Dobs Dobs Dobs!

Alright, I know I want a Dobsonian telescope in the 14.5" to 16" range, and now I need some advice. I often just throw out new threads because I get tired of searching through hundreds of previous threads, and I value the opinions of experienced observers. So here goes...

Yes I have the money to buy a Starmaster 14.5", but it would seriously deplete my savings account. Sometimes I feel that I should just got for it, and get the most expernsive (which I assume is then the best!) Dob I can find... I have never heard a bad thing about a Starmaster. However, is it truly worth $4900? (Here we go with opinions again...) Yes, it's a great scope, but seriously, how different are the views between a Starmaster 14.5" and Discovery 15"? Is a bunch of that extra cost just going to woodworking and making the scope look pretty? I've heard Discovery Dobs aren't as smooth... that doesn't seem like a big deal to me. Yes, I want the best optics possible, but I won't be doing any astrophotography, so for purely visual enjoyment the Discovery optics aren't bad, are they? If I were to look at a typical galaxy (let's take M51), would I see spiral structure in the Starmaster and not in the Discovery? What kind of mirrors do Discovery use anyway? Are collimation issues similar between tehse scopes or do Starmasters remain in collomation better? How about cold weather preformance? I'm a Canadian and will be observing in -25C weather from time to time... I'm assuming I should get a Pyrex mirror (which Discovery doesn't have)? Another reason I'm considering foregoing Starmaster is because of the wait time. I guess 1-1 months isn't that bad, but that's their listed price, and despite an email to them earlier this week I haven't heard back from them.

Well, there I go, rambling again... any opinions on anything I've rambled about would be appreciated!

Got to love Astormart

Dave

There are many sponsors here that are selling 15" Dobs, some are cheaper than the SM. If you get a mirror made by one of the top Opticians, it will perform to your expectations. But the mirror is only part of the equation, the frame of the scope is also just as important. There again are several sponsors here that make very nice scopes. Do some shopping and find one that you can afford and uses a high quality mirror and you will be happy.
Not to say anything bad about Discovery scopes, but their solid tubes leave a bit to be desired in my opinion. However the Truss scopes are a bit better construction.
Check out the sponsors page and do a bit of looking around.
Floyd

Well, if you want a good price on a decent dob in that range, I would be patient and keep an eye on Astromart. Ive seen good prices on 14.5 SM, 15" Obsessions,etc that would suit you just fine.

In all honesty, it seems that you should research a bit more, join the SM, Obsession, Discovery and Big Dob Yahoo Groups and read the past messages. There's a wealth of info in those groups.

Mark

Hi David,

I am no expert on plate glass v. pyrex in the temperatures you mentioned but you can get pyrex in Discovery scopes. Their site mentions that they make all of their mirrors, I am sure a call to them would clarify that.

Mirror quality- as I write this I have just received my second Portaball scope- this one a 12.5" with Zambuto optics(the only optics Mag 1 currently uses). The first PB was a 10" also with CZ optics. I also have a Discovery 10" DOB picked up for a friend's kids that has a plate glass mirror and can tell you that it compares very favorably on deep sky with the best of the best. I was suspicious of plate glass until I set the Discovery up and hit M13- stunning pin-point images. On planets and under excellent seeing the 10" CZ was better at rendering fine detail and had better contrast (especially Jupiter's more subtle markings), but it is closer than one would think, especially if cost is a factor.

Floyd is right on when he mentions that the optics are only part-albeit the biggest part- of the consideration that goes into a scope. The Discovery I have is the 10" F/5.6 DHQ and it is "serviceable" as far as the base and bearings. The motions are quite sticky and abrupt which comes into play during high power planetary viewing. I have read how to fix the problems and it sounds easy enough.

Rob Teeter put together a "Planet Killer" structure for a 12.5" Meade Research Grade mirror I owned and his work was absolutely first rate and the scope a pleasure to use. All conventional DOBs I have used suffer near zenith when trying to track an object by hand. Not so with the Portaball which moves equally smoothly in every part of the sky. The Portaball is the most impressive scope I have owned as far as ergonomics and quality- and optics. Collimation is easy, transportation a breezy and Peter Smitka is a match for anyone out there in terms of being genuinely interested in his "family" of scope owners being happy. Limits- forget DSCs and "goto" servo drives (though an equatorial plarform works perfectly with PBs).

I find it interesting that so many people talk about customer service, especially of Starmaster. I agree that I would prefer to support a company with great customer service, and here in Canada there are a few dealers I'll go back to even if their prices are a bit high, and a couple that I know I'll never buy from.

I have emailed most every major Dob dealer, asking them about an approximate wait time, as well as an estimate for shipping costs, because I'm in Canada. The only one - yes the only one - to reply so far has been Obsession, and it was within a day. When I sent another question back to Obsession, it was replied to within an hour. I find it kinda frustrating (yes, I know I'm impatient) that companies who are supposed to have great customer service are taking so long to reply to my questions. Do they simply not reply to emails and only deal with phone queries? I just found it interesting...

Dave,

This is a fun topic- and there are certainly those here that have more
experience in comparing the top-tier dobs, but I thought I'd add my two-
cent's worth (mainly because I've been looking at the same size dob
purchase for sometime in the near future). In the 15" range, both
MC telescopes and starsplitter seem to have good values for a dob with
a premium mirror: a 15" MC w/nova is about $3500, and it's about the
same from starsplitter if you add the necessary telrad and shroud.
If you go with a Royce mirror, MC goes for $4020 for a 15". As you
know, this is about the same as a 15" obsession. Royce mirrors don't
get as much press as the Zambuto's, but I have an 8" Royce that amazes
me.

Just my humble opinion(s).. Have fun!

bill

Dave,
Did you see this ad?

http://www.astromart.com/classifieds/details.asp?classified_id=308839

Looks interesting! Anyone who has used one of Mittler's scopes have comments regarding build quality and optics?

Best regards,
Tim

Obsession 15. Better woodwork than Starmaster (IMO, of course), much higher production volumes and only a 30-day wait usally from time of order, and cheaper than the Starmaster 14.5 EL. Also, you can get more up-to-date electronics (Argo Navis DSC installed rather than the Sky Commander offered by Starmaster). Downsides are that you have to buy the shroud on the Obsession and Starmaster includes it. Of course, Obsession includes the wheely bars and you have to buy those with Starmaster. The ONLY thing I like more about Starmaster than Obsession is the primary mirror cell design and the Zambuto versus Torus-OMI optics.