ED 127 triplet apo refractors

[william123]

Has anyone tried the new-ish ED127 triplet apo's coming out of China and sold under various brand names, such as Meade, Explore Scientific, North Group, and Maxvision? The different brands have slightly different features. The scopes have been getting great reviews in the Australian and European amateur astronomy communities. Not many have been sold here in the USA, but the few that have sold have been spoken of well.

Thank you.

Bill

[wucheeyiun]

Hi, i bought one of such scope from a fellow singastro member...

the review is here

http://www.singastro.org/viewtopic.php? ... ight=127ed

A view of the scope is here...

http://www.singastro.org/viewtopic.php? ... sc&start=0

When i bought if from Vincent, it was thought to be a meade 127ed...
i subsequently met a friend from US....and saw a Astrotech 127edt, which is identical...i think they are all the same, including those cited in ( Ice-in-space ) aust astro website. The difference is in the quality control i believe...the direct exported model from china is chinese QC, while those from US ( also from China ) is subject to additional QC there. The glass used is probably from HOYA or OHARA, while the direct exported model from Kunming could be chinese manufactured triplet...this information could be obtain from cloudynights...

This astrotech 127edt was carried fron US to Singapore by Vincent, and the quality is short of amazing..the sharpness can be attest by all who view it...the weakness is the focuser, which one could change to a moonlite focuser, which is much heavier and scope balance better.

[VinSnr]

Has anyone tried the new-ish ED127 triplet apo's coming out of China and sold under various brand names, such as Meade, Explore Scientific, North Group, and Maxvision? The different brands have slightly different features. The scopes have been getting great reviews in the Australian and European amateur astronomy communities. Not many have been sold here in the USA, but the few that have sold have been spoken of well.

Thank you.

Bill

I had one in the past which I later sold it to wecheeyiun above.

The quality is amazing for the price. Even the finder that comes with it is pretty good. Very well package and doesn't look "cheap".

Image quality is excellent and I don't see colour unless at high power and on white fluorescent light. I remember I brought Jupiter once to more than 200x and I did not notice any flare or colour (I am really sensitive to colour). On moon it was so sharp, that you just won't believe it's from China. My security guard here had a view on the moon and Jupiter through this scope, and till today he is still asking me when am I doing astro again....gosh...

It's a pretty big scope so you need quite a mount to handle it. Also, the focuser can be better.

Other than that, if you can get one at a good price and you need a big refractor to satisfy your refractor lust, this scope will make you very happy without breaking the bank.

[william123]

Thanks, guys, for the great comments!! Anyone else have any comments???

Bill

[superiorstream]

Hi,All
Just wonder where in Singapore can we get it at a reasonable price and not X3 of the US price and then frustrated by custom with a astronomical estimated price.Thanks.

[william123]

Hi,All
Just wonder where in Singapore can we get it at a reasonable price and not X3 of the US price and then frustrated by custom with a astronomical estimated price.Thanks.

Wow! What does an ED127 cost in Singapore (in Sg dollars)? In the U.S., Explore Scientific charges US$1,999 for the scope, case, diagonal, and finderscope.

Bill

[superiorstream]

Hi,William123
You guys in the US dont know how lucky you are.Here in Spore the price of all astro gadget are at least X2 of the US dollar price--eg if US$80,then price in Spore is at least Sing$160-if you are lucky.Most probably more depending on Transport fee,EMS fees and of course the 7%GST.If custom suspect, they estimate a higher value and tax on that value-ha ha.Because of these,amateur astronomy is not a common hobby in Spore-also the sky is very blur all the time and as I always tell my friend-if you can find 30days of clear sky in that particular year-6hrs plus at night all clear-you have the special blessing of god for that year--and its not surprising vendor charge X3 or more of the US price.For this ED127 scope,I dont see any vendor marking it--and even if so it will cost around S$6000.Thanks.

[william123]

Are you accounting for the currency exchange rate??? Also, you are so close to Japan and China, so you should get some equipment more cheaply, right???

I have to admit that you are right about the U.S. amateurs having it better!! Hehehe. But, you know, where I happen to live -- Austin, Texas -- is a very cloudy, heavily-populated, light-polluted area, so I feel your pain!!

