Meade LX200 12 uhtc

Started by lawjbm, 06/26/2003 12:09PM
Posted 06/26/2003 12:09PM Opening Post
I am about to purchase a new meade lx200 12 uhtc. I probably have performed too much research on this scope. Each time I am about to make the purchase, however, I come back to one item, Quality Control. I have looked on Astromart for a used scope, but have decided to purchase a new one. I am struck, though, by the larger number of Meade Lx200 scopes for sale, over the Celestrons, especially ocassional comments about the superiority of the Celestron 11 to the Meade 12, despite the additional inch of aperture. This is in contrast to many of the recent reviews I have read. Is it that the Meade scopes are larger and heavier than most first imagined--which seems to be a common theme--or is there still an optical and general quality control problem? Any help is appreciated.

Gregg D. Bernstein
Augusta, Maine
Posted 06/26/2003 11:52PM #1
Hi Gregg,

I can speak from personal experience as I have had a Celestron (8” SCT) and now have a Meade (12” LX200GPS w/ UHTC). And I can say that I have been satisfied with both products. You can search a number of forums on Celestron and Meade and find a number of happy and disgruntled customers. I think that’s true for any company in business today. I don’t think that you could go wrong with either selection. I’ve personally dealt with Celestron’s and Meade’s customer service department and both have been great to me. And that’s what counts the most; if there happens to be a problem, you want to know if it’s going to get taken care of.

Now, with that said there are a few things about the LX200GPS you should know. Be prepared to upgrade the scope when you receive it, for example the bolts that are in the tube are not stainless steel (they will rust in less than a few months of normal use), there is a stainless steel kit available to remedee this problem. You will probably need to upgrade the DEC Lock mechanism with the kit that’s available. Also, there is an upgrade for the plastic gears that drive the DEC and RA drives, the upgrade kit has stainless steel gear which are must better. There are a few other minor upgrades but you get the point.

Just remember, there is no such thing as the perfect scope. What ever you decide, I’m sure you’ll always find something that’s in need of improvement.

Clear Skies
David Pope