Which Dobsonian should I get?

Question

Should I get one from Saxon or a Celestron Star Hopper.
I was thinking of getting a 8".

Answer 1

There are two main manufacturers of mass market Dobsonians: Synta in China and Guan Sheng in Taiwan. Whatever the brand name on a telescope, it actually comes from one of these two factories. Saxon is an Australian brand of Synta. The Celestron Starhoppers, at least recent ones, are an interesting mixture: a Guan Sheng tube assembly on a Synta mount! Since Celestron is now owned by Synta, the Starhopper series has been discontinued.



If I had to choose between the rwo, I'd choose the Celestron, because its Guan Sheng optics are usually slightly better than Synta optics. You might also consider the BinTel 8" Dob:

https://www.bintelshop.com.au/Product.aspx?ID=8147



This is apparently completely made by Guan Sheng. One advantage of BinTel is that they're a real telescope store that you can walk into and browse, whereas OzScopes seems to be mail order only (though they do have a map on their web site). I know some of the people who work at BinTel, so tend to lean towards them for that reason. If your close to one of their shops (they're in Melbourne and Sydney) pay them a visit. There's something quite wonderful about being in a real telescope store!



I'd still probably lean towards the Celestron Starhopper as it has the best of both worlds (Guan Sheng mirror and Synta mount) and is less expensive.

Answer 2

I've never heard of Saxon as a brand, and would be wary of any unknown brands.

[EDIT: It looks like Saxon MAY be an Australian rebranding of Synta's "Skywatcher" line of scopes. If so, it's at least as good as the Celestron]

If that is the only choice then the Celestron would be the better choice. But there are many 8" Dobsonians out there and some that are better than either of the ones mentioned.



I have an Orion 8" XTi Dob. There are others such as Meade, Zhummel, and Discovery (premium scopes).

Answer 3

I'm a beginner myself, planning on getting a dobsonian. The way I see it, yes, I could have a telescope with a Go-To feature for $300 or so, and be able to find all of these objects in the night sky, but I wouldn't see it in it's best quality, having to look through a 4.5 inch aperture. Then I would have to shovel out anywhere from $800 to $2000 for one with the same size aperture as a XT10, when I could spend $500, and get a 10-inch Dob Classic, that makes you have to learn the night sky, instead of bumming off computerized technology, so I don't have to. I could be looking at it all wrong, but that's how I'm seeing it.

Answer 4

You should get one you are comfortable moving and setting up. It is not much use if it is too much trouble or bulky and heavy.

Go to an astronomy club meeting to see many scopes and how they feel to you. Celestron is a pretty good brand. Don't know Saxon. Here's some reading:

http://www.space-talk.com/ForumE/showthread.php3?threadid=3668

http://www.spaceandastronomy.com.au/saxon-reflector-telescopes.htm

www.astronomyforum.net/telescope-forum/18231-saxon-telescopes.html