Hello All,
I just got back from my local telescope shop and he just received and had on display a 12" and thought I could give some impressions. It's cloudy so I could not take it outside to check the optics so I'll just report what I saw.
The movement in both altitude and azimuth was very smooth, but it would need a counter weight for any heavy eyepieces. The fit and finish was very good and it seemed very sturdy. When I asked to see the mirror the salesman winced and told me the mirror cover had come off in shipment. They're sending it back since it scratched the mirror and inside the base tube. The mirror cover reminded me of a soft drink or coffee take-out lid. Thin, flimsy, white plastic cover which fits over the mirror clips. Very poor. The focuser seemed similar in quality to the imported crayford on my ED 80, but with two set screws. The inside of both halves were flat black.
All in all I was impressed. I have been thinking of getting a 10 or 12 tube dob, but after seeing the Lightbridge I might reconsider. I would think Orion would counter with one of there own.
Cheers,
Jim Moscheck
Living under the perpetually cloudy light dome of SE Michigan
I just got back from my local telescope shop and he just received and had on display a 12" and thought I could give some impressions. It's cloudy so I could not take it outside to check the optics so I'll just report what I saw.
The movement in both altitude and azimuth was very smooth, but it would need a counter weight for any heavy eyepieces. The fit and finish was very good and it seemed very sturdy. When I asked to see the mirror the salesman winced and told me the mirror cover had come off in shipment. They're sending it back since it scratched the mirror and inside the base tube. The mirror cover reminded me of a soft drink or coffee take-out lid. Thin, flimsy, white plastic cover which fits over the mirror clips. Very poor. The focuser seemed similar in quality to the imported crayford on my ED 80, but with two set screws. The inside of both halves were flat black.
All in all I was impressed. I have been thinking of getting a 10 or 12 tube dob, but after seeing the Lightbridge I might reconsider. I would think Orion would counter with one of there own.
Cheers,
Jim Moscheck
Living under the perpetually cloudy light dome of SE Michigan
