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okieav8r
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 03/01/09
Loc: Oklahoma!
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Re: Criterion Days
[Re: johnnyha]
#5590034 - 12/26/12 05:30 PM
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Wow Gil, what an unexpected surprise your article was! Great reading on a rainy night here, beautifully written - thanks! 
+1 I would love to see more articles like this one on CN. 
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PitchHitter
member
Reged: 09/23/09
Loc: Southern Sierras
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Re: Criterion Days
[Re: Charlie Hein]
#5600297 - 01/01/13 08:39 PM
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I appreciate this article and the admission that some Criterion Scopes were good and some were bad because it is extremely important to know fixing most is more than they are worth.
A friend (Bob Goff) from college talked me into becoming a dealer for the SCT series and I regretted every DynaMax I sold. One day a friend had one on display with our club at a local shopping mall when the eyepiece barrel separated from the lip and fell into the scope. I had to remove the corrector plate to retrieve it. There I found out why it performed rather poorly. The corrector was just a piece of tangent(13)cut unfigured green window glass. I first started doing business with a Bob Krewalk and then after all the lies and broken promises I was turned over to a Bob Walker. I told him it was so amazing how much he sounded like Krewalk. Of course it was one and the same! Every DynaMax I sold and several besides had to be repaired and I ended up doing them all on my own dime gratis. By the time I was having problems with the dealership Bob Goff was gone and apologized for getting me into the mess. The only DynaMax I saw that performed well mechanically and optically was Bob Goff's personal one that he went around signing up dealerships with. Meade had a chance to hire me to fix a bunch of their problems too (but didn't). Celestron is the only one that I never saw a problem with. I own a circa 1970 C-8 and a 2000 Meade 10" that after three tries now does very well in a C-11 mount. I would never ever buy a new Meade without inspection. I find DynaMax 8's for $200-$50 but find they are not worth my time. I have a friend that got one ($50) and lucked out. Beyond a common bearing problem (mis-machined) his optics were done when BG was there supervising.
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Mike B
Starstruck
Reged: 04/06/05
Loc: shake, rattle, & roll, CA
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Re: Criterion Days
[Re: JimP]
#5619254 - 01/12/13 03:15 PM
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My parents bought me a RV6 in 1974 after I drooled over the ads over the months leading to the purchase.
I & my buddies drooled over those same ads, but never ended up with one.  In fact, Gil, i ended up with the same scope YOU started with, the 4-1/4" Edmund Newtonian on an EQ mounting!
Yet the RV-6 (as well as the tantalizing RV-8) was the inspiration for an order placed with Edmund for their 8" kit- blank, tool, & powders. It eventually (and briefly) turned into a working 8" F7 with jaw-dropper views of M57, its "first-light" DSO.
Thanks for taking the time to write (& post) that article- a VERY enjoyable read! A "dream job" it was, indeed!
mike b
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lookbackintime
newbie
Reged: 03/18/13
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Re: Criterion Days
[Re: mrlovt]
#5740739 - 03/18/13 01:38 PM
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I was absolutley amazed to find this article! I still remember waiting what seemed like forever to receive my RV-6. Loved the scope at the time. It engendered a life-long interest in astronomy and physics. Wild to see how they were made. Thanks for the detailed account of your time there.
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Bonco
Post Laureate
Reged: 04/17/06
Loc: Florida
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Re: Criterion Days
[Re: lookbackintime]
#5741078 - 03/18/13 04:29 PM Attachment (28 downloads)
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Great article and entertaining read. For me Criterion means RV6. Here's mine that I purchased around 1960. The optics are amazing and everything is functional almost like new after some simple restoration efforts. Bill
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Gil V
member
Reged: 09/09/12
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Re: Criterion Days
[Re: Bonco]
#5747974 - 03/21/13 04:21 PM
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Dude, that RV looks like it left the factory yesterday.
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murphb
newbie
Reged: 08/27/12
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Re: Criterion Days
[Re: Charlie Hein]
#5789077 - 04/09/13 08:26 PM
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Gil, Thanks so much for posting this article. Funny, how our memories are so like fine wine, devoid of pain. It was great to see the pics, and your memories of a mom and pop company. I remember the days of early telescope purchase where a 3 month wait was typical. I, like many others have purchased another cat Dynamax 8, trying to bring back the old days. And these are the old days aren't they now!
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