Astro-Tech EPs

[JayTee]

Has anyone tried any of the UWA EPs from Astro-Tech? I just stumbled across them today and became curious about their performance.

They can be found here.
https://www.astronomics.com/b/astro-tec ... eries=1051

Thanks,

[Bigzmey]

They are priced attractively. The eye relieve is tight at 12mm though.

[kt4hx]

I have not personally, but in this thread at CN, they seem to be very favorably looked upon by several folks. An interesting find. I could sell my higher priced EPs and easily afford the complete run of those!

https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/8769 ... ry12712008

[Don Pensack]

These are made by United Optics in China (for close to 20 years, now) and exported under several labels:
Angeleyes
Astrotech
Auriga
Lacerta
Meade
OVL
Sky Optic
Sky Rover
Skywatcher
Stellarvue
Tecnosky
Telescope Service

And in the past, from William Optics and others.
So you can find reviews of the other brands and the comments will apply to the Astrotech.

Eye relief varies from focal length to focal length.
You can find specs for all of them here:
https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/8623 ... p=12473522

[pakarinen]

Looks like they're on sale now - $20 off regular price.

[rickclark28]

I ended up getting these AT EPs to hold me over while I decide what if any high-end EP’s I will need. I can’t say enough good things about them. They work great for me, and I am not lacking good quality views while I learn. These are the most amazing views, and I can take my time deciding what TV’s to get. The price is amazing, and the quality speaks for itself. Just my new/old beginner view. You can find good data on them at CN and astronomics.com…!
Review on some of them:
https://astrogeartoday.com/astro-tech-p ... ble-price/
I use these to learn on and they are great. The granddaughter took the AT-UWA 28 for a while and it is amazing to use.
Astro-Tech 5.5mm PF 60°
Astro-Tech 15.5mm PF 65°
Astro-Tech 25mm PF 65°
Astro-Tech 4mm UWA 82°
Astro-Tech 7mm UWA 82°
Astro-Tech 10mm UWA 82°
Astro-Tech 13mm UWA 82°
Astro-Tech 16mm UWA 82

[kt4hx]

I now have the 28mm and though I've not used it extensively yet, I found it put up very nice views with my 17.5 inch f/4.5.

[Mike Q]

So whats the verdict on their 100 to 110 degree stuff? The price is definitely attractive enough. I would be using them in a F7 frac, a F5 and F4.4 dobs.

[Don Pensack]

So whats the verdict on their 100 to 110 degree stuff? The price is definitely attractive enough. I would be using them in a F7 frac, a F5 and F4.4 dobs.

These eyepieces, made by United Optics in KunMing, are some of the best bargains in eyepieces.
They were introduced many years ago by William Optics, and later sold by Telescope Optics, and a joint venture of APM and Lunt.
Today, they are available under the labels APM, Antares, Astrotech, Tecnosky, Telescope Service, Sky Rover, Stellarvue, and Arsenal.
Rating the focal lengths--actual focal lengths are in bold--in 1 to 5 stars with 5 stars best:
20mm****
13/13.5mm****
9mm****
7mm*****
4.7/4.8/4.9/5mm****
3.5/3.6mm**

The 20mm, 9mm, and 3.6mm all have a trace of edge of field astigmatism, worst in the 3.6mm.
The 13.5mm and 4.8mm are about tied in that regard, with a little cleaner edges.
The 7mm is nearly perfect.
The edge issues are so far out in the field that unless you spend a lot of time looking at the edge, it won't be noticeable.
It starts in the 3.6mm, though, about halfway out, which is why I rated it lower.

My ratings pertain to scopes of f/4-f/5. At longer f/ratios, they improve substantially.

There are literally thousands of on-line reviews if you search for the brands.
And some lab tests can be found here:
https://astro-talks.ru/forum/viewtopic. ... 483#p41976

[Mike Q]

I went ahead and bit the bullet and bought the AT 7mm 100 last week. It arrived on eclipse day, needless to say i did not open the box until after the eclipse was over. Yes we have honestly been cloud starting the day after i got it. It will be used in the 102 and 10 inch mostly. It would take a pretty good night for me to use it in the 16. For grins today i set up the frac and 10 inch in the day light and looked at the moon with it. By no means is this a great test of the eyepiece but i will say that even in full sunlight the moon looked pretty good. The image in both scopes was nice and sharp. I was kind of shocked at how light it is. I really expected it to be heavier. I dont know who makes these but i would guess that they share some DNA with the ES 100 degree eyepieces, but that is just a guess

[Don Pensack]

I went ahead and bit the bullet and bought the AT 7mm 100 last week. It arrived on eclipse day, needless to say i did not open the box until after the eclipse was over. Yes we have honestly been cloud starting the day after i got it. It will be used in the 102 and 10 inch mostly. It would take a pretty good night for me to use it in the 16. For grins today i set up the frac and 10 inch in the day light and looked at the moon with it. By no means is this a great test of the eyepiece but i will say that even in full sunlight the moon looked pretty good. The image in both scopes was nice and sharp. I was kind of shocked at how light it is. I really expected it to be heavier. I dont know who makes these but i would guess that they share some DNA with the ES 100 degree eyepieces, but that is just a guess

The XWA performance is higher than the ES 100° eyepieces. The XWAs are closer to the performance of Tele Vue Ethos.
The 7mm, in particular, is the equal of the Ethos line. It fits right in between the 8mm and 6mm Ethos eyepieces.

XWAs are made by KunMing United Optics (KUO).
ES 100s are made by Jing Hua Optical Company (JOC).
Tele Vue Ethos are made in Taiwan by a factory that only makes eyepieces for Tele Vue.

[Mike Q]

The eye relief on the 7mm/100 is definitely tight. You have to get your eye right in there to see the whole FOV. Fortunately I am used to short eye relief and actually prefer it, so it's not a big deal to me.

[Mike Q]

So tonight i set up the 4 inch and tossed the AT 7/100 in the focuser and aimed at the moon and made some mental notes. I switched over to the ES 9/100 and looked at the same set of craters and made some mental notes. I then called the wife, she is my official eyepiece tester. She looked thru the ES and gave the sign of approval. I switched over to the AT and she refocused and gave a oh wow. She and I both agree that the Astro Tech gives a sharper image then the ES. Is it a lot? Not really but it is noticeable. Not bad at all for a eyepiece that cost less then 300 bucks.

[Don Pensack]

The eye relief on the 7mm/100 is definitely tight. You have to get your eye right in there to see the whole FOV. Fortunately I am used to short eye relief and actually prefer it, so it's not a big deal to me.

The eye relief on the 7mm XWA is measured at 12mm from the glass.
Flip the eyecup down and you shouldn't have any problem with that.

[Mike Q]

The eye relief on the 7mm/100 is definitely tight. You have to get your eye right in there to see the whole FOV. Fortunately I am used to short eye relief and actually prefer it, so it's not a big deal to me.

The eye relief on the 7mm XWA is measured at 12mm from the glass.
Flip the eyecup down and you shouldn't have any problem with that.

Oh it is flipped down and for me i basically rest my face on the rubber to get the whole FOV. It is tight, but i dont mind it at all