Is a Parks az8 brightlight a good telescope?

Question

or does someone have 1?

Answer 1

Parks telescopes have a reputation for being well-made and of good optical quality. However, you don't see many of them because they seem to be overpriced compared to the competition. For example, for the same price as the az8 (an 8" Newtonian), you can get a 12" Meade Lightbridge. The Meade has more than twice the light-gathering area and a 2" focuser. The larger focuser lets you use 2" eyepieces for wider views at low power.