Telescopes (Meade ETX 70 & Skylux) in Lidl Monday 22nd N

I think most of you have me hanged already without evidence to proof my story wrong.

What? No I think most people agree with you in principle about buying junk scopes.

In this particular case lidl are selling once scope that I own and can tell you that its of reasonable quality. The other has a proven track record and its well known that Meade are upgrading the line and would want to offload the stock before it becomes a liability. Lidl are selling it at the equivalent of 220 US dollars, it retails for 299 US dollars so its not being sold dirt cheap in a global context.

Once again, I agree with you in general about junkscopes. I just think this is an exception.

Cheers,
~Al

Yawn.

I got the Skylux last year on the recommendation of those here and elsewhere. It's a great scope for viewing the moon and sun (with filter). It can also do a very good job with many of the easier objects to see in the sky.


To Cathy:

I'd recommend it to any beginner. (In fact many of the budding astronomers in Gonzaga are getting one). For €60, it's simply impossible to go wrong. Of course, I *know* it's a great scope and it happily sits beside my 9" Dob. Unless you really want the motor or for portability issues, I suggest it. But get a decent eyepiece.

As far as I'm concerned, it's a good scope for eclipse-chasing. I'll also pick up the Meade to share between viewing and photographing. Totality time is very precious.


To the doubters:

Indeed, I'd never buy a junk scope but in this case the reviews [and experiences] are already out there. If that's not enough for you, then go off and buy an expensive scope. And enjoy it.

Do, or don't. It's very, very simple.

Tell you what - Here's the answer:

Don't buy one from Lidl. Wait until January and get a copy of Buy and Sell. You'll see loads of ETX70s for sale for €90 .... :lol:

Hi again.

Ok…it’s a loosing battle for me!!

don’t forget its you the experts that advice people not to buy from department stores……..remember that!!
As for me what do I know im only a beginner. I also noticed last night here a few people came out of the woodwork all of a sudden to put there opinions……as suspected all of it against me in some way or another. All because I wanted to know how lidls managed to cop hold these telescopes. It doesn’t matter now, im totally lost! my 25yrs of taking advice from the experts has been crushed in one day. Im not against you all buying the scope, Meade is quality stuff!!

Its being sold in a supermarket that bothers me that is all and I want to know why? Its as plain as that. I thought by mentioning this in my first post that some one might have the answer, but so far all I got was little snide remarks from some of you no doubt I will attacked for that remark. I cant argue with you all on my own about this topic its not fair. So its pointless me posting anymore about anything because I feel uncomfortable now, I don’t know what to believe anymore.

I think the name Meade got in the way of the real issue here……..all you can see is Meade and nothing else!
I hope it turns out to be a good scope for the beginner…I really do. Hey…thanks for all your replies it’s a pity someone didn’t take my side on this one but as I said Meade got in the way. I will go now ive bored you all enough now.

Ps…..maybe if it wasn’t a Meade and some other brand my opinions would accounted for something and people would have agreed with me……..it’s a pity!!

Orion

Orions neb:
Lidl seem to have a knack for getting hold of good quality goods at a low price, but with the proviso that they don't use the original maker's name. They also seem to have a policy of only having certain items on offer in their stores at certain times, so a recent offer they had of a reasonable laptop computer here in Ireland was being sold only in London a few months before.

I'm also a beginner, and agree with the junkscope advice I've got from many sources. (though the first scope I ever bought was a cheap 40 quid tasco from Argos, and I had many hours of fun looking through it though the optics were poor) I bought an ETX 70 as my first proper scope, and have been very happy with it. I can take it around easily so it gets used, and it lets me see pretty much everything I want to while learning my way around the sky (enough stars so I can get lost comparing the view with the mark one eyeball ) The build quality is good, for the price, so the fact it is mostly plastic is not a problem as it's good quality plastic rather than cheap easily deformable stuff. The lenses *are* coated glass, so give good seeing, though obviously not as good as the ones you'd buy separately.

To Orions Neb,
Please do not give up with your opinions as they are as valuable and valid as any one else here. These comments are not personal, other users are saying what they believe to be true. It is great to have someone who is prepared to go against the majority and have the good manners to do it in a civil way. Have a look in the General section ,page 3 about half way down under the heading "warning to user brad guth". This guy can really piss people off in a big way.
You could show him how to put reasoned arguments in a sensible way. We need people like you here(not afraid to voice opinions and back them up), so please continue to contribute and enjoy his site and all its pleasures. Regards Peter
(very amatuer astronomer who hopes to buy one of these scopes on monday)