glotwp55
member
Reged: 07/01/09
Posts: 38
Loc: South Jersey
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Sure, everyone's #1 concern with eyepieces is their performance, myself included. While some people might find this trait trivial, however, I feel that some eyepiece designs are actually quite beautiful in themselves. Just something about the metal, glass, and rubber coming together in a special way. For me, I find the hyperion line to be quite good looking eyepieces. The size, and design, and big glass combine to make one good looking eyepiece. I like with the addition of the color code on each focal length, which adds a little color into the design. On the other hand, I think the meade swa and uwa series are quite ugly, especially the longer focal lengths. They just look, well, bloated and fat. Almost like a beer belly.  Believe me, if the ugliest eyepiece in the world was the best performer, I'd still use it. It's just a little plus when an eyepiece looks good too. So what are the best and worst looking eyepieces for you?
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csa/montana
Wild Spirit
Reged: 05/14/05
Posts: 40266
Loc: montana
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To me, I think the Masuyama's were absolutely the most beautiful eyepieces!
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Carol
AstroTech 16" Dob (Thanks ASTRONOMICS!)
Vixen 80MF/AstroTech Voyager
Masuyama's 7.5, 15, 25W, 35mm,
Pentaxes; 5XW, 7XL, 10XW.
14mm Meade 4000 UWA
TV Panoptics; 22, 35
DreamCatcher Dobservatory, #2
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RalphK
member
Reged: 02/07/08
Posts: 51
Loc: Outside Philly
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glotwp55,
Must respectfully disagree. Have my ST80 out right now with a Meade 24mm SWA and they just seem to fit: both short and squat but look good and perform wonderfully together. But I'd better go get them...it's clouding up.
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Celestron Omni XLT 120
Orion ST80
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Lane
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 11/19/07
Posts: 1515
Loc: Frisco, Texas
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Ugliest - Panoptic 41mm gets my vote, if it was a car it would be named Edsel.
Best looking - I would say the AstroTech Paradigm Dual ED series. I like those dual colored rings and the idea of giving each one a unique color. Of course, those colors would not show up at night so they must have done it strictly to make them look pretty in the daytime.
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Mounts: CGEM, ORION SIRIUS, AT Voyager/motorized
SCTs: C6, C8, C9.25, C11,
Refractors: TV Pronto, Orion ED80
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Rob S
professor emeritus
Reged: 03/16/07
Posts: 502
Loc: NZ
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I still think the Pentax XW range is naff.
Rob.
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8" f5 Dob with Feathertouch
Brandon: 16
Pentax: 7, 10 & 20XW
TMB: 30 Paragon
TV: 8 & 13 Ethos;
5 & 13 NaglerT6;
24 Panoptic
Leica Trinovid 8x50 BN
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deSitter
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/09/04
Posts: 2926
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I like the engraved markings of my old Meade orthos, of which the 12.5mm gets constant use. The lettering is white and blue and is painted into engraved recesses in the good proper eyepiece fashion. Like all real telescopes are white, all real eyepieces have engraved markings 
This eyepiece has a lean and mean and all business look to it. "Here be wonders."
-drl
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Shawn H
Post Laureate
Reged: 05/16/07
Posts: 3000
Loc: Southern France 43°56'N-4°50'E
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My ep's are soo beautifull, I sometimes just put em on the table & stare at em!
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18" David Lukehurst truss Dobson with Sky Commander flash 4 DSC's & Moonlite CR2 focuser & Astrocrumb filter slide
Orion xt10i fully flocked with Telrad on 4" risers & Feather Touch focuser & huge Boston Red Sox decal
The original Orion StarBlast & 15x70 Celestron Skymaster binos & Ethos & Naglers & Dobs oh my!
Orion Ultrablock narrowband filter & Astronomik OIII line filter
Tele Vue 2x Barlow & Antares 1.6x (2") Barlow
CATSEYE collimation tools, TeleGizmos Dob covers
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Jack Tripper
sage
Reged: 05/10/09
Posts: 349
Loc: Canada
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Funny thread. I think I will be despised for this, but I dislike the way the Ethos 21mm looks. Same thing for the 31mm Nagler, and 35/41mm Panoptic. They each look like they have spent too much time eating potato chips and drinking beer. The 22mm Nagler looks awesome. Wish I had one!
