TheSkySearchers

A couple of weeks ago I ordered my first telescope, the Celestron NexStar 8SE. I ordered it, along with tons of accessories from Amazon as they had the best pricing. And for professional camera equipment, I have almost exclusively ordered from B&H over the past 23 years.

The other day I decided to call up High Point Scientific to see if they would price match B&H on the Baader Hyperion 8-24mm Zoom (out of stock currently with B&H, and more expensive with Amazon). Not only did they match the price, my sales consultant (Isaac) helped me with a ton of questions related to future purchasing. As I will eventually jump into Astrophotography (AP), he helped me figure out which imaging upgrades I would need in the future, like a proper Equatorial Mount (EQ) that will not only work for my 8" telescope tube, but will also work for my Canon EOS1DX DSLR when I want to shoot those amazing wide angle Milky Way images.

Customer service in this country (USA) has deteriorated quite a bit over the last couple of decades, so it was nice to have a kind, generous expert help me through the process. Isaac echoed much of what I've seen in these forums with regard to what NOT to buy, which with this hobby is almost as important as what TO buy. For instance, many have said here not to buy the Celestron Wedge in order to 'doctor' my mount to become an EQ mount for AP. Still, I thought it might be a good stop gap, but Isaac assured me it wasn't. He said that until I can afford an EQ mount, that it's better to use my scope and camera with lesser exposure time (under 30 seconds) and just stack the images, and that this would be as good an option as the Wedge. He said the Wedge, along with my camera, would cause significant balancing issues due to the weight.

Of course, the EQ mount is going to run me about $900 (same cost as the scope itself), but nearly $300 of that would have been my bad 'investment' in the Wedge, so I'll just wait and do the EQ thing properly when I have the money. And maybe it's not a bad idea to get used to stacking and the software processes that come with it, then move on to more advanced imaging later on.

Anyway, long story short is that I was very impressed with the service I received from HPS. I thought other newbies to this hobby might want to know. Experts, who do you typically use for product purchases?

I'm also a High Point Scientific fan, but there's a few things I can only find at Agena Astroproducts.
--Russmax

I bought a few scopes and accessories from HPS over the years, never had any issues with them. Same goes for Agena.

I usually order my gear from either Agena Astro or High Point Scientific. I've never had any issues that required me to call, but I've never had any issues with them either.

Customer service has gone downhill with quite a few companies. As a former Director for a large call center that was outsourced to support a major wireless carrier I tell you the one reason why...companies don't want to pay for it! "Who can do it the cheapest?" is the name of the game and if you're the guy with the account you have to run things ridiculously lean to make your margins. Things like taking the time to train people correctly or paying them decently for what they do go by the wayside. That's why I got out of the business not long ago!

Which EQ mount was recommended?

Lady Fraktor wrote: ↑Wed Jan 15, 2020 9:05 pm Which EQ mount was recommended?

I explained that I was looking for a good Eq Mount that would support my 8SE as well as a larger DSLR. He suggested this one...

Celestron AVX
https://www.highpointscientific.com/cel ... ount-91519

I will tell you that HPS has been my first stop for everything since 2011... their customer service is fantastic... and I will also tell you from ownership experience that the AVX is an awesome mount, but with my 8” Celestron SCT (edge HD) it did not do well. My recommendation would be the Atlas or Skywatcher equivalent for an 8” SCT. Going from the AVX to the Atlas (in my case the NEQ6) was a game changer. If you are dead set in an AVX, you will have far more fun with a 600mm or less refractor. But I regret selling the AVX to this day, it was a wonderful grab and go.

But this is about Highpoint lol. They are indeed a great company that embraces the importance of good customer service- best of luck and clear skies!

Mike

Never had any issues with HPS, and in several dealings they treated me right. They resolved a couple of small issues over the years without any questions asked. I can say that Agena has also been excellent as well and I've had no issues with any orders from them.

Glad that you had a good experience. I have not dealt with HPS but I have had good experiences with B&H Photo with regard to mounts.

B&H Photo sent me an Explore Scientific ED-102mm, single boxed, missing documentation, cracked front lens ( inside damage ) which clearly had been opened and returned by a previous customer. Anyone who has ever shipped anything would have never done so in the box they shipped in.

They promptly replaced it but charged me shipping and took forever to get my credit.

HPS and Agena Astro have been great.

My mount was purchased through B&H but was actually drop-shipped from Explore Scientific in Arkansas. Sorry your experience was not so good.

chartram wrote: ↑Wed Jan 15, 2020 10:39 pm Going from the AVX to the Atlas (in my case the NEQ6) was a game changer.
Mike

After reading into this, it appears the
Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro is a much better choice. But I might need to win the lottery first. Looks like I'll be sticking with my Alt mount for a while. #stacking

I usually order things from Agena Astro but have had several excellent dealings with Highpoint as well. Word of mouth goes a long way in this hobby and it behooves the vendors to take care of their customers. If they don't care, they languish.

At the company I work for, customer service is taught, demonstrated, and part of the culture from the first day of employment. Customer service is alive and kicking, but sometimes you gotta go looking for it. We've been in business since 1871 and we do ok.

WahooMike wrote: ↑Thu Jan 16, 2020 2:57 am

chartram wrote: ↑Wed Jan 15, 2020 10:39 pm Going from the AVX to the Atlas (in my case the NEQ6) was a game changer.
Mike

After reading into this, it appears the
Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro is a much better choice. But I might need to win the lottery first. Looks like I'll be sticking with my Alt mount for a while. #stacking

I was going to make another suggestion as the AVX is a solid mount but it will take no time with your gear to outgrow it.

Lady Fraktor wrote: ↑Thu Jan 16, 2020 4:25 am

WahooMike wrote: ↑Thu Jan 16, 2020 2:57 am

chartram wrote: ↑Wed Jan 15, 2020 10:39 pm Going from the AVX to the Atlas (in my case the NEQ6) was a game changer.
Mike

After reading into this, it appears the
Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro is a much better choice. But I might need to win the lottery first. Looks like I'll be sticking with my Alt mount for a while. #stacking

I was going to make another suggestion as the AVX is a solid mount but it will take no time with your gear to outgrow it.

Which mount would you suggest? Thanks.