Meade Eyepiece?

Question

I got a Meade Super Plossl Series 4000 from a DS telescope. Except for the fact that the eyepiece says Meade Series 4000 DS Super Plossl. Is this eyepiece work exactly the same as a normal Series 4000 Eyepieces or is it a fake reproduction of a seemingly good eyepiece?

The reason for asking is because I just got another scope, a Celestron Starhopper 8" Dobsonian and want to know which one to throw out, the 25mm E-Lux that came with it, or the 26mm DS 4000 eyepiece.

Note: The telescope came with a 26mm and 9.7mm Series 4000 DS eyepieces was 45 dollars from a Meade Outlet. It usually goes for 99 dollars.

Answer 1

Meade has sold several versions of the "Series 4000 Plossl". The later, Chinese-made ones are not as good as the earlier Japanese- or Taiwanese-made models. I'm guessing the DS model is one of the Chinese ones. The E-lux may have a slight edge on it. The best way to tell is to take them out under the stars and compare them. Globular clusters make good test targets.

With the scope cooled down and collimated, look at M13 or other big globular through both eyepieces. Focus carefully and look to see how well each one resolves the faintest stars - are there stars you can see in one but not in the other? Compare performance at the center of the field and various distances out toward the edge. You might also consider if one eyepiece seems more comfortable than the other. If there isn't a clear winner, just pick a favorite - the differences between eyepieces are often negligible.

Answer 2

Get a pair of Orion 9x63 binoculars. They'll be better than that weenie telescope. Most of the $400 cost of that telescope went to pay for the fancy computer, with its database and its orientation sensors. Real amateur astronomers don't need that gimmickry, so they won't pay extra for it. For $400, you could have had a much better telescope, IF you had correctly prioritized the features. Above all, you want a reasonably wide aperture: six inches is considered the minimum. You have only four inches. By the way, don't be surprised if the orientation sensors don't work. They guide on the Earth's magnetic field, and the deviation between magnetic north and celestial north varies with longitude and latitude. Your telescope's dedicated computer might not be able to take the place of astronomical common sense, after all. What a bunch of wasted money. Next time, don't believe everything you hear a salesperson say. They don't care whether you get something good or not; they just want to make a sale.

Answer 3

Keep them both. One may give better results with DS objects while the other may be better for lunar/planetary observations.
Plossel eyepieces are excellent eyepieces and would prefer them for others but is would all depend on what you may be using it for.
What are you out by keeping both?