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Celestron CPC 1100
Denkmeier S2 Power Filter Switch Diagonal (.66x Reducer, 2x Barlow)
Ethos 17mm, Baader Scopos 30mm
Lunt 60mm Hydrogen-Alpha Solar Scope, Lunt Zoom
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NHRob
Post Laureate
Reged: 08/27/04
Posts: 3157
Loc: New Hampshire
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Best looking -> Pan19 and Pan24
Worst --> Meade 5K UWAs
Rob
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Rob
**********************
Canon 12x36 IS binos
TEC-140: #433 on CGEM
Faworski orthos (7,10,16.7mm)
stuff ...
no free time ... lots of clouds !
" Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans" !!
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hfjacinto
Almost got me
Reged: 01/12/09
Posts: 2092
Loc: Union,NJ
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I think the Meade UWA are one of the best looking EP's out there. I have 2 of them and when I pull them out people are like, those are COOL looking eyepieces and I totally agree.
I will also say that Carol's Masuyama are are great looking.
The ugliest Eyepiece has to be the TV 41 MM Panoptic. It don't uglier than that.
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C9.25 ASGT 9*50 MM Finder,FT Focuser & 2" Diagonal
Meade LXD 75 6 Inch SNT w 9*50 MM Finder
5,6,9,14.5 MM Zhummel Planetary EPs
13,17,21,24,31,36 MM Baader Hyperion
6.7,8.8 MM Meade UWA & 11 MM Nagler T6
Planetary, OIII and Narrowband Filters
Thousand Oaks Dew Control w Kendrick Heaters
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Dragonwatcher
professor emeritus
Reged: 01/21/08
Posts: 600
Loc: Kirkland, WA
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My Sieberts are rather - well, not ugly, but at least "plain Jane". They will never win a beauty contest for looks. Now the caps can be called ugly and they lack a nice TV type box. All in all, the aesthetics do not match the optical quality, but I will probably always own some Sieberts as long as I do astronomy observing. They are great value for the price. I have Star Splitters, Ultras, & barlows. Besides, it's dark when I bring them out to use...
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Jackie
TMB 92L
SV70ED for gragNrun
Orion 120ST
Benro C-357 tripod/Microstar mount
Quarter Hitch & Gitzo GT5531S
8SE mount/tripod for refractor use
Ethoses, Pentaxes, BGOs, Naglers, Pans, Sieberts, etc
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lightfever
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 09/27/04
Posts: 1278
Loc: Macomb Michigan
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Quote:
Best looking -> Pan19 and Pan24
Worst --> Meade 5K UWAs
hfjacinto, no offence but I have to agree with Rob.
Maybe I'm just showing my age but the Meade 5000 just does not look like it should be used in any serious scope.
It's interesting how looks can have enough influence to prevent me from considering what could be a perfectly good EP.
Maybe I'm shallower than I thought.
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Mark
Tasco 15-TE 76mm
Sky Watcher 80mm ED
AT-111 Triplet
XT8i (with Woden re-figured mirror)
Discovery 12.5" f/5 Premium DHQ (PDHQ Split-tube Dobsonian)
12.5" f/6.3 Dob (Underconstruction)
Celestron CG-5GT EQ Mount
Celestron C4 EQ Mount
"Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, but learning to dance in the rain" unknown
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Rat
super member
Reged: 10/13/06
Posts: 154
Loc: USA
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I find the Meade 5000 UWA eyepieces futuristic looking. Ugliest has to go to any of the volcano top orthos.
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Sgt
sage
Reged: 12/17/05
Posts: 485
Loc: Under the southern horn of the...
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I really like the look of the TMB supermonos, all those different coloured rings for each focal length. Possibly the prettiest set.
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hfjacinto
Almost got me
Reged: 01/12/09
Posts: 2092
Loc: Union,NJ
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Mark, Rob,
Guys a MEADE UWA ugly??? Come on what do you drive an Aztek??
