405 replies to this topic

[CHASLX200]

go for it Chas you will love the shipping part

I will move it to FL so no shipping for me.

[VNA]

I could care less about Orion. They’ve been on the downhill slide for years with their sh#tty customer service and charging for shipping which they did for years, not to mention their frequently overpriced products. Once they p#ssed off Synta and lost their Synta-made products their fate was sealed.

 

Hello, fully agree, their "customer service" was horrible. I could tell several stories, but  it is useless at this time.

Went there a few times and was shaking my head in disbelief going bak home!

Meanwhile I have an Atlas pro still not working after returning twice under warranty and waited almost a year to get it back still not working!

[hyiger]

Meade will be like Indian Motorcycles. Dead, resurrected, dead and resurrected. Wouldn't surprise me if a Chinese OEM buys out their inventory and IP and resurrects it in someway.  

Edited by hyiger, 05 August 2024 - 09:00 AM.

[SandyHouTex]

Up to the Orion fiasco they were owned by Sunny, a Chinese Co.

 

For eveyone. Go to this link to read the history of legal stuff. The best part starts at page 6.

https://cdn.ca9.usco...06/20-15837.pdf

 

I could be wrong but unless you are just plain passionate, the telescope business is probably not the best market to invest in. Epecially since the Chinese are going to dominate it.

 

My guess, Meade as a name has some equity, so the name will probably go on.

But it's never going to be the Meade that many knew and loved.

I would agree with your last sentence during the 80s and before.  When they started making their Starfinder scopes that was the beginning of the end.  It all began when the moved manufacturing to Mexico.  There were reports of Meade purchasers receiving scopes with packing peanuts inside the OTA.

[starman876]

I will move it to FL so no shipping for me.

I meant when the orders come in you will have to ship them out

[VNA]

Sandy, thanks,

Hello, is it  confusing or is it confusing?

From what I understand from your link, Orion did not have enough lawyers? Or not the right ones?

Orion to me was a small fish trying to swallow a much bigger one?

Edited by VNA, 04 August 2024 - 08:03 PM.

[orion61]

Some meades that I have loved,
One of the first ETX Astros It was a 6 month wait in 1996 to get it. It is on a computer mount. It is so good there is nothing I could see better with my Questar! I sold the ETX, and bought a 125. super. a 12" SCT lx200 with EMC coatings. My Aluminum cased 2045 Meade is super for birding.
My 11" C11 may soon be going out the door..

I own a very nice performing 6"  B&L 6000 sct! 
My favorite SCT is a 1975 Celestron C8 with amazing contrast on a Sandcast Mount, I also have an old JMI Max ,with encoders, plus a spare Mini-Max computer.
My C6R i bought beats any other C6-R. Least color, and sharp. I beat a celestron 9.25 on Mars, at opposition with a 4 mm Celestron Ortho The other     2 guys left their scopes and just traded off vision with my 6" f 
Now let's talk about B&L 4000's. A pair of them made good Bookends on my library!
  I had to save the best for last, a 1967 8" F7 Cave deluxe model B, with a Primary mirror signed by Thomas Cave
Peace to all,

Duane

 

Edited by orion61, 05 August 2024 - 01:27 AM.

[M11Mike]

Liked the real old Orion (way back).  To me Meade was a copycat be it SCT's / eyepieces / etc.  Times change - Celestron has endured.  I started with a C8 back in 1980 or so - still with them - albeit a SE8.  Celestron SCT's have stood the test of time - "if it ain't broke - don't fix it" - my dad taught me.  Tom Watson had it right in 1970 - that F10 2032mm FL 8" scope still popular today.  Still does the job.  Lots of aperture and FL in a relatively lightweight COMPACT package.  (doesn't end up in the attic or in back of the closet) 

 

Just my two cents after almost 70 years of "looking up".

