Telescope prices?

Question

I have been looking at prices for an 8" reflector and found some "Seben" for as little as £200 new and Meade £500 for a 2nd hand one or a grand + for new .Why such a big difference?

Answer 1

Quality mostly. 200 pounds for an 8 inch scope will get you a piece of junk that you'll never use. Meade and Celestron are good name brands.

Answer 2

Part of the cost is tax. I understand Meade telescopes cost twice as much in Europe as in the U.S. because of import related taxes. Also, you did not specify which model of either brand you looked at. Most Meade telescopes are expensive computer controlled Schmidt-Cassagrain models. Could it be that the Seben you are comparing to is a basic manual Newtonian model like the one in the source?

Answer 3

if you're lookin at buyin a scope check out ebay. don't go for a cheapy, i managed to get a celestron nexstar 102slt for £200 with accessories, a great starting scope.

i did originally get a meade etx70 but found it looked really cheap, so i sold it.

Answer 4

If you want something for a hobby then try this link:

http://www.argos.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Search?storeId=10001&catalogId=10651&langId=-1&searchTerms=telescope&go.x=12&go.y=11

hth