I found the Sky and Telescope article on TMB monos to be interesting and informative. Standards of performance stressed scatter/contrast and resolution. The difference in contrast between the TMBs and other eyepieces was described as "subtle" and the author noted,"This is a far cry from some reports I had read on the Internet that proclaimed that the TMB's contrast "blew away" other eyepieces". The author also states, "can I conclude the TMBs are in fact superior planetary eyepieces? I never saw a difference that was pronounced enough that I would be comfortable making that statement without qualification".
One important point not mentioned in this article is cost-effectiveness. If, as the author states, TMBs are at least as good as the other eyepieces tested(but not significantly superior as vendor hype has suggested) why pay over $200.00 for an 8mm TMB versus $89.00 for a 8mm Televue plossl which provides a much larger AFOV without astigmatism?
One important point not mentioned in this article is cost-effectiveness. If, as the author states, TMBs are at least as good as the other eyepieces tested(but not significantly superior as vendor hype has suggested) why pay over $200.00 for an 8mm TMB versus $89.00 for a 8mm Televue plossl which provides a much larger AFOV without astigmatism?