TheSkySearchers

Bigzmey wrote: ↑Wed Mar 31, 2021 1:24 am I would add Astro-Tech, APM and GSO.

Thanks, following your suggestions I found Astro-Tech (Astronomics), APM (German. US sellers include Lunt Solar Systems), and Guan Sheng Optical.

Bigzmey wrote: ↑Wed Mar 31, 2021 7:26 pm Since most of the companies listed above don't any longer make their own products, but outsource the production I would suggest to categorize them as brands. So, Orion or ES are astronomy brands which also have their own brand stores. While, Highpoint Scientific and Agena Astro are stores which sell various brands. Although even vendors like these now have a few rebranded items with their names.

Interesting point and I agree with the using that fact to set the context. Again, this is for a general answer to the general question, "What telescope should I buy [for my child]?" And the right answer is to not give an answer.

mikemarotta wrote: ↑Mon Apr 05, 2021 3:44 am

The Happy Parrot wrote: ↑Mon Mar 29, 2021 6:27 pm Don't forget Zhummell and Apertura. ... GSkyer and Sarbru ... recently got a good review ...here on TSS...

Thanks, I forgot abot Zhumell. I did not know about SarBlue, or the others. So, thanks. I added them to the list.

The point for me is not recommend brands at all, but to point out how many brands there are. Again, when our club gets this very common question, are very senior officers just recite the litany they memorized long ago: Meade, Orion, Celestron. To me, there is sort of a Zen to this that the best advice is no advice. What's the best automobile? What's the best computer? What's the best fielder's glove for baseball?

Having a comprehensive list of astro vendors/brands is a good idea. However, when people reach out for buying advice on a first scope, they have already googled "telescope" and got frustrated. For them knowing how many vendors are there will not help. I think having a few pre-selected entry level scopes which would set beginners right way should serve the purpose. They are not buying life-time scope, but it still need to be decent enough to enable them enjoy the hobby and gain experience. I know you don't believe in hobby-killers, but I did own one. Luckly, it was not my first scope.

Lady Fraktor wrote: ↑Wed Mar 31, 2021 7:33 pm One of the things that set the various brands/ re-branders apart is their level of QC during manufacture and outgoing QC.
Companies such as TeleVue or APM Telescope have proprietary designs and a very high level of QC, Altair Astro and Teleskop-Service are re-branders with higher than average QC/ OQC than others so you can expect better performance and build quality than the average retailer.

Thanks. That's good for us to know. It cannot be encapsulated for the general public. Tele Vue would be the only likely name to come forward, the others being foreign to the USA, though do they may have USA resellers.

Lady Fraktor wrote: ↑Wed Mar 31, 2021 3:36 am I probably have about 300 hundred enteries in my world astro shops/ manufacturers folder and that is just the top of the pile.
You would have to define specifics as one aspect flows into the next...

That is an interesting fact. It is helpful to put this into context for the novice buyer and it is a good thing everyone else to know as well. Scott Roberts of Explore Scientific estimated the global marketplace for hobby astronomy products at $250 million. At $20 million annual sales, Explore is second.

Don't forget the Tascos, Bushnells, and Sears which still haunt Craig's list etc and may be a first purchase for someone starting out and not sure of what they are getting.

Star Gazer Steve. I had one of his 100mm Dobson kits when I first got back into things years ago.

If only looking for American companies then you only have Astro-Physics or Stellarvue.
TeleVue is a American company but all of their product is made in Japan and Taiwan.
Explore Scientific is also a American company but all product is made in China.

There's also Orion Optics, which is not the same as Orion.
https://www.orionoptics.co.uk/home.html

turboscrew wrote: ↑Mon Apr 05, 2021 9:03 am There's also Orion Optics, which is not the same as Orion. https://www.orionoptics.co.uk/home.html

UK. I am limiting this to USA, at least for the sellers and re-sellers. If you goto the Bresser dot de website, you will see that they have recommended resellers in the USA. That's fine. Again, this is for the general public that asks the local club, "What telescope should I buy?"

mikemarotta wrote: ↑Mon Apr 05, 2021 1:24 pm

turboscrew wrote: ↑Mon Apr 05, 2021 9:03 am There's also Orion Optics, which is not the same as Orion. https://www.orionoptics.co.uk/home.html

UK. I am limiting this to USA, at least for the sellers and re-sellers. If you goto the Bresser dot de website, you will see that they have recommended resellers in the USA. That's fine. Again, this is for the general public that asks the local club, "What telescope should I buy?"

Oops, sorry. I didn't realize that they don't have resellers in USA, even if they have in Europe, Far East and Australia.

Lady Fraktor wrote: ↑Mon Apr 05, 2021 5:27 am If only looking for American companies then you only have Astro-Physics or Stellarvue. TeleVue is a American company but all of their product is made in Japan and Taiwan. Explore Scientific is also a American company but all product is made in China.

Thanks and that's fine. I don't care where the stuff is made. Our local club is in Austin, Texas. The distance from Houston to El Paso is about the same as from Paris to Bratislava. For us, Explore Scientific in Springdale, Arkansas, and Astronomics in Norman, Oklahoma, are near neighbors, the folks around the corner.

We had this chat in PM. Nobody makes it all from raw materials. Henry Ford tried that with the Rouge River complex. Nobody copied him. Hewlett Packard and Dell do not make chips or screens or the little keys or the USB connectors. What counts is where you get it from and who stands behind the label. You explained that Takahashi and one or two others do grind their own lenses. I am impressed. That speaks well for the quality of their products. It is an important point to consider for someone who has that kind of money to spend on a first telescope.

Chich wrote: ↑Mon Apr 05, 2021 5:18 am Don't forget the Tascos, Bushnells, and Sears which still haunt Craig's list etc and may be a first purchase for someone starting out and not sure of what they are getting. Star Gazer Steve. I had one of his 100mm Dobson kits when I first got back into things years ago.

That is an excellent point and one that needs to be addressed in a general response from our club to someone in the public seeking guidance.

Bigzmey wrote: ↑Mon Apr 05, 2021 4:14 am Having a comprehensive list of astro vendors/brands is a good idea. However, when people reach out for buying advice on a first scope, they have already googled "telescope" and got frustrated. ...

Thanks, That's a good point. I did not intend to list all of makers in a multi-page hand-out, but only to show how many there are. You do hit the nail on the head, though, and I had not considered that.

mikemarotta wrote: ↑Mon Apr 05, 2021 1:51 pm

Chich wrote: ↑Mon Apr 05, 2021 5:18 am Don't forget the Tascos, Bushnells, and Sears which still haunt Craig's list etc and may be a first purchase for someone starting out and not sure of what they are getting. Star Gazer Steve. I had one of his 100mm Dobson kits when I first got back into things years ago.

That is an excellent point and one that needs to be addressed in a general response from our club to someone in the public seeking guidance.

Just some clarification after re-reading my post. I don't mean to lump Star Gazer Steve in with the 'hobby killers" I listed above. It was a good little Dobson.