Of course not. Everyone's reports are valid. Take from them what you can.
Such things are determined at a personal level, case by case, such that each gear’s owner can decide for themself…. Including whether there were other still-unknown factors at play which affected their *system* performance, or else that their TeleVue Powermate should be featured in the CNC, which we all know happens
Jordan said in the previous TPL thread:
I'm with you. They are a pleasure to use. Made really well, feel nice to look through and seem to perform really well. I bet in a couple of years when the glass stock runs out some will talk of them in hushed tones like we do for Ultimas, Parks, ZAO, etc...
Had another enjoyable session last nite with the 6” f/12 MakCass & a few select EPs, including a new-to-me gem from the past! After acquiring a couple of new magic-glass Masuyama-85’s, I was inspired by their views to do some digging into the ‘pseudo-Masuyama’ phenomenon, EPs no longer in production, 5-element “modified Plossl” types, today spoken of in hushed tones, as Jordan noted.
Having already dipped my toe into the pseudo pond with a couple of the Ultima 7-element 70* “Axiom” wides, 15 & 23mm, and really liking them for views (even if the ER on the 15 is quite tight), so some time ago I began watching the classifieds for any of the typical 52* 5-element ‘pseudos’, rare birds as they are! Finally one shows up, even of the same branding, and even at the ideal FL, 12.5mm, to join in the comparo fray! 
Autumn now knocking loudly at the (oven) door of the CA Central Valley, atmospherics seem to be a bit gentler & scope thermal issues having subsided- the 15mm Ultima WA first in the focuser as the ‘finder’ did an amazing job of illustrating not only Jupiter, but the aforementioned atmospherics! Sharply defined belts, limbs, & pointed-up orbs of the Galilean 4! At least what can be seen at 120x…
So naturally, next in was the 12.5mm TPL, in which, along with depicting the same view as the Ultima WA but at ~144x, depicted the orbs of the satellites super-cleanly & sharp, rendering Ganymede as obvious by way its size- even separated from the planet & its sister satellites by a wide margin! And once again, the velvety nature of the sky background seemed really pure & free of glare or light-bleed from bright sources beyond the FoV, illuminated beautifully by the popping into view of faint stars in the field as the orb of the planet slipped off (undriven alt-az mount). In fact, I’m now more certain that this velvety black background is what serves to depict the subtle glow around brighter object in the FoV as atmospheric in source, not optics. In fact, it’s the purity & refinement of the an eyepiece’s design & subsequent build that is able to reveal this effect! So good on Takahashi! 
Next in the focuser was the new old kid, the Ultima 12.5mm. First thing that popped-out to my waiting eye was how parfocal were the Ultima & TPL. Curious, both being 5-element mod’d Plossl types, and both being from similar Japanese optics houses… ya wonder- is there some cross-pollination happening here? Anyhoo, a slight touch on the fine-knob got everything Tak-sharp! Oh wait- this is an old 90’s Celestron ‘pseudo’, not a Takahashi! 
By this point, Io was quickly approaching the Jovian limb, & its shadow was well into its clouds! Its tiny black shadow-dot stood out distinctly, like a black cue-ball rolling atop the belt. Otherwise, the view in the Ultima was very similar to that in the TPL. One aspect, very subtle, I began to suspect- had to swap the TPL back in a couple of times to help my perception substantiate… the Ultima *might* have a slight warmish tone? I’d think that thot at times… until I put the Ultima back in the focuser. The auto-adjust on the human eye-brain system kicks in so quickly, such perceptions may be more momentary impressions? That stated, two other impressions were made: 1) If there was truly a slight tone to the Ultima, it seemed to be beneficial in presenting subtle Jovian features distinctly, whereas the TPL’s presentation seemed more stark-white, itself not necessarily a bad thing, in general. Yet it had the odd effect of washing-out the subtle in this instance. Bolder-contrast features seemed unaffected. So now I’m curious how these two EPs would suss-out on Deepsky use!
Now on that count, the Ultima might have an additional edge? This edge being a mere 4* of AFoV! Might seem slight, but observing Jupiter in the TPL had the planet approaching the field edge all too often! In this regard the Ultima’s 52* field was a welcome benefit to enjoy!
The next thing I spent time focussing on between these two EPs was Io nearing the Jovian limb, how cleanly & distinctly its orb remained depicted as it drew ever nearer. If there were differences, they were very subtle, my impression being the TPL was the preferable ocular to the task… might be that the contrast effects were of the bolder flavor? Might be that the AFoV mattered less? Might even be the more comfortable eyegonomic of the TPL’s rubber eyeguard?… might mean I’ve gotta git the Ultimas upgraded with aftermarket rubber eyeguards? 
Edited by Mike B, 27 September 2023 - 05:21 PM.
