refractor semi ed 127

Hi,
Does anyone know anything about antares refractors?
I've seen them for sale at kendriks website 127 mm f9.4 semi apo with eq 5 mount for 700 us dollars. also what's the deal with the mount is it anygood or not

Thanx again

Can somebody explain what a Semi-ED refractor is? does it mean ALMOST-ED? QUASI-ED? NOT-QUITE-AS-GOOD-AS-ED? (almost color corrected, but not really...?)

Itz, I know you are trying to save money while getting an APO scope, but... 8)

With ducks, "Semi" means "his momma is a duck, but we don't know whut his daddy wuz." "Quasi" means "his momma looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, but has goose DNA."

Here in Memphis, "Semi" can mean, "That boy shor kin sing. He must be one of Elvis' love children." "Quasi" would be,
"Elvis Impersonators."

I figure with telescopes, "quasi-ED" means looks like ED, but ain't. "Semi-ED" simply means "ain't ED".

From your questions it seems like you're looking for an affordable refractor with good color correction. From the reviews that I have read, the Orion 100mm sounds like it would fit the bill. No, its not an AP, Televue, Tak, or Tec, but it appears to be (in the upper limits of) your price range.

Most importantly, consider HOW you plan to use the telescope. Will you be doing a lot of "all-nighters" or do you tend to be a casual viewer going out for an hour or two? If you plan to have lengthy viewing sessions, then a scope that takes a few minutes to set up and break down is not an issue. However, if you are a more casual observer than you may be more interested in portability. So the size and weight of the scope will matter.

When I was deciding on which scope to buy, I made a list of the pros and cons of each one - and then ultimately bought both of them! However, I've found that my viewing habits have helped in deciding which one to keep and which to sell (the LX90 is now posted in the classifieds).

I doubt that you will be satisfied with a "semi-apo" or a chromacor corrected achromat as you'll always wonder if you should have saved just a bit more for an APO. So, since you're taking the time trying to decide, save some more money and get the scope you really want.