XT,XL OR DSH?

I think I have decided to buy a 8" dob reflector, now I just need help with which brand to get. Here are the ones I have narrowed it down to:

Orion xt8 ...seems to be the most popular of all..449+shipping. 1 year warranty

Hand on Optics XL8..I talked to guy there and he claims it to be superior to the orion with a better price..449 incl shipping +barlow ,laser collimator, upgrade eyepieces included.2 year warranty

Hardin Optics DSH8...They also claim to be better quality than the Orion and have a great price right now 299+shipp..
just havent seen any reviews on any sights on this one.
1 yr warranty.

which one would you buy? and what eyepieces to go with it?

thanks alot

Brian,

I have the Orion XT-8, love it..

The others you listed, I just do not know. Hope someone will chime in !!!

The scopes from Hardin and Hands on Optics are identical you get a longer warranty and more accessories from Hands on Optics, Laser collimator, barlow etc. They are made by Guan Sheng in Taiwan, whereas the Orion scope is made by Synta in China. The Guan Sheng telescopes are in my opinion slightly better optically and mechanically than the Synta manufactured Orions. Guan Sheng are striving to attain a minimum standard of 1/12th wave P to V, Khanscope are guaranteeing them to be at least 1/10th wave. All their mirrors are factory tested on a laser interferometer. I have used and tested 6 examples of these GS telescopes from 6 inches to 10 inches. They have all had mirrors which were better than 1/8th wave. 1/8th wave is better than what 99.9% of amateurs will ever need. My current 10" has an excellent mirror at least 1/12th wave. Maybe I have been lucky with the examples I have used, but I havent heard of a bad one anywhere. Here is a test on the 10" done by Geoff Gaherty an observer with over 40 years experience.

http://www.khanscope.com/10_sky_mentor_review_by_g_gaherty.htm

This scope is the same as that sold by Hands On and Hardin, some earlier balance issues with these scopes have now been resolved. Personally I would buy the scope that had all the extras included, although you may wish to use a cheshire and not a laser and also buy a better quality barlow.

Hope this helps

Clear Skies
John Bambury

I bought an XT10 about a year ago(older model). I was a beginner and only now, I realized that my scope was not as sharp as the other XT10s (newer Synta made models) around me. I sent the mirror off to Orion and they are sending me a new mirror without any questions asked.

Please note that there was not anything awfully wrong with my mirror but just that it could have been sharper.

When I dealt with their customer service, they made me feel really comfortable..

I have not dealt with the other dealers at this level but the extra $$ for Orion might be just worth it if you happen to discover any problems.