What do you guys think of the Celestron CGE scopes

I am interested in knowing some opinions about how good this scope and more importantly the mount is. I am interested in using it for CCD imaging.
Your input is greatly appreciated
Best regards
ashton

I think that Celestron makes some of the best commercial grade SCT optics that are available. I have owned several Meade SCT's (2080B, 2120B, 10" and 12" LX200) and Celestron's (C8, C14). The Celestron optics are better. However, the Meades I owned were pre-UHTC so I can't speak for a direct comparison on the new Meade optics. The problem with Celestron has typically been their mounts. The old CI700 was alright for the smaller scopes like the C8, C9.25, and C11. However, the C14 was way to much for it. It also had some inherent problems with the clutches, etc... It looks like Celestron has truly tried to make some improvements and the CGE mount looks very attractive. A goto equitorial can be quirky to begin with. However, the CGE line is an unknown commodity right now. I am sure that there are still some bugs to be worked out, as every brand experiences when introducing a new model. It still appears that the C14 will be overmatched on the mount vs. the other size models. If it turns out to work nicely, then it will possibly be a cheaper alternative to the G11 with Gemini giving astronomers an even more economical means of obtaining a decent goto equitorial.

Just my 2 cents.

Paul Atkinson
AstroPro Products

Our club has a CGE1400 on a pier in our observatory. That setup is very solid. It is our CCD platform and seems to be working well. We didn't buy it with the tripod, so I can;t comment on that. The goto is nice.

Clear skies,

Tom