Posts Made By: Peter Petrone III

They are on a very, very, very slow boat from China. If the boat is NOT slow enough, I am sure something else will account for the "requisite" additional delays.

The problem with Meade is that they are a large company. Some in this hobby enjoy purchasing expensive boutique or "premium" equipment since we all know that exclusivity is at least as important as performance. Sure the APs and TAKS are great products, but they MAY be less good in terms of relative value compared with other "mass marketers".

To some extent, this may be covered by the higher resell value – but you still have to throw out a few grand to purchase a 4” refractor (for example)! It is the opinion of many that Meade and Celestron can not do anything right. Individuals in this camp often believe that mass-market telescopes are basically junk, and that serious observers must shift their focus (excuse the pun) to “premium scopes” in order to “properly” enjoy the wonders of the night sky. Meade is not the best optical manufacturer, but their line of SCTs with Autostar are quite decent for the money.

As I see it, the real problem with Meade is that they are ubiquitous. If a product is good, scarcity can elevate its status to legendary. This phenomena may be seen in audio components, watches, automobiles, bino-viewers and obviously telescopes. Once you scrap together several G’s for a 4” scope – do you really want some bloke telling you that the views through his/her Orion ED-80mm look just about as good? Not!