25 replies to this topic

[rlmxracer]

I am looking to by a used mass produced 8" f5 Newt with a single speed 2" R/P focuser. The mirrors look great with just a bit of dust and the tube is also in close to new shape with rings and dovetail. What would a fair market price be? I'm thinking around $350. 

Edited by rlmxracer, 14 November 2024 - 10:48 AM.

[edsmx5]

I have my Orion xt8 Dob for sale, pickup only, for $375 ( 2 EPs and finderscope included). I've had no takers, but that may be due to no shipping ( that would be crazy ). I think your price is a good one, provided the scope is in good shape.

[rlmxracer]

I have my Orion xt8 Dob for sale, pickup only, for $375 ( 2 EPs and finderscope included). I've had no takers, but that may be due to no shipping ( that would be crazy ). I think your price is a good one, provided the scope is in good shape.

Thanks, I looked through the classifieds but the 8" f5 newts are not as common as the more expensive f4 newts unless you are talking about a dob mount. This scope is local to me so shipping is not an issue. 

Edited by rlmxracer, 14 November 2024 - 11:06 AM.

[ngc7319_20]

That sounds about right.

[MeridianStarGazer]

I have my Orion xt8 Dob for sale, pickup only, for $375 ( 2 EPs and finderscope included). I've had no takers, but that may be due to no shipping ( that would be crazy ). I think your price is a good one, provided the scope is in good shape.

Someone will buy it in a month, unless you stripped it of all its goodies, or it has the older rack and pinion focuser.

[MeridianStarGazer]

I am looking to by a used mass produced 8" f5 Newt with a single speed 2" R/P focuser. The mirrors look great with just a bit of dust and the tube is also in close to new shape with rings and dovetail. What would a fair market price be? I'm thinking around $350.

Are you buying or selling? First you said you are buying, then you gave a specific description of what sounds like your scope.

[MeridianStarGazer]

Thanks, I looked through the classifieds but the 8" f5 newts are not as common as the more expensive f4 newts unless you are talking about a dob mount. This scope is local to me so shipping is not an issue.

Ah. Pre-haggling.

I have an 8" f5 newt and rings. Older. Undecided whether to plop on an old dob mount, build a nicer tube and mount, or sell as is. I wonder if the tube without optics is worth anything after shipping. It is heavier than what I want, so I like the idea of keeping the optics and shipping the rest.

[edsmx5]

Someone will buy it in a month, unless you stripped it of all its goodies, or it has the older rack and pinion focuser.

Both Sirius Plossls and the original finderscope. Yes, single speed RnP. Purchase of my xt10 is the only reason for the sale; its a bit redundant

[rlmxracer]

Are you buying or selling? First you said you are buying, then you gave a specific description of what sounds like your scope.

Buying, The seller has sent me many pictures of it and I go pick it up tonight for $250 which I believe is a good deal for an apparently barely used scope. 

[azure1961p]

Rimxracer

 

 

Let me guess; two gears?

 

Pete

[edsmx5]

Buying, The seller has sent me many pictures of it and I go pick it up tonight for $250 which I believe is a good deal for an apparently barely used scope.

Good deal?? A steal, imho

[MeridianStarGazer]

Both Sirius Plossls and the original finderscope. Yes, single speed RnP. Purchase of my xt10 is the only reason for the sale; its a bit redundant

Then the price you are asking is close to what you paid new. Savvy people know.

There has been inflation, but new prices include crayford focusers and bk7 mirrors.

I can't say what the price should be. I'm used to f6.

[edsmx5]

Then the price you are asking is close to what you paid new. Savvy people know.

There has been inflation, but new prices include crayford focusers and bk7 mirrors.

I can't say what the price should be. I'm used to f6.

Well, I won't GIVE it away, lol.
I purchased it used, last year, at a somewhat higher price. I think I'm close to others I've seen, and any reasonable counter would be considered. So far tho'? Crickets. I'm going to leave it at that, so as not to hijack this thread anymore.
Ed

[MeridianStarGazer]

Well, I won't GIVE it away, lol.
I purchased it used, last year, at a somewhat higher price. I think I'm close to others I've seen, and any reasonable counter would be considered. So far tho'? Crickets. I'm going to leave it at that, so as not to hijack this thread anymore.
Ed

I think you are on topic. OP wants to valuate an 8". I'm only a dob expert, so I'm off topic.

[rlmxracer]

I got the aforementioned scope out under the stars last night. Its a Meade 200mm f5 Newt from the LX85 series. The mirror could use a cleaning but its in fantastic condition otherwise. I found the collimation of the primary to be way off, but I got it back into the ballpark with my Cheshire. Two things I discovered last night is Meade was a bit ambitious selling an 200mm f5 on a LX85 mount as it was quite shaky. The second thing I learned was a Newt on an EQ mount is no fun visually because the EP is all over the place. I will give it a thorough once over and clean the mirror then likely I will sell it when my AR152 gets back from ES. Its a great scope just not for the mount I have. 

