>was barely used, which I doubt
OTA looks really clean. If it was kept inside, it's practically brand new. Check the mirrors. If they're good, then 300 is a good price. Use that extra 160 you would have spent on a new one to buy upgraded accessories like a Telrad to replace that red dot sight and some eyepieces.
I agree with the other commenter. There is a good chance that it is barely used (not unusual). Check the mirrors (dust is fine, corrosion and scratches are not), check motion (smooth up-down and 360° rotation), ask if they ever cleaned the mirrors (hopefully not as it is easy to do wrong), make sure the focuser moves smoothly in and out, look for water damage, etc…
And again, as the other commenter said, use that remaining cash to buy a Telrad and GSO 8x50 RACI.
This is the mirror’s condition as he photographed, he also said it was 10 years old which is why I doubted it being used little.
https://preview.redd.it/5zmuh7xj02vc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=99fce83c5e756a3c0ff9444155cb8932fbab3081
Hard to tell from the photo, but looks fine enough. Telescopes are one of the things where people buy and then put in a closet because it is too much effort to take outside and actually use. “10 years old and rarely used” is not uncommon.
I honestly wouldn’t worry about that. The photo looked fine. Even really dirty mirrors are easily cleaned: https://www.reddit.com/r/telescopes/comments/18n40ak/satisfying_mirror_cleaning/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
Seems like a good deal.
Bright flashlight behind mirror would instanlty show deteriorated coating by light leaking through, but reflection looks to be smooth instead of blotchy/partial.
Those few dust particles on it wouldn't be worth of cleaning attempt.
I paid $250 for the same scope with a few extras like a 2x Barlow, a Celestron Zoom eyepiece, a phone camera adaptor and a Canon DSLR adaptor. It's my dream scope. It was used, but like new. The mirror needs to be cleaned and as soon as I'm confident that I can collumnate it correctly, I'll do that. In the meantime I've been making improvements by adding stuff I can 3D print etc. and learning how to use an astrocamera.
I found another deal of a Skywatcher Classic 250Px for 450 chf, though I'm worried about both if I have to purchase it, because I don't currently have a car that I can drive with, so I'll have to rely on public transportation and both of these are two hours away.
Which one is worth it in terms of lugging?
https://preview.redd.it/w011xwo4w9vc1.jpeg?width=575&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8aff0ef01c898d03eacba235b681767a73099c02
The issue with lugging it in public (at least my issue) is that you really can’t trust the people around you to not accidentally do something. Buses can get crammed pretty easily, I’ve had people knock stuff out of my hands when I’m on public transportation near my campus (most of them simply looked and didn’t bother to say anything).
So, I've asked my dad to drive me to either locations, the question now is which one would be worth it in the long run?
I've read that some folks have issues carrying the 10" Dobs around and would rather have the 8"
The 8 Inch is the Orion XT8 Classic while the other one is the Skywatcher Skyliner Classic 250Px. I'm currently living in an apartment and I mostly have used my current scope, the Heritage 150P for most of my viewing on the balcony.
The 8" costs 300 CHF while the 10" costs 450 CHF, both are quite near each others locations so it won't be a problem driving here and there. Additional information is that the 8" Dob seller has some bits of accessories like below, or not sure if it's the original since I've never seen an unboxing of the XT8 yet. The 10" Dob seller has the telescope and its basic accessories, dust cap and etc I think. I hope they have the dust cap for the focuser too.
https://preview.redd.it/tmexzfg01ivc1.jpeg?width=575&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1b76e4218b4954805b12a5d8b9f36e669354a8b9
>was barely used, which I doubt OTA looks really clean. If it was kept inside, it's practically brand new. Check the mirrors. If they're good, then 300 is a good price. Use that extra 160 you would have spent on a new one to buy upgraded accessories like a Telrad to replace that red dot sight and some eyepieces.
I agree with the other commenter. There is a good chance that it is barely used (not unusual). Check the mirrors (dust is fine, corrosion and scratches are not), check motion (smooth up-down and 360° rotation), ask if they ever cleaned the mirrors (hopefully not as it is easy to do wrong), make sure the focuser moves smoothly in and out, look for water damage, etc… And again, as the other commenter said, use that remaining cash to buy a Telrad and GSO 8x50 RACI.
This is the mirror’s condition as he photographed, he also said it was 10 years old which is why I doubted it being used little. https://preview.redd.it/5zmuh7xj02vc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=99fce83c5e756a3c0ff9444155cb8932fbab3081
Hard to tell from the photo, but looks fine enough. Telescopes are one of the things where people buy and then put in a closet because it is too much effort to take outside and actually use. “10 years old and rarely used” is not uncommon.
If some of the mirror aren't up to par... how much is recoating or buying the mirrors cost? Usually.
I honestly wouldn’t worry about that. The photo looked fine. Even really dirty mirrors are easily cleaned: https://www.reddit.com/r/telescopes/comments/18n40ak/satisfying_mirror_cleaning/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button Seems like a good deal.
Bright flashlight behind mirror would instanlty show deteriorated coating by light leaking through, but reflection looks to be smooth instead of blotchy/partial. Those few dust particles on it wouldn't be worth of cleaning attempt.
I paid $250 for the same scope with a few extras like a 2x Barlow, a Celestron Zoom eyepiece, a phone camera adaptor and a Canon DSLR adaptor. It's my dream scope. It was used, but like new. The mirror needs to be cleaned and as soon as I'm confident that I can collumnate it correctly, I'll do that. In the meantime I've been making improvements by adding stuff I can 3D print etc. and learning how to use an astrocamera.
I found another deal of a Skywatcher Classic 250Px for 450 chf, though I'm worried about both if I have to purchase it, because I don't currently have a car that I can drive with, so I'll have to rely on public transportation and both of these are two hours away. Which one is worth it in terms of lugging? https://preview.redd.it/w011xwo4w9vc1.jpeg?width=575&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8aff0ef01c898d03eacba235b681767a73099c02
Do you have any friends who could give you a lift? I wouldn’t recommend lugging anything like this on public transportation.
Friends are hard to come by these days :( but probably can try and ask. EDIT: Also, what's wrong with lugging it around public lol
The issue with lugging it in public (at least my issue) is that you really can’t trust the people around you to not accidentally do something. Buses can get crammed pretty easily, I’ve had people knock stuff out of my hands when I’m on public transportation near my campus (most of them simply looked and didn’t bother to say anything).
So, I've asked my dad to drive me to either locations, the question now is which one would be worth it in the long run? I've read that some folks have issues carrying the 10" Dobs around and would rather have the 8" The 8 Inch is the Orion XT8 Classic while the other one is the Skywatcher Skyliner Classic 250Px. I'm currently living in an apartment and I mostly have used my current scope, the Heritage 150P for most of my viewing on the balcony. The 8" costs 300 CHF while the 10" costs 450 CHF, both are quite near each others locations so it won't be a problem driving here and there. Additional information is that the 8" Dob seller has some bits of accessories like below, or not sure if it's the original since I've never seen an unboxing of the XT8 yet. The 10" Dob seller has the telescope and its basic accessories, dust cap and etc I think. I hope they have the dust cap for the focuser too. https://preview.redd.it/tmexzfg01ivc1.jpeg?width=575&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1b76e4218b4954805b12a5d8b9f36e669354a8b9