Orion Starblast 4.5" for $150; should I get it?

[Thefatkitty]

Hey all,

I made a mistake last night and looked on a local buy and sell for telescopes...

For a grab and go; I'm currently using my "Towatron" a 60mm f/7 made from the objective from a Tasco 55VTE and a cut down 60mm Celestron Astromaster scope. Great views and very lightweight, but limited being only 60mm.

But I want something larger for visual, and something I can take to RASC obserivg sessions that has a little more "ooomph", yet still being lightweight.

I saw this for $150CDN, it retails for $350 here if it's available. I'm thinking this would be a good grab and go.

Here's some pics from the advert:

I've read a lot of reviews on these scopes (favourable) but does anyone have any extra input? My lenses are mostly Plossls (Fujiyama KK's) so I'm wondering if those would do.


Thanks everyone!

[OzEclipse]

The problem I see with these is having to stoop over to view unless you bring a large tall pedestal upon which to place it. Perhaps an EQ6 tripod with a tabletop upon which to place this scope.

A 6" f7-f8 dob will have almost double the light gathering capacity and although bigger, it will only need a smaller pedestal like a caravan step, or possibly no pedestal, to bring it to a comfortable eye level.

Joe

[Lady Fraktor]

Your Fujiyama will work quite well and your Antares Elite will be a wider field as well.
A 130 mm would show more but the 114 mm will do alright.

[Ylem]

Those things are actually pretty good scopes for the money and kinda have a cult following.

I believe they are f4, so that's pretty fast, no CA of course, but you will get coma.

I would buy one to play around with, you could also use it for outreach and possibly even donate to a deserving youngster in the future

[Graeme1858]

I saw this for $150CDN, it retails for $350 here if it's available. I'm thinking this would be a good grab and go.

You know you want it!!

[Bigzmey]

I am with Joe on this one. If you like to try a reflector on a budget I would look for 6" DOB. Considering central obstruction 4.5" newt has lightgathering capacity of 70-80mm frac. Combined with coma and F4 optics I hardly see any benefits over what you got.

[pakarinen]

The problem I see with these is having to stoop over to view unless you bring a large tall pedestal upon which to place it.

Wooden barstool. Drill three shallow holes for the scope's feet with a Forstner bit. But it won't, of course, fold down for transport.

[JayTee]

Here you go. A foldable barstool!

[helicon]

The very short focal length presents a problem. I've never had such a short focal length scope, I did have an Edmund f/10 4.25" reflector which had pretty good optics.

[StarBru]

It'd make a great little comet scope. I believe David H. Levy made one about that size which he put a fishing reel on to allow for slow motion controls. It didn't look as nice as this one. He had a name for it but I don't recall what it was.

Personally, I'd go for it. You can always argue a 5" or 6" would show more for a few bucks more, but then where does it stop? It all depends on will it do what you want it to?

[AstroBee]

For $150 you can't go wrong. Assuming the optics are clean and unscratched, I would snag it up.

[JayTee]

Don't ask me, I live by my bywords at the bottom of my signature, I've never met a scope I didn't want to keep. They're like puppies to me.

[StarBru]

Correction: I stated earlier that David H Levy's fishing reel drive Dobsonian scope was about the size of a 4.5". It's actually a 6" scope. He used it for comet hunting.

And the name I was thinking of for the scope is for the wrong scope! The named scope he had was called "Miranda" and it was for his 16" scope. Just thought I'd clear that up! Funny how our memories are not always accurate or just completely wrong!

[SkyHiker]

Correction: I stated earlier that David H Levy's fishing reel drive Dobsonian scope was about the size of a 4.5". It's actually a 6" scope. He used it for comet hunting.

Do you mean the Comet Hunter by David Levy and Scott Roberts? That's a 6" Mak-Newt, the MN152, which I have. Probably the best scope I own, good for visual and AP.

[JayTee]

Funny how our memories are not always accurate or just completely wrong!

Yeah, that factoid really bit me in the butt on the last monthly quiz!

[helicon]

The problem I see with these is having to stoop over to view unless you bring a large tall pedestal upon which to place it.

Wooden barstool. Drill three shallow holes for the scope's feet with a Forstner bit. But it won't, of course, fold down for transport.

That's a good idea...

[StarBru]

Correction: I stated earlier that David H Levy's fishing reel drive Dobsonian scope was about the size of a 4.5". It's actually a 6" scope. He used it for comet hunting.

Do you mean the Comet Hunter by David Levy and Scott Roberts? That's a 6" Mak-Newt, the MN152, which I have. Probably the best scope I own, good for visual and AP.

Sorry, not trying to hijack this post, just wanting to clear this up. Actually, I'm talking about a 6" reflector he made with a manual fishing reel drive. He won an award for it at the 1988 Riverside Telescope Makers Conference. It's featured in the book "Unusual Telescopes" by Peter L Manly and it's also pictured in Telescope Making No. 33, Summer, 1988, p. 27. It's nothing to look at really, but apparently it worked for him. As far as looks are concerned, the Orion Starblast 4.5" is a much better looking scope.

[StarBru]

Hey all,

I made a mistake last night and looked on a local buy and sell for telescopes...

For a grab and go; I'm currently using my "Towatron" a 60mm f/7 made from the objective from a Tasco 55VTE and a cut down 60mm Celestron Astromaster scope. Great views and very lightweight, but limited being only 60mm.


55_reg.jpgImage2 (2).jpgImage2.png



But I want something larger for visual, and something I can take to RASC obserivg sessions that has a little more "ooomph", yet still being lightweight.

I saw this for $150CDN, it retails for $350 here if it's available. I'm thinking this would be a good grab and go.

Here's some pics from the advert:

01.jpg02.jpg


I've read a lot of reviews on these scopes (favourable) but does anyone have any extra input? My lenses are mostly Plossls (Fujiyama KK's) so I'm wondering if those would do.


Thanks everyone!

Didi you decide and is that scope still available? I agree with AstroBee: for $150 CDN you can't go wrong!

[Thefatkitty]

Thanks for the input everyone, much appreciated! You all make good points as well. As for it being "low" for comfortable observing that's a good point. I do have an extra tripod for an old Celestron that I can make something for. I welded this up for casual observing with my 90mm Ca-K and 8SE", so this little 4.5" scope shouldn't be a problem:

As for it being an f/4, I have no problem with that. Collimating is a bit more of a trick obviously that with an f/8, but I had a 10" at f/4.5. Patience and common sense is your friend


The owner contacted me not long after I made this post (7 days now) and informed me they had a family issue; would I mind waiting? Buddy, family always takes precedent; whenever is good for you.

I just heard back from him when I got in from my tattoo and then changing the summer tires over to snows (I do that in the driveway; busy day for a Sunday!). All is good with his family and he wants to let me have it for $100 for being both kind in my response and patient.

So I am going to get it, and meet him in the middle; $125. That should be sometime this week. And hey, if I don't like it, I can either sell or donate it.

Thank you again everyone for your thoughts and opinions! That's what makes this forum what it is and makes us all such a great bunch!

@StarBru Bruce, thanks for the info on the David Levy scope and you're not hijacking this thread, I appreciate it all! I'm gonna have to look at that in more detail! And @JayTee JT, I laughed my you-know-what off when I read your comment on scopes being like puppies, so funny and true If only I could...

Alrighty. my arm is a bit tender (an hour and a half for getting that) and I'm really hungry. Not supposed to eat for three hours before getting ink, so breakfast was at 8 this morning and it's 5PM now. I press on my stomach and I can feel my spine

I'll post here when I pick it up and have first light. Yeah, we all know that could be a bit; first light. Damn new scope curse!

All the best,