Just kidding, they don't suit everybody, but I think they look super cool.
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C9.25 ASGT 9*50 MM Finder,FT Focuser & 2" Diagonal
Meade LXD 75 6 Inch SNT w 9*50 MM Finder
5,6,9,14.5 MM Zhummel Planetary EPs
13,17,21,24,31,36 MM Baader Hyperion
6.7,8.8 MM Meade UWA & 11 MM Nagler T6
Planetary, OIII and Narrowband Filters
Thousand Oaks Dew Control w Kendrick Heaters
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lightfever
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 09/27/04
Posts: 1278
Loc: Macomb Michigan
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Quote:
Come on what do you drive an Aztek??
Heeyyy, that's my dream vehicle you're talking about!! 
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Mark
Tasco 15-TE 76mm
Sky Watcher 80mm ED
AT-111 Triplet
XT8i (with Woden re-figured mirror)
Discovery 12.5" f/5 Premium DHQ (PDHQ Split-tube Dobsonian)
12.5" f/6.3 Dob (Underconstruction)
Celestron CG-5GT EQ Mount
Celestron C4 EQ Mount
"Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, but learning to dance in the rain" unknown
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ebusinesstutor
sage
Reged: 07/01/09
Posts: 464
Loc: Nanaimo, BC, Canada
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I just purchased a Siebert 36mm Observatory series that hasn't arrived yet.
Very plain and industrial looking, but many great reviews on how it works.
Reminds me of the Native American flutes my wife and I play and sell.
Some of the makers who supply us make very pretty flutes with ok sound. The tourists buy these.
Some of the flutes we get are very plain looking but with amazing rich sound. The people in the know buy these...
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Garland Coulson
Orion XT8i Dob & Celestron 80 ED on a Vixen Porta Mount Mini
Baader Hyperion 8-24mm Click Zoom & Siebert Observatory 36mm
Siebert Black Knight Binoviewers
SkyWatcher Observing Chair
Celestron Skymaster 15x70mm binos
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FirstSight
Post Laureate
Reged: 12/26/05
Posts: 3898
Loc: Raleigh, NC
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I guess this shows how wildly different people's aesthetic sensibilities differ on "beauty" vs "ugly".
I think the longer focal-length Meade UWA's are extremely ugly and unweildy-looking, and having one in my focuser would seem like looking into the belly of an ugly toad-frog to me. But OTOH I find the 31T5 Nagler to be...beautiful isn't exactly the right word, but awesome and "ruggedly handsome" surely seem apt. Go figure.
All you Meade UWAs-are-beautiful folks out there, if I'm ever single again, I'm going to have to remember who you are so I'll be sure to never trust you when you approach me with: "Chris, I know this really cute woman I'd like to set you up with for a date".
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Chris M., aka "First Sight"
Orion XT12i Dob with Moonlite CR-2 focuser
WO Megrez 90 refractor on UniStar Light mount
Nikon 10x50 Binoculars
Edited by FirstSight (10/11/09 12:54 PM)
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Tank
super member
Reged: 07/27/09
Posts: 140
Loc: Ontario, CANADA
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I love the look and feel of the Tele Vue old plossl  
The 24mm Panoptic looks like a mushroom dont like to much 
The 55mm Tele Vue plossl is strange looking 
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8" Skywatcher DOB F5.9 1200mm
Antares barlow x3
TV Plossls 10.5mm,17mm,20mm,26mm,32mm
8.8mm meade 4000 UWA
12mm Nagler T4
35mm TV Panoptic
40mm Meade 3000
Baader Hyperion ZOOM 8-24mm
SPACE A PORTRAIT OF PERFECTION!
Tony
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jeff heck
professor emeritus
Reged: 01/16/06
Posts: 518
Loc: stl,mo.
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I like the look of my 24Pan (inside and out). My old Stratus ep"s worked well enough but looked like props from the old "Combat" series. 
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"Don't taze me bro!"
XT10 classic
24mmPan
13mmEthos
7mmUWAN
5mmRadian
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