When I retire from the working world in 4-5 years, I will relocate to North-Central Texas, where the humidity is low and the skies are clear and dark on most nights. Heaven!

Bill

Hi,William123
You guys in the US dont know how lucky you are.Here in Spore the price of all astro gadget are at least X2 of the US dollar price--eg if US$80,then price in Spore is at least Sing$160-if you are lucky.Most probably more depending on Transport fee,EMS fees and of course the 7%GST.If custom suspect, they estimate a higher value and tax on that value-ha ha.Because of these,amateur astronomy is not a common hobby in Spore-also the sky is very blur all the time and as I always tell my friend-if you can find 30days of clear sky in that particular year-6hrs plus at night all clear-you have the special blessing of god for that year--and its not surprising vendor charge X3 or more of the US price.For this ED127 scope,I dont see any vendor marking it--and even if so it will cost around S$6000.Thanks.

[superiorstream]

Hi,William 123
Living near the big manufacturing base of China and Taiwan make us no better than living in some deserted places.I am not talking about currency exchanges.US to Sing is currently about 1.44-1.5 but to us even stuff manu. in China and Taiwan cost x2 to x3 their prices in US dollar.I will tell you some of my exoeriences
Experience-1.Last year I went to HK to try to buy a 11ins reflector as the manufacturer had a base in China just to learn that its only a telephone only and they dont sell anyting.I came back to order it in Singapore at s$5500--without mount,without viewfinder and mount,no eyepiece....
Experience-2.A few months ago I went to New Zealand to try to buy some Taiwan manufactured astro gear(adv in the net at low low price)-including a clone of the astro-voyager mount--just to get no reply after three attempts to reach the company selling the product in Australia.
There are more nasty experiences and its perhaps because of these that you find people quit this hobby in a few years time.
Hope someday they will move their manufacturing base to Spore!

[VinSnr]

Hi,William 123
Living near the big manufacturing base of China and Taiwan make us no better than living in some deserted places.I am not talking about currency exchanges.US to Sing is currently about 1.44-1.5 but to us even stuff manu. in China and Taiwan cost x2 to x3 their prices in US dollar.I will tell you some of my exoeriences
Experience-1.Last year I went to HK to try to buy a 11ins reflector as the manufacturer had a base in China just to learn that its only a telephone only and they dont sell anyting.I came back to order it in Singapore at s$5500--without mount,without viewfinder and mount,no eyepiece....
Experience-2.A few months ago I went to New Zealand to try to buy some Taiwan manufactured astro gear(adv in the net at low low price)-including a clone of the astro-voyager mount--just to get no reply after three attempts to reach the company selling the product in Australia.
There are more nasty experiences and its perhaps because of these that you find people quit this hobby in a few years time.
Hope someday they will move their manufacturing base to Spore!

Hi Peng Han,

I am not sure what are your buying sources, but I feel that you may not have research enough either in the manufacturers or the shipping methods.

I have been buying astro-gears for 20 years now, and I seldom pay far more than the US prices. Even shipping can be minimal if you know how.

For example for the Ed127, I bought it at a far lesser price than the SGD6K that you mention. Probably only around half of what you quoted.

For my 11" dob which I bought from Astrosky, I think everything plus shipping is about SGD$3,500. Yours at $5,500 is way too high.

The key is to research well on the manufacturer and know every nick and loopholes of the shipping method. Then optimise that as much as possible. This is also the reason why I sometimes prefer to buy from individual manufacturers rather than big commercial retailers because I can have more control over my packaging and shipment method. And sometimes I even bargain price with them especially if they delay my schedule or something.

And when I sell back to Singastro members, everybody can get a darn good price.

If I have to buy from commercial retailers, I will make sure I know the owner well. Over the years, some of them already know me and they know my buying and packaging preference very well. This make things really easy and you will be surprise how much you can save.

And of course, there is always the Astromart option which really save $$$ over long term. The key is to have a good reputation there and once you have that, boy, every deal is easy, from price to packaging. I never had issue with Astromart since started using them in 1994.

My point is that trying to get good prices from Singapore is possible, just need some research time and some work on establishing good connections with these sellers overseas and if all else fails, there is always an Astromart.