Pre- and post-replacement PST quality, reactions?

The rust on my PST is getting worse. I rummaged the old threads here on PST rust and replacements... one tantalizing thread dealt with before and after impressions of the views through the rusted originals and new replacements, but ended up being more about Meade's responsiveness in replacing old PSTs (still very helpful info!).

Probably not a big enough N to claim a consensus, but is it the case that the replacement PSTs give brighter views, but with less contrast?

I'm tempted to send mine in, especially as solar activity is beginning to pick up, but my views are still quite good, and it sounds as if the replacement views might not be as good, so maybe I should wait!

What do you all think, especially those of you who have had their PSTs replaced? Are your views as good as they were originally? Better than your rusted views?

There was quite a discussion over on cloudynights.com about the rusted PST. One thread got my attention about the breakdown of the rejection coatings (rust), you may be damaging your eye. I discountinued use of my rusted PST and was waiting for Meade to settle into its Mexico plant before sending mine in for repair.

My PST had the rusting problem a couple of years ago. I requested and received an RMA from Meade and shipped it to them for repair. About three weeks went by and it showed back up at my doorstep. They replaced the objective with the new blue-looking one. The images were remarkably improved. Before the repair I really could not get a good focus or see any detail. Afterwards I was very pleased with the performance. I had it out yesterday enjoying proms and a very non-sunspotted sun! What I was experiencing was a continual degredation as the rusting progressed. Hope this helps. I think it would be very worth your while to get your PST repaired.