12 replies to this topic

[Sixnickels]

I bought my first, a Dobsonian reflector 11 years ago, still love it. I thought I wasn't a total newbie.

 

Well, I just purchase my 2nd telescope. I went with the 8 inch Celestron Newtonian. I checked across many websites checking out the specs and deciding how my current lenses will work with this scope. Anyway, I get he scope today and instead of 27", the OTA is 37". And instead of 10 lbs, it's 19.5 lbs. I feel really silly with a scope that's twice as heavy and almost a foot longer than advertised. Why are these specs so far off on all the sites where it's advertised. Where did I go wrong?

[rjacks]

From whom did you buy the scope? What's the model? The first site I looked at for a Celestron Series 8 Newtonian listed the OTA length as 36 inches and weight as 14 lbs. 

[deSitter]

I bought my first, a Dobsonian reflector 11 years ago, still love it. I thought I wasn't a total newbie.

 

Well, I just purchase my 2nd telescope. I went with the 8 inch Celestron Newtonian. I checked across many websites checking out the specs and deciding how my current lenses will work with this scope. Anyway, I get he scope today and instead of 27", the OTA is 37". And instead of 10 lbs, it's 19.5 lbs. I feel really silly with a scope that's twice as heavy and almost a foot longer than advertised. Why are these specs so far off on all the sites where it's advertised. Where did I go wrong?

That sounds about right - a little heavy - the Celestron 8" f/5 is listed at 22 lbs and is 8" x 5 = 40" long.

 

-drl

Edited by deSitter, 17 July 2024 - 11:57 AM.

[MeridianStarGazer]

Even manufacturer websites often list items as heavier than they are. So no ulterior motive there. Just people failing to copy specs correctly. I see the problem in engineering databases too. Lots of unit conversions.

Specs like focuser height matter to me (on a dob). I want a 9.5" f5 instead of 10" f5 so I can sit more comfortably and have the option of viewing while kneeling in the grass. Orion addressed that concern with their 10" f4.7. Now if I order a 10" f4.7 and find it has a taller base that makes the focuser higher than advertised, I would be upset too. But I doubt advertisers realize just how important this stuff is. Like selling clothes and not saying the size and assuming everyone will just like it.

[Sixnickels]

Wow, how did I miss this. You're right, Celestron lists the correct weight and measurements. Adorama, has the wrong specs, this is where I ordered from. Highpointscientific also has the wrong weight but the right length. Oh well. All my fault.  

[dan_h]

Wow, how did I miss this. You're right, Celestron lists the correct weight and measurements. Adorama, has the wrong specs, this is where I ordered from. Highpointscientific also has the wrong weight but the right length. Oh well. All my fault.  

 Too many vendors just cut and paste specs without regard for accuracy.  Don't make excuses for them when they screw up.  Not your fault at all.  

 

dan

[Echolight]

Sounds like they listed specs for the 6 f5 newtonian.

Edited by Echolight, 17 July 2024 - 12:45 PM.

[Overtime]

It might have been one of those things where everything looks the same but you have 2 or more choices on the same page and didn't see it. I see it on Amazon and some other sites.

[vtornado]

 Will it work for your mount?  Send it back?  I'm kind of angry that vendors can't get their specs correct.  After all with no bricks and morter, I can't look at anything any more. Incorrect specs made me buy a not so hot eyepiece.

 

From experience any 8 inch f/5 has to be around 40 inches long.    However I understand, while comparing prices, specs, instock/out of stock, shipping, taxes, bundled accessories ... sometimes I end up buying the wrong thing.  Tactile input is so important, that doesn't happen with a brick-and-morter store.

[Echolight]

I'd guess it came with an AVX.

[deSitter]

I'd guess it came with an AVX.

Yes.

 

-drl

[MeridianStarGazer]

There also are products with no specs, or missing specs. Some don't mention the weight at all, or the surface accuracy.

I once asked High Point customer service whether some prisms I wanted to buy were coated on their transmissive faces. First I was told they can't open the boxes. Then I was told yes, they are, they saw a purple reflection. I bought them and found they are uncoated. Return shipping would have made it not worth the refund.

If a spec is not listed, assume it is undesirable. If a spec is listed, don't trust it. In the binocular world, ones with Huygen eyepieces often quote the specs of those with Erfles.

[CHASLX200]

Mine seems small to me,

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