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Astrotech Refractor Telescopes

Discussion in 'Telescopes and Mounts' started by sojourneyer, Sep 14, 2023.

Astrotech Refractor Telescopes

Started by sojourneyer on Sep 14, 2023 at 8:19 PM

4 Replies 797 Views 1 Likes

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  1. sojourneyer

    sojourneyer Well-Known Member

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    sojourneyer, Sep 14, 2023
    #1
    Up until 5-6 years ago this brand had a great market niche for lower end ED refractors in the USA. Then Svbony entered the market and impacted the AT cash cow for Astronomics, who by the way owns Astrotech. As a consequence it is most likely that AT profits margins have dropped significantly.

    Now those of you card-carrying CN Astrotech aficionados will take umbrage to this post but so be it. This is just one person's humble opinion.

    In order to protect the Astrotech brand, whenever new Svbony posts are made about their telescopes, in particular the refractors, some moderators/administrators and card-carrying CN Astrotech affectionados will undertake protective measures to dissuade members from considering the Svbony brand. Posts will be removed, new posts will promote AT scopes, other posts will try to change the subject. It is so good that this does not happen on Astronomy Connect.

    If you were in the USA, Svbony, Skywatcher or Explore Scientific and other
    refractors sold by Agena Astro are options you should consider.

    I have both an Astrotech 80ED and a Svbony SV503 80ED. I definitely prefer the latter.


    SV and AT.jpg
     
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  2. Gabby76

    Gabby76 Well-Known Member

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    Gabby76, Sep 15, 2023
    #2
    Since I have no desire to own a refractor from either company but have followed along for the occasional laugh I will make a few comments.

    There are a lot of people posting in the refractor forum of CN but very, very few I would actually take the time to 'listen' to.
    To many self proclaimed experts with minimal knowledge, to many experts with specific knowledge that pretend they know everything.

    AstroTech has been designing and buying refractors since early 2000s, the current run of refractors that they produce were built to a specific price point and they were / are quite open about were the money was spent to produce them.
    I wish more retailers were as transparent, try to find out any specific information on a Skywatcher that is not just overly repeated speculation.
    SVBony is currently a buyer and the telescopes may or may not be good but they do continually put themselves in a bad light with their advertising and comments. Hopefully they will hire someone to help get them on track.
    I have personal questions about some of their optics and pricing but that is just me :)

    There are a lot of people posting on CN but there is a very, very small group of people there that I would actually pay attention to what they have to say.
    Don Pensack, BillP, Juri Gadarvski, Vahe, Bomber Bob, jrbennet, Dennis (from Croatia) are all experienced in optics.

    Gabrielle Optical Perspective: regardless of the style, name on it or the glass that may be in it, if it puts up views that YOU find enjoyable then you have a great telescope.
     
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  3. sojourneyer

    sojourneyer Well-Known Member

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    sojourneyer, Sep 16, 2023
    #3
    o_O

    AT posts on their costs are questionable. $100 to ship an 80ED is over the top. Especially with discounted shipping charges or even using Pirateship which offers 40% discounts on shipping.

    My thread has nothing really to do with optics but ways a company attempts to ward off its competition.

    It is my understanding that both brands are manufactured by the same company to slightly different specifications. In fact, very, very recently AT has now installed a rotating focuser on their 80ED to compete with Svbony. Now they are more like identical twins rather than fraternal ones.

    As to Svbony's advertising, they are a Chinese company and really lack in the wording of their advertising materials. That is obvious but it does not dissuade people in purchasing their products. In fact if you look at advertising by 90% plus of Chinese based companies the same problem exists using Amazon as an illustration. I agree that they need to get a competent person to handle their advertising.

    I like your optical perspective.
     
    Last edited: Sep 16, 2023
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  4. Gabby76

    Gabby76 Well-Known Member

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    Gabby76, Sep 16, 2023
    #4
    :)
    I cut a lot out of my reply as it was turning into a optical lecture lol.
    I guess I should have read it closer before posting.

    The main point, do not concern yourself with the silly things that happen on CN.
    Life is to valuable! Regardless of the printing on the side enjoy your telescopes.
     
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  5. sojourneyer

    sojourneyer Well-Known Member

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    sojourneyer, Sep 16, 2023
    #5
    The funny thing with me is that I am not too fussy about vision and hearing related things.
    If a scope had a strehl rating of 575.00 (LOL) that does not mean anything visually to me so long as I can see the object with decent clarity. I am not 20 yrs old so sight has come and gone.

    Likewise with a television. I do not need one with a terabyte of pixels. I am more interested in the content of what I am viewing. The same with music. I read while listening so my focus is not concentrated on one or the other. Multi-tasking.. LOL
     
    Last edited: Sep 16, 2023

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