11 replies to this topic

[darksky97]

It seems we’re dealing with a truss telescope that could have been made much better, considering its price. However, its advantages allow me to enjoy it immensely, as they meet exactly what I wanted from a telescope of this type: to be very practical, meaning portable and easy to manage, with good mechanics that facilitate maintaining collimation.

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[SpitzA3P]

Thank you for your review.  I own a Taurus 300, the 12 inch model and did a review of it on Cloudynights last year.

 

My Taurus came with their optics, but not the upgraded optics option .  I have been pleased with the optics and the Push - To which Taurus installed.

 

I do not do very much low altitude (ca. 15 deg) observing as we have a lot of trees.  But I found that the use of the the two position mounting bracket would allow for better balancing, depending on the weight of eyepieces, etc.

 

Other reviewers have praised the optics , especially the upgraded optics.

 

I bought my T300 for travel, and it will just fit into a Pelican case and a duffle for the truss tubes.  But a 10 inch model (not offered but Adam said he could design one), would be easier.

 

I like the light weight, and collimation which does not vary much even after transport of the two pieces inside our house from outside , or vice versa.

 

Again , thanks for the review. and I do think that the design of the mount is a little small for 16 inch scope, but perhaps with no shroud, wind would be not be a problem with shaking.

 

Yours,

 

John

[cmfrommen]

Maybe installing the counterweight kit https://www.tauruste.../counterweight/

will help with heavy eyepieces/accessories and when viewing close to the horizon?

[BGazing]

I have a 350, and it balances very well with PII and Ethoi.

I suspect your mirror might be lighter than the one supplied by Taurus. People who bought 400 with optics seldom complained.

Tracking is decent, true that it is not buttery smooth sometimes, but it is pleasant and you know where you are. Adjusting AZ friction is a matter of taste. Buttery tracking would require a completely different scope, one my back could not handle even now, let alone in the future.

[Astrowl]

I had in the past a very nice Taurus T300 with Orion UK mirror (very good). I was very pleased with that dobson, the only point which was a bit boring, was the size of the secondary cage. I now have a Dobson 16" (not Taurus) with a very lightweight secondary cage that I really prefer. The 3 vans on the spider are also a very good point in my opinion, it gives better contrast than 4 spider vans.

[birds_adorb]

That looks cool. did you collimate it?

[therealdmt]

Good review, and nice telescope. Enjoy!

[chanik]

I started with weights but the quartz mirror is sooo much lighter than borosilicate glass that I needed 15lb or so.  Instead I went with latex like so with some small trim weights  https://www.cloudyni...223083-taurus2/

[BGazing]

I had in the past a very nice Taurus T300 with Orion UK mirror (very good). I was very pleased with that dobson, the only point which was a bit boring, was the size of the secondary cage. I now have a Dobson 16" (not Taurus) with a very lightweight secondary cage that I really prefer. The 3 vans on the spider are also a very good point in my opinion, it gives better contrast than 4 spider vans.

In all honesty, the robust secondary cage is a much more pleasant experience for me (stray light and also tracking). My Alkaid has a single UTA which is necessary compromise because it is an ultracompact, but Taurus secondary cage makes both focuser and the secondary less exposed.

 

I started with weights but the quartz mirror is sooo much lighter than borosilicate glass that I needed 15lb or so.  Instead I went with latex like so with some small trim weights  https://www.cloudyni...223083-taurus2/

I saw your post before I've placed the order and decided against going light. In theory, it could have worked, but tinkering with f ratio or mirror weight means that you one is getting away from the equilibrium reached by Adam. I was thinking about going to f/4.5 and in the end simply wanted to remove one more thing to worry about or have to somehow fix post production.

But, if I recall correctly - yours is a Zambuto mirror? If so, I reckon it is certainly worth tinkering with.

I don't see primary fans there - Taurus' solution adds some weight, ca 4lbs so not enough for your purposes.

[chanik]

Zambuto it is.  I've always been partial to his work.  I still use a trim weight but about 12 of the 15lbs equivalent that I needed is taken up with the latex.  I foolishly hadn't really allowed for how imbalanced the quartz would be so had to improvise

[BGazing]

Zambuto it is.  I've always been partial to his work.  I still use a trim weight but about 12 of the 15lbs equivalent that I needed is taken up with the latex.  I foolishly hadn't really allowed for how imbalanced the quartz would be so had to improvise

I do not believe it is about weight of the material, but rather the thickness of the mirror. Mine is 34mm, I believe that is the thinnest it goes for the quartz mirrors of 20 inch size. If Taurus is made balanced for a much thicker mirror, that would bode ill for its cooling, as it is not about the diameter, but about thickness (and material).

My Alkaid has a 34 mm quartz mirror and cools really fast. I have not experienced any problems with Taurus pro mirror during sessions (I always leave the fans at a minimum during observation)

[BGazing]

It seems we’re dealing with a truss telescope that could have been made much better, considering its price. However, its advantages allow me to enjoy it immensely, as they meet exactly what I wanted from a telescope of this type: to be very practical, meaning portable and easy to manage, with good mechanics that facilitate maintaining collimation.

Click here to view the article

How old is your scope? I ask because the plate on the upper cage looks different, all the recent ones had data on diameter, focal length and a serial number (of sorts), with the first two digits referring to aperture...