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Zhumell dob's

Started by telescopeguy, 08/26/2009 02:56AM
Posted 08/26/2009 02:56AM Opening Post
Who makes this brand. I looking at the 8" one. Comments? Good out of the box? Or do I have to "fix" it? Thanks
Posted 08/26/2009 04:39AM #1
James Black said:

Who makes this brand. I looking at the 8" one. Comments? Good out of the box? Or do I have to "fix" it? Thanks

GSO (Guan Sheng Optical) actually manufactures the Zhumell Dobs. GSO manufactured the original Orion XT series Dobs but Orion switched manufacturers a year or two later. Since then GSO has been sold by a variey of manufacurers, currently Zhumell seems to be the primary seller in the US.

I have a 10 inch GSO which I have had for 6 or 7 years. Optically it is quite good. Mechanically, it was acceptable though I upgraded the bearings to Teflon and Ebony star. The focusers are quite good, I have two of the two speeds on other scopes and for you money they are quite good.

IMHO, there is no better value than the GSO 8 and 10 inch Dobs, a lot of scope for the money.

Jon
Posted 08/26/2009 02:39PM #2
James,

My primary observing scope is a Zhumell 8" dob. I love it.

The optics are quite good - see some of my earlier posts about Jupiter's moons and resolving globular clusters at 320x. The two speed focuser is very well made and operates smoothly. One of my favorite features is the right angle upright 8x50 finder scope. The upright view and the stars visible match the Pocket Sky Atlas, making it a breeze to find dim fuzzies.

I don't know what the bearing surfaces are made of, but so far they work adequately. I did NOT have to put the "plastic milk jug ring spacers" between the ground board and the azimuth axis, the azimuth bearings are again adequate. The hold down springs are a little hard to grip to pull down onto the studs, but you will learn a knack to do this quickly.

Rick

8" Zhumell Dob
90mm f11 achro refractor
4-1/2 f4 rich field newt reflector