firstbase
member
Reged: 07/05/08
Posts: 34
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Anyone know how the newer ETX-125's are quality wise? I know there were lots of problems awhile back. How are they now? If the newer ones are coming out decent is there anyway/where to order one that I can be certain is of newer manufacture? Don't want to buy a 2 year old one built back in the "bad days" that has been sitting in a dealers store room. Any comments welcomed...
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Treehopper
professor emeritus
Reged: 07/29/08
Posts: 582
Loc: Upstate NY
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"Newer" with Meade's ETX line is a wild turkey of a term, but I think I understand where you're coming from. I had the same concerns last Summer before I picked up my ETX-125PE.
Most of the "horror stories" were from the 2000-2001 time frame. There was some endemic problems with the gear trains and clutch locks in those earlier models. I imagine most of these units have long since moved off suppliers' shelves, although I suppose it's theoretically possible to still get an 8 year-old unit.
I haven't heard anything, good or bad, since Meade moved its production facilities last year to Mexico. Assuming "no news is good news" in this regard, you're probably still safe to pick up a new model. Do be advised that Meade apparently is phasing out its PE designation this Summer for the older AT moniker, but just what this means from a practical standpoint, nobody knows (or at least those who claim they know haven't said.)
For what it's worth, I haven't had a lick of problems from my 125, and it's almost a year old. While I'm not an every night observer, I've put it through its paces, and as long as you take care of it (i.e., don't over-torque the clutches and follow Meade's instructions religiously for setting it up), there's no reason to not expect years of faithful performance from this scope.
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Tim
Champion of small aperture scopes everywhere!
Meade ETX-125PE
Meade ETX-80
Celestron FirstScope 76mm Mini-dob
 Updated: 09/16/2009
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jgraham
Postmaster
Reged: 12/02/04
Posts: 6751
Loc: Dayton, Ohio
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I haven't heard anything specific to the ETX line. I own an ETX-60BB and an ETX-125PE and both have been without any problems. I also have two close cousins to the ETX, a DS-2130 and a DSX-90 (the DS-2000 mount is very similar to the ETX inside) and both work fine. Like any high tech device it's a good idea to run them through their paces when they're new; they tend to either die right away or to live forever.
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-John
================================================
Homebuilt scopes from 4.25-16.5"
Meade LXD75-N6/SN6/SC8, DSX-90, ETX-60BB, ETX-125PE, DS-2130
Orion StarBlast, BinoViewers, Coronado PST
Rebel XT/XTi, DSI Pro (I, II, & III), DSI, LPI, Electronic Eyepiece, Phillips SPC900NC
Tasco 60mm Refractors
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rmollise
Post Laureate
Reged: 07/06/07
Posts: 4557
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Quote:
Anyone know how the newer ETX-125's are quality wise? I know there were lots of problems awhile back. How are they now? If the newer ones are coming out decent is there anyway/where to order one that I can be certain is of newer manufacture? Don't want to buy a 2 year old one built back in the "bad days" that has been sitting in a dealers store room. Any comments welcomed...
Not much has changed in the ETX department recently, as they have been in China now for quite a while. I would hope that means they have rounded-off some of the rough edges.
My 125 from goin' four years ago was certainly mostly OK, but it did have a couple of QA faux pas:
http://uncle-rods.blogspot.com/2009/06/etx-love.html
If you want me to guess...I'll guess that not too much has changed QA wise. Mostly good, some mistakes. The good part is that I am NOT hearing of big and systemic problems with 125 production lately. I do note that MCT ETX production appears to have been shut down and recently restarted. Will that have had any effect on the new ETXes (now all ATs, apparently--no PEs)? Don' axe me--yet. 
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Uncle Rod
Rod's New Book:
Choosing and Using a New CAT
Available now!
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rmollise
Post Laureate
Reged: 07/06/07
Posts: 4557
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Quote:
I haven't heard anything, good or bad, since Meade moved its production facilities last year to Mexico.
AFAIK, the ETXes are made in China and will stay there.
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Uncle Rod
Rod's New Book:
Choosing and Using a New CAT
Available now!
