Help - Dobsonian telescope purchase

[Bernard]

Hi

I am Amateur astronomer in Sydney, who has been stargazing with my trusty 15x70 bino :)

Purely with my google knowledge, I have narrowed my option down to an 8inch Dob.

Currently looking at Bintel BT202-B 8 VS Andrews Guan Sheng GS-680 8"

https://www.bintel.com.au/product/bintel-bt202-b-8-inch-dobsonian/
VS
http://www.andrewscom.com.au/site-content-section-10-guansheng.htm

Both look similar to my knowledge; except for Bintel providing 30mm Superview 2 Inch :D ,and Bintel seems don't have stocks much often:( .

Andrews communication seems to have products, but gives me a feel of a corner shop. I maybe totally wrong here :)

Looking for your expert opinion on where and what purchase , your recommendations are kindly appreciated.

Thanking you in advance!

[Tropo-Bob]

Both places have been around for a long time and have fine reputations.
You can hardly go wrong, either way.

[Saturnine]

Hi Bernard

Welcome to the forums. As to the telescopes you mention, they are made in the same factory so basically no difference in specs, just the add on bits offered and the branding.
They are very good telescopes for the money and will show you many deep sky treasures though I would recommend a light pollution or UHC filter as a necessity if observing from the suburbs and their light polluted skies.
Both outlets are reliable and good to deal with and you can purchase with peace of mind from either. Andrews shop front is not big and glossy and is not open to walk in visitors because of Covid restrictions, as their website points out. If you phone either of them you will get good advice as to your requirements.

[Startrek]

Bernard,
Welcome
Both Bintel and Andrews are genuine GSO ( Guan Shen Optical ) resellers
Bintel rebadge the GSO product with their name plus offer various packages like some eye pieces , filters and the like. They know the GSO product very well

Both scopes in regard to the OTA would be optically the same , my recommendation would be to run with Bintel based on personal experiences

I’ve only ever had great support and advice from Bintel so my choice of supplier is not purely based on price ( Don and John are a great help along with the other younger staff there )
I’ve had no experience with Andrews. Their website is in badly need of a redesign, it’s horrible to navigate as most people would agree and I suspect they would not have the high level of experienced sales and technical personnel like Bintel

The 8” GSO / Bintel dob is a great scope. I had the Bintel 10” for a few years until I got tired of Star hopping manually through the night waisting precious clear sky time trying to find objects , so I went Goto with a Skywatcher 12” Goto dob. Absolutely brilliant scope and so easy to find objects

If you can stretch the budget , don’t discount a Skywatcher 8” Goto dob

And yes, Astronomy products no matter who you deal with have supply issues due the current economic situation and pandemic. Hopefully availability of stock will improve in 2022


Cheers
Martin

[raymo]

Martin, if you have had no experience with Andrews, I suggest that you leave it at that, and not state that you suspect something about them.
Yes their website is awful, but their technical help is fine. I have bought
several scopes and a number of accessories from them over many years. Quick delivery and very good packaging.
I have also dealt with Bintel over the years very happily. There is little to choose between the two suppliers.
raymo

[Startrek]

Raymo,
I'm not saying they have no experience or technical advice , I should have re phased to say that " I dont know their level of experience or technical advice" rather than "I suspect they would not have"

Point taken !



Cheers
Martin

[m11]

Hi Bernard,

I have dealt with both Bintel and Andrews are they have been great to deal with. I have both the Bintel and GSO dobsonians and they are both good scopes.

If I had to choose I would pick the Bintel Dob as it has the dual speed focuser which is nice to have.

[Steffen]

So does the one from Andrews. It includes “a right-angle correct image 8 x 50 finderscope, 2" dual-speed Crayford style microfocuser with 10:1 fine focusing, 2" to 1.25" adaptor, fan, a BONUS Moon filter and premium GSO 9mm, 15mm and 25mm 1.25" Fully Multi-Coated (FMC) Plossl eyepieces.”

Bintel appear to be out of stock at the moment, but I expect them to charge a bit more than Andrews. On the other hand, they will test and collimate the OTA for you.

I have also dealt with both companies and recommend them both.

[Bernard]

This is an awesome forum, thank you all for the prompt reply.

:thanx:
Bernard.

[m11]

I stand corrected as the newer gso models have the dual speed focuser. ��

Whichever one is in stock i would go for in that case.

The only other consideration is whether you want manual or goto as Martin has mentioned.

[Steffen]

I think they always did ;)

I bought this same scope from Andrews in 2010 and it had the exact same focuser. From memory, I think they had two or three different trim levels back then, perhaps the basic one lacked the dual-speed focuser.

[m11]

Hi Steffen,

I had a number of GSOs, never had the dual focuser on them. :confused2:

Must have got jibbed. :rofl:

Its good that both have them now, super nice to have. :thumbsup:

[Steffen]

I don’t think you got jibbed. Looking at my receipt, I bought the GS680-SDX (“super deluxe”, I suppose that means). It had a few extras like the GSO 30mm eyepiece and a better finder, and it’s possible that the dual-speed focuser was among those enhancements.

The “super deluxe” is the only model that remains these days, by the look of it. It cost me $499 back then, BTW.

[m11]

Yah, its nice to have those features on a scope. :thumbsup:

The eyepieces that come with the scope are ok as well.

[MichaelWB]

Hi Bernard.
Just thought you might be interested to know that I recently bought a second hand GSO 8" dob for a friend in Sydney for just $250-. It was about 4 years old but in excellent condition. Amateur astronomers generally are very careful with their valuable equipment. I was very lucky to get it because these bargains go very quickly, but I have seen seen a few good buys go through gumtree and facebook marketplace in the last year or so. If you decide to buy new I agree with previous replies that both Andrews and Bintel should not let you down. I am sure you will enjoy the viewing whatever you get.
Michael

[raymo]

Just a little tip; if you should decide to go larger than 8", I suggest that you
go with a collapsible model, a little more expensive, but much easier to
transport in your car, and to store in a corner somewhere if you are a little
pressed for space.
raymo