7 replies to this topic

[boost_fae_bams]

This is quite a serious update to a post I made not long ago. In that post I mentioned that I had bought the 9mm and 25mm Xcel LX eyepieces only to discover the 9mm to be absolutely full of dust or other particulate. I then returned this 9mm to have it replaced by a new one, only to discover the same problem. I then checked the 25mm again more stringently and as it turns out, the same issue is present...

 

I then contacted the shop and they responded that they had taken a look at all their line of Xcel LX eyepieces and discovered their entire stock shipment - all sizes - suffer from the same problem. This is one of the largest and most reputable astronomy shops in my European country and from their stock check feature they have dozens of each size of Xcel LX, so this could be hundreds of defective/substandard units. To have one or two eyepieces sneak through is unfortunate but more than possible and easily rectified. This is obviously a HUGE failure in quality control. To say I'm disappointed is an understatement - the reviews of the Xcel LX eyepiece line (especially these particular eyepieces) were very positive.

 

The shop themselves have been excellent in their communication and customer service - they've actually offered to let me keep this second faulty eyepiece in case I want to try and repair it and will refund the cost anyway. 

 

In the end it seems that the horror stories of bad quality control are true. I can't say I'm encouraged to buy again, maybe I'll look to the always lauded BST Starguider / AT Paradigms or the next step up in the Explore Scientific 62° range...

 

I would advise that people considering this eyepiece range be prepared for a possible return and ensure they buy from a reputable dealer that offers such.

Edited by boost_fae_bams, 03 September 2024 - 03:17 PM.

[sixela]

If you get it for nothing: disassemble and clean it. Not that hard.

[Dobs O Fun]

My last purchase (2020-2021) of one years ago i found dirt and took it apart to clean up.  My attempt made it worse so I had to create a better clean room environment.  It still dirty, sometimes I feel I exchanged one speck for another but it's usable and I don't notice the dirt while observing.

[CrazyPanda]

My last purchase (2020-2021) of one years ago i found dirt and took it apart to clean up.  My attempt made it worse so I had to create a better clean room environment.  It still dirty, sometimes I feel I exchanged one speck for another but it's usable and I don't notice the dirt while observing.

Yeah the lesson I learned cleaning my 12.5 Takahashi TPL is that it's a LOT harder to get an eyepiece clean than you'd think. So easy for small particles to get in during assembly, and of course the lenses magnify everything so particles that are too small to see naked eye can still be there.

 

I'd hate to have to clean a more complex design like the X-Cel LX.
 

[Starman1]

My last purchase (2020-2021) of one years ago i found dirt and took it apart to clean up.  My attempt made it worse so I had to create a better clean room environment.  It still dirty, sometimes I feel I exchanged one speck for another but it's usable and I don't notice the dirt while observing.

Not all dust is made from large particles.  Some is microscopic dust that creates a haze on the eyepiece, leading to surface scatter.

That, you can effectively clean off completely.  The larger particles floating around in the air that get in are inevitable.

I cleaned one of my own personal eyepieces that had 9 elements and had a "farm" of dirt particles inside.

After reassembly, I could still see a few particles, but the eyepiece was 99% cleaner.  Ironically, I saw no visible difference in the field.

 

Eyepieces are not assembled in clean rooms, and often by people not wearing masks, hair nets, or even gloves.

As long as the dirt particles are not at the focal plane, and not too large in number, they will have very little effect on the image quality.

 

But, it sounds like the series in question crosses the line between acceptable and unacceptable.  The best bet is to dismantle and clean it.

That is a skill that is quite useful to develop.  What ticks me off, though, is the number of eyepiece manufacturers who have taken

to gluing their retaining rings in, making it extremely difficult to dismantle their eyepieces. 

I understand WHY they do it but it means they should make the eyepieces cleaner when they assemble them.

[Starman1]

Yeah the lesson I learned cleaning my 12.5 Takahashi TPL is that it's a LOT harder to get an eyepiece clean than you'd think. So easy for small particles to get in during assembly, and of course the lenses magnify everything so particles that are too small to see naked eye can still be there.

 

I'd hate to have to clean a more complex design like the X-Cel LX.
 

6 lenses, four groups, in most focal lengths.  Not really any harder than a simple eyepiece unless the lenses get very tiny.

All eyepieces with tiny lenses are tough.

[sixela]

IIRC the tiniest lenses are for the field group. They're usually not the ones that are dirty and IIRC the whole group can be left as a whole (but it's been some time since I opened one).

The ony things to watch out for is to keep track of the orientation and NOT to mix up the different spacers (which you can flock too, while you're at it, on some eyepieces).

 

If I'd just bought one and be told to just accept it without any compensation I'd be peeved. If I had gotten a refund, I'd try to clean.

Edited by sixela, 05 September 2024 - 11:07 AM.

[Dobs O Fun]

Not all dust is made from large particles.  Some is microscopic dust that creates a haze on the eyepiece, leading to surface scatter.

That, you can effectively clean off completely.  The larger particles floating around in the air that get in are inevitable.

I cleaned one of my own personal eyepieces that had 9 elements and had a "farm" of dirt particles inside.

After reassembly, I could still see a few particles, but the eyepiece was 99% cleaner.  Ironically, I saw no visible difference in the field.

 

Eyepieces are not assembled in clean rooms, and often by people not wearing masks, hair nets, or even gloves.

As long as the dirt particles are not at the focal plane, and not too large in number, they will have very little effect on the image quality.

 

But, it sounds like the series in question crosses the line between acceptable and unacceptable.  The best bet is to dismantle and clean it.

That is a skill that is quite useful to develop.  What ticks me off, though, is the number of eyepiece manufacturers who have taken

to gluing their retaining rings in, making it extremely difficult to dismantle their eyepieces. 

I understand WHY they do it but it means they should make the eyepieces cleaner when they assemble them.

I believe it was my 5mm I bought.  My first an only EP I opened and cleaned and took a bit to get it back together.  

 

A good skill I was hoping to not need to develop but nevertheless I did.  Looking back it didn't interfere with my viewing, it just drove me nuts knowing it was there.

 

The 9 and 25s were clean so I chalk it up a bad batch since they were purchased separately at different times.