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Treehopper
professor emeritus
Reged: 07/29/08
Posts: 582
Loc: Upstate NY
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Quote:
AFAIK, the ETXes are made in China and will stay there.
Somehow this doesn't surprise me. Seems as tho' every dad-gummed thing I've brought into the house the past 10+ years comes from there! 
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Tim
Champion of small aperture scopes everywhere!
Meade ETX-125PE
Meade ETX-80
Celestron FirstScope 76mm Mini-dob
Updated: 09/16/2009
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Mike Cook
member
Reged: 07/13/08
Posts: 75
Loc: Moncton NB (Cloud Central)
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I've had mine for over a year now, and so far nothing has failed other than the LNT battery which seems to last about 6 months. It arrived in good pristine condition too; no loose or cross threaded eyepiece holders or other anomalies. It has wheezed and grinded to perfection so far.. I keep my fingers and toes crossed, hoping that it will continue to wheeze on for a good long while. 
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Meade ETX125PE Maksutov
Meade series 5000 80mm triplet on AT Voyager alt-az
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JT5
professor emeritus
Reged: 11/08/07
Posts: 576
Loc: Ozarks of Missouri
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As far as I know, the problem is not so much a quality issue. The ETX 125 Optics are superb. The LNT and attachment to the scope is more likely the only issue and is prone to being misaligned if kept in the Meade hard case for the ETX-125PE and puts pressure onto the LNT that causes shifts in the alignment of the RDF.
John
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My wife shares my love of the night skies and tolerates all of my other hobbies.
Televue Pronto w/Starbeam pointer and Televue tripod
Meade 2045D, ETX-125PE, 12" Lightbridge
Celestron: 7Amp PowerTank, 15X70mm binoculars
Meade, Swan and Televue Lenses (33, 26, 20, 15 & 9mm), Televue Barlow
Catsperch Observing Chair
Member: Astronomical Society of Eastern Missouri
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rmollise
Post Laureate
Reged: 07/06/07
Posts: 4557
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Quote:
I've had mine for over a year now, and so far nothing has failed other than the LNT battery which seems to last about 6 months. It arrived in good pristine condition too; no loose or cross threaded eyepiece holders or other anomalies. It has wheezed and grinded to perfection so far.. I keep my fingers and toes crossed, hoping that it will continue to wheeze on for a good long while.
Same here. Replace the LNT battery about every 6 months and keep on truckin'--er "tracking." As I've said before, my 125, "Charity Hope Valentine" is fine after nearly four years. Though I sometimes fear she's gonna collapse in a self-pitying neurotic heap on field if I ask for just one more go-to, she hasn't yet.
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Uncle Rod
Rod's New Book:
Choosing and Using a New CAT
Available now!
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rmollise
Post Laureate
Reged: 07/06/07
Posts: 4557
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Quote:
As far as I know, the problem is not so much a quality issue. The ETX 125 Optics are superb. The LNT and attachment to the scope is more likely the only issue and is prone to being misaligned if kept in the Meade hard case for the ETX-125PE and puts pressure onto the LNT that causes shifts in the alignment of the RDF.
John
I'd call that a "design" issue. As for QA per se, my own experience shows, ANYTHING is possible from upside down nameplates to misaligned focuser tubes and anything in-between.
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Uncle Rod
Rod's New Book:
Choosing and Using a New CAT
Available now!
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firstbase
member
Reged: 07/05/08
Posts: 34
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Hmmm....thanks for the comments everyone.....it sounds like nothing has changed "officially" on the Meade side (like "we have redesigned our QC program" or "added on additional gurus" etc.) but there seem to be fewer complaints from customers. Seems like it's still somewhat of a *BLEEP* shoot. The wheezing and grinding comment and Unca' Rod's waiting for it to drop in a heap are NOT real encouraging!!! I have a feeling I will either drop the cash on the ETX-LS or the Celes.....sorry, wrong forum.. Any dealers out there who will do a thorough pre-shipping checkout on an ETX-PE/AT? I think I remember somebody doing that.....