 

Mike P - Ballston Lake, NY   

[CHASLX200]

Some meades that I have loved,
One of the first ETX Astros It was a 6 month wait in 1996 to get it. It is on a computer mount. It is so good there is nothing I could see better with my Questar! I sold the ETX, and bought a 125. super. a 12" SCT lx200 with EMC coatings. My Aluminum cased 2045 Meade is super for birding.
My 11" C11 may soon be going out the door..

I own a very nice performing 6"  B&L 6000 sct! 
My favorite SCT is a 1975 Celestron C8 with amazing contrast on a Sandcast Mount, I also have an old JMI Max ,with encoders, plus a spare Mini-Max computer.
My C6R i bought beats any other C6-R. Least color, and sharp. I beat a celestron 9.25 on Mars, at opposition with a 4 mm Celestron Ortho The other     2 guys left their scopes and just traded off vision with my 6" f 
Now let's talk about B&L 4000's. A pair of them made good Bookends on my library!
  I had to save the best for last, a 1967 8" F7 Cave deluxe model B, with a Primary mirror signed by Thomas Cave
Peace to all,

Duane

My C11 is for sale now.  Gotta clean house for what is to come.

[tim53]

They (JD), started out that way. I can't say when but they were making their own Newts by at least the late 70s.

Mid 1978, in fact.

[VA3DSO]

My C11 is for sale now.  Gotta clean house for what is to come.

What is coming...?

[CHASLX200]

What is coming...?

It's all going and no more buying until the wind changes.

[Orion68]

For many years I desperately wanted an LX200. Never found a way to get one. So, kind of sad to see Meade go.

[CHASLX200]

For many years I desperately wanted an LX200. Never found a way to get one. So, kind of sad to see Meade go.

Had 8 of them and loved them all with great and easy to use GO-TO.

[VA3DSO]

It's all going and no more buying until the wind changes.

Even the Meade 826?

[ccwemyss]

And the AP800?

[CarolinaBanker]

Never owned any Orion stuff, but did seriously consider it for my first scope. The tabletop dob mounted mak and refractor appeared to have been decent designs. The ST80 and ST120 are modern classics.

 

Meade ETXs are the scopes of my youth, they have wonderful industrial design, the Maks reputationally have generally quite good optics and the design idea of a simple, compact all in one GoTo was brilliant even if in retrospect the mounts left something to be desired. I always wanted a Research Grade Newtonian and I use their MA40 as my low power EP in my Meade 226.

[CHASLX200]

Even the Meade 826?

No that and the SW100ED stays.

[CHASLX200]

And the AP800?

Stays till death.

[jgraham]

I had a _lot_ of fun with Orion stuff. The original and imaging versions of the StarBlast, Astroview 90, Sirius EQ-G, Atlas EQ-G, XT6, and their darling little tabletop 90mm Mak. Oh yes, their lightweight binoviewers and Explorer II eyepieces. Once upon a time they also sold ATM parts.

They will be missed. 😞

[grif 678]

Sad to hear Meade is gone, they made some very good scopes along with the bad ones. I am glad that I have three of the ETX 90 OTA's, one of the  best small scopes on the market for the money. The optics of the USA made small 90 ETX will rival the questar, and I only gave about $110 for the OTA each. All I needed was a small unitron altaz, and enjoy the simple fun.

Hopefully Meade can come back somehow, even if a merger, and make some good scopes again. I still have lots of mags with Meade ads in them , so I will still enjoy looking at them

[Kasmos]

You have to remember that the Meade we all think of, isn't really the company that recently died. You might say they died long ago.

Edited by Kasmos, 01 September 2024 - 12:00 AM.

[starman876]

Stays till death.

I can understand that.  Great mount.  Great choice 

[Terra Nova]

My C11 is for sale now.  Gotta clean house for what is to come.

Yeah, now that you’re buying Meade, you’ll need a lot of room!

[Terra Nova]

You have to remember that the Meade we all think of, isn't really the company that recently died. You might say they died long ago.

Only the blue remained and it wasn’t the same blue!