As a matter of fact, a good friend and avid deep sky person raved about the views I showed him that first night using my Orion V-Block. He claimed the planetary views were among the finest he'd ever seen..and much better than his 11" SCT with premium eyepieces. Was it worth the purchase? Definately, in my opinion. Aside from the yellowish cast, it makes a well collimated achromatic refractor seem nearly apochromatic. An inexpensive way of significantly improving the quality of observing the planets!

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:9 Value:9
Weight: 5
Date: 10/07/2005 10:40:56 am PST

Replies: 0

10's right accross the board. An exceptional performer in telescopes 8" and larger. Works well on emmission nebulae, though it excels on planetary nebulae like M27 in Vulpecula, and M57 in Lyra. Very happy with my 1.25 " Thousand Oaks O-III filter.

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 Value:10
Weight: 5
Date: 10/07/2005 10:31:03 am PST

Replies: 0

Well, I don't know what kind of fumes the other guy was inhaling, but I've personally never heard of that. The new optics DO NOT require cleaning under any circumstances and this is one of the biggest misconceptions and mistakes for the inexperienced astronomer who has purchased a new telescope. Beware: everyone claims to be an optical expert! :)

To say that one should have purchased a 12" dob instead truly shows that they bought the 10" Newtonian on a heavy duty mount for the wrong, uninformed reasons. I believe the image degradation experienced by this individual initially was due to poor seeing and thermal tube currents.

My FOUR Skywatcher Newtonians are all optically quite excellent. This positive feedback has been noted among other independent samples others have looked through as well. I have my new SW 10" Newtonian mounted on my EQ6 Synscan and it is a wonderful choice for serious lunar/planetary study, sketching, and deep sky astrophotography - not mere "alt-az astro-tourism". Gosh..regardless of the current overwhelming popularity of dobs most would have us believe that John Dobson practically invented this telescope, and the alt-az style mount!

Anyways, the value is wonderful when one considers the bang for the buck. That is the definition of value. The mount is the best in its price class beyond any doubt, and the OTA is likely one of the best choices in amateur astronomy.

As an owner of a 14" dob, I will testify that I invariably detect more lunar and planetary surface detail while sitting patiently at my 10" Newtonian on its solid equatorial mount, pencil and paper in hand.

The mount is heavy which is why I give ease of use a respectful 8 out of 10, but I knew this and accepted it before my purchase. Nobody should whine about the beefy Synta EQ6/Atlas mount. It is the only mount in its low price range that is up to the task for this scope.

All I can say in summary is, "what a bargain!" This is tremendous quality equatorial Newtonian for your hard earned dollar.


Cheers.

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:9 Mount:10 Ease of Use:8 Value:10
Weight: 5
Date: 10/07/2005 02:50:39 am PST

Replies: 0