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rmollise
Post Laureate
Reged: 07/06/07
Posts: 4557
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Quote:
Hmmm....thanks for the comments everyone.....it sounds like nothing has changed "officially" on the Meade side (like "we have redesigned our QC program" or "added on additional gurus" etc.) but there seem to be fewer complaints from customers. Seems like it's still somewhat of a *BLEEP* shoot. The wheezing and grinding comment and Unca' Rod's waiting for it to drop in a heap are NOT real encouraging!!! I have a feeling I will either drop the cash on the ETX-LS or the Celes.....sorry, wrong forum.. Any dealers out there who will do a thorough pre-shipping checkout on an ETX-PE/AT? I think I remember somebody doing that.....
Keep in mind though, that I've been "waiting" for almost four years and she's still doin' just fine (she does sound like she is grindin' a pound of coffee when she's slewin'... ).
Secrets to the ETX? Only one I know of is to do an occasional drive training session. Other than that, they are usually fun and easy to use (the occasional surprises noted in my blog article notwithstanding). As I further note, at one time I was considering replacin' Charity with a 5SE. But in the end, I decided that:
1. I didn't want to give up those luscious ETX optics, which really are better than those of the C5 (which ain't no slouch).
2. Yeah, the ETX has its quirks, but I did extensive testing of the scope against an NS5i. Yeah, yeah, some folks holler about "better build quality," but the go-to on Charity was at least as accurate as that of the NS5, and sometimes moreso.
3. Would I replace her with an LS? I would have been tempted if Meade had used 6-inch MCT optics instead of SCT optics. Sure, I love SCTs, but in a small scope I really think MCT is the way to go. Excellent sharpness field edge to field edge and impressive contrast.
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Uncle Rod
Rod's New Book:
Choosing and Using a New CAT
Available now!
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Treehopper
professor emeritus
Reged: 07/29/08
Posts: 582
Loc: Upstate NY
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I'm with Rod in his assessments, although when it came down to choosing between the C5 and the ETX-125, I arrived at my decision for much more pedestrian reasons. I didn't have a horse in the ongoing Meade/Celestron race, so that wasn't an issue. For me, it came down to the mount. All other things being equal, I felt more secure from an engineering standpoint with a double-tine fork mount than with the single on the C5.
Now, I suppose the Celestron cats are pretty stable even with the single tine. But for "peace of mind" sake, I preferred having two points of contact on the glass at all times.
That, and Astronomics was having one heckuva sale on them last year! They had purchased a metric butt-ton of them, and I snagged mine for <$700! Even with the sale Celestron had going on at the same time, the Meade was less expensive. I came in under the wire...got one of the last 10 they had at the sale price! Phew!
I haven't regretted my decision. The Meade has a slightly higher f/ratio than the C5, which is awesome for lunar and planetary work. I get some of the best views of Jupe and Saturn of any scope I've used, and they're all non-filtered. I was used to seeing some faint banding and occasionally the GRS; I was bowled over when I could clearly see the zones and the whorls and festoons between the bands/zones. Clearly I had a superior piece of glass here.
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Tim
Champion of small aperture scopes everywhere!
Meade ETX-125PE
Meade ETX-80
Celestron FirstScope 76mm Mini-dob
Updated: 09/16/2009
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Mike Cook
member
Reged: 07/13/08
Posts: 75
Loc: Moncton NB (Cloud Central)
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Quote:
Quote:
I've had mine for over a year now, and so far nothing has failed other than the LNT battery which seems to last about 6 months. It arrived in good pristine condition too; no loose or cross threaded eyepiece holders or other anomalies. It has wheezed and grinded to perfection so far.. I keep my fingers and toes crossed, hoping that it will continue to wheeze on for a good long while.
Same here. Replace the LNT battery about every 6 months and keep on truckin'--er "tracking." As I've said before, my 125, "Charity Hope Valentine" is fine after nearly four years. Though I sometimes fear she's gonna collapse in a self-pitying neurotic heap on field if I ask for just one more go-to, she hasn't yet.