[edsmx5]

Quote:

"The second thing I learned was a Newt on an EQ mount is no fun visually because the EP is all over the place"

This is why I got a dob, and also why I prefer alt/az mounts

[rlmxracer]

Quote:

"The second thing I learned was a Newt on an EQ mount is no fun visually because the EP is all over the place"

This is why I got a dob, and also why I prefer alt/az mounts

I have been trying to dabble with longer exposure cellphone photography lately so having a tracking mount is key. I still enjoy my dob also especially when I can take it out to darker skies. I knew going in this scope would be an issue on an EQ. This deal was just too good to pass up because I got a spare mount out of it. 

[Kitfox]

If you like the mirror, call Joe at Parallax Instruments. Really nice rotating rings up to 15”.   Makes an equatorial Newtonian quite usable.  

[vtornado]

You can make rotating rings in a variety of ways.  Some use a third ring that one of the other rings rides on.  I have seen some folks use the lip of a 5 gallon paint bucket and hose clamps were one of the rings ride on.

 

I had an 8 inch f/5 on a skyview pro mount.  It was at the bleeding edge of the mount.  Hard to focus, A breeze would also set the whole rig shimmying.  The setup was also around 70 lbs.  No picking it up to tree dodge.

 

I sold the tube.  In retrospect I should have dob mounted it the mirror was very good.

[rlmxracer]

If you like the mirror, call Joe at Parallax Instruments. Really nice rotating rings up to 15”.   Makes an equatorial Newtonian quite usable.  

Those rings are great but unbelievably expensive. I’m going to get the mirror cleaned up, fine tune the collimation, and probably upgrade the focuser to a brass ring visual back. Saturn looked pretty good considering the collimation was not great. I just don’t have the budget for a mount that can really handle this scope. 

[Jon Isaacs]

Those rings are great but unbelievably expensive. I’m going to get the mirror cleaned up, fine tune the collimation, and probably upgrade the focuser to a brass ring visual back. Saturn looked pretty good considering the collimation was not great. I just don’t have the budget for a mount that can really handle this scope. 

 

Homemade rings work just fine. Basically you just need something to keep the OTA from sliding down in the rings.  This a pair I made using a third ring.  I replaced the felt with bondable Teflon, relieved the bolts so the OTA could ride freely.

 

 

This is a simpler pair my friend Jack made.  They worked as well as mine.  He just cut the top off a 5 gallon bucket and used a large hose clamp to hold it in place.

 

 

Jon

[Jon Isaacs]

Then the price you are asking is close to what you paid new. Savvy people know.

There has been inflation, but new prices include crayford focusers and bk7 mirrors.

I can't say what the price should be. I'm used to f6.

 

Savvy people know that you cannot buy a new 8 inch F/6 Dob for $400 any more.  BK-7 is not a selling point.  I believe some of the older XT-8s had Pyrex mirrors.  The Crayford is a good thing. 

 

I watch Dob prices pretty closely. Around $300 is pretty standard for an older model around here.. 

 

$250 for an 8 inch F/5 is about right, I see them cheaper sometimes... 

 

Jon

Edited by Jon Isaacs, 16 November 2024 - 06:57 AM.

[edsmx5]

Savvy people know that you cannot buy a new 8 inch F/6 Dob for $400 any more. BK-7 is not a selling point. I believe some of the older XT-8s had Pyrex mirrors. The Crayford is a good thing.

I watch Dob prices pretty closely. Around $300 is pretty standard for an older model around here..

$250 for an 8 inch F/5 is about right, I see them cheaper sometimes...

Jon

LOL, well, I can neither accept nor deny an offer until one is made: crickets do far. :-)

[MeridianStarGazer]

LOL, well, I can neither accept nor deny an offer until one is made: crickets do far. :-)

I'm afraid to give counter offers online. If tgey get offended, they might not pack it so well. I prefer to wait. But then someone else gives the low ball offer and gets it. Or maybe the seller gets asking price.

[Bomber Bob]

Those rings are great but unbelievably expensive. I’m going to get the mirror cleaned up, fine tune the collimation, and probably upgrade the focuser to a brass ring visual back. Saturn looked pretty good considering the collimation was not great. I just don’t have the budget for a mount that can really handle this scope. 

My 8" F6 rides well on this 40-year old EQ:

 

 

Very Good tracking with built-in battery pack -- runs for many nights on 1 x 9V battery.  Felt-lined hinged rings, so rotating the eyepiece is easy.  

 

These Meade StarFinder mounts run about $150.

 

BIF:  $250 is a good price for an 8" F5.  I'd use it as an RFT, and put it on a hefty AZ.  But... for imaging, I'd want some kind of motorized tracking -- Good Thing I don't do DSO imaging.

Edited by Bomber Bob, 16 November 2024 - 03:14 PM.