Great deal for an 8 inch light bucket
I previously owned an Orion XT10 dobsonian and was satisfied with the mechanics of the base and when I saw that Explore Scientific was offering those telescopes again I was intrigued. I had been considering an Apertura AD8, but the Explore 8" dob offer a lower price, and more importantly, significantly lighter weight for the same size telescope.
When ES had their NEAF sale I was hoping to grab one but they were all out so I searched for any distributors that had them in stock. I came across Red Carpet, who I had never heard of in all my previous dealings with astronomical equipment, so I was a little skeptical. I made a phone call to them to ask some questions and felt better once a actual person answered the phones and had answers to my questions. I then immediately bought the telescope. I was very surprised when it showed up 2 days later (and I ordered later in the afternoon. Turns out it had shipped from the Explore Warehouse which is not far from me.
Assembly was quick, maybe 15 minutes, but I have had one of these before and am familiar with it. Collimation was surprising close on, but I do have it dialed in even better now. I do feel like the included red dot finder is overly cheap. The stalk twists under even light pressure, such as adjusting the screws to align the finder, and the finder has quick a lot of play in its attachment to the stalk. But it is functional. However I have since replaced it with a right angle 10x50 finder and will be mounting a higher quality red dot on as well.
I was also concerned with the 25mm Plossl as it feels exceptionally light and the coatings appear pretty sparse. But once I got the scope out and tried the eyepiece I was very pleasantly surprised that it gives a very sharp image to the edge of the field and does not have any light scatter, even on the moon. While I have a large eyepiece collection and will not be using it, if I did not have any eyepieces I would not be disappointed using the 25mm that comes with it. I have pushed the magnification all the way to 400x on the moon on a steady night and was pleased with the views. I have no concerns with the quality of the mirrors in this telescope.
The focuser, while not the nice 2 speed that comes on some competitors 8" dobs, is smooth and perfectly usable. The focus lock is a little sticky and you have to back it off a little further than it seems at first, but I see no need for me to upgrade the focuser.
While the AD8 dob is undoubtedly better in some regards, such as a base design that is more adjustable and has the potential to be smoother, a better focuser, and much better included finder, for the price difference along I think the ES 8 inch is worth consideration. For me the biggest selling point was it being significantly lighter and easier to set up, although the reduced price, which when I bought it was an additional 15% off, was a bonus.
Great telescope for the price and I was very pleased with my experience with Red Carpet Optics.