I hope Charity Hope Valentine keeps on 'Trackin' and doesn't suffer from any on site neurotics, lol! If worse comes to worse with mine, I'll likely defork the OTA and install it on an Ioptron Mini Tower or similar. Dare I say, for non GOTO manual operation, the telescope is..is.. 'Buttery Smooth.." with the alt clutch lightly adjusted.  The optics of the OTA are great too.
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Meade ETX125PE Maksutov
Meade series 5000 80mm triplet on AT Voyager alt-az
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jgraham
Postmaster
Reged: 12/02/04
Posts: 6751
Loc: Dayton, Ohio
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Good point. If I'm really in a hurry I don't even bother aligning the mount, just power it up so the red dot finder works and I can slew in slow motion in al/az. This happens a lot when the moon is young and I've got to catch it quick before it sets into the trees.
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-John
================================================
Homebuilt scopes from 4.25-16.5"
Meade LXD75-N6/SN6/SC8, DSX-90, ETX-60BB, ETX-125PE, DS-2130
Orion StarBlast, BinoViewers, Coronado PST
Rebel XT/XTi, DSI Pro (I, II, & III), DSI, LPI, Electronic Eyepiece, Phillips SPC900NC
Tasco 60mm Refractors
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rmollise
Post Laureate
Reged: 07/06/07
Posts: 4557
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Quote:
I hope Charity Hope Valentine keeps on 'Trackin' and doesn't suffer from any on site neurotics, lol! If worse comes to worse with mine, I'll likely defork the OTA and install it on an Ioptron Mini Tower or similar.
That's my plan as well, though I haven't had to put it into effect and I hope I don't. The 125 as she is in her little case is just a nice, portable package. IOW: I love her.
--------------------
Uncle Rod
Rod's New Book:
Choosing and Using a New CAT
Available now!
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StarWars
Postmaster
Reged: 11/26/03
Posts: 13787
Loc: CyberSpace
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So what is the deal with the new ETX-PE/AT.. 
Made in China and Assembled in Mexico.. 
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Sony Digital Media player..
MX 460 earbuds
Celestron 2x Barlow Lens
Orion Collimation Eyepiece
Rigel Quick Finder
Assorted Bino's 
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rmollise
Post Laureate
Reged: 07/06/07
Posts: 4557
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Quote:
So what is the deal with the new ETX-PE/AT..
Made in China and Assembled in Mexico..
"Made and assembled in China" AFAIK...
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Uncle Rod
Rod's New Book:
Choosing and Using a New CAT
Available now!
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Mike Cook
member
Reged: 07/13/08
Posts: 75
Loc: Moncton NB (Cloud Central)
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Quote:
Hmmm....thanks for the comments everyone.....it sounds like nothing has changed "officially" on the Meade side (like "we have redesigned our QC program" or "added on additional gurus" etc.) but there seem to be fewer complaints from customers. Seems like it's still somewhat of a *BLEEP* shoot. The wheezing and grinding comment and Unca' Rod's waiting for it to drop in a heap are NOT real encouraging!!! I have a feeling I will either drop the cash on the ETX-LS or the Celes.....sorry, wrong forum.. Any dealers out there who will do a thorough pre-shipping checkout on an ETX-PE/AT? I think I remember somebody doing that.....
Hi firstbase, my comments about the wheezing and grinding probably does sound alarming, but in the stillness of the night, sounds are somewhat accentuated lol. She is a bit loud when slewing but tracks with a soft muttering and internal chirps but in the end delivers the views when the LNT sensors are properly calibrated and drives trained. 
Mike
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Meade ETX125PE Maksutov
Meade series 5000 80mm triplet on AT Voyager alt-az
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rcd47
sage
Reged: 03/15/08
Posts: 259
Loc: East Texas, USA
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Yeah, mine's pretty loud too but from what I've read, that's pretty much normal for the ETX. I put mine in Quiet Slew mode and it's not as loud but is slower to slew. And yes, I do love my ETX too! 
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Randy
Edmund Astroscan
Meade ETX125PE
Skywatcher 102mm F5 & Alt/Az Mount
Orion ST80/Mini EQ1
Tasco Starguide 114/Celestron Hand Paddle
Pentax 10x50 Binoculars
Philips SPC 900NC
Stellacam EX
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