Telescopes (Meade ETX 70 & Skylux) in Lidl Monday 22nd N

Hi again.

Ok…it’s a loosing battle for me!!

don’t forget its you the experts that advice people not to buy from department stores……..remember that!!
As for me what do I know im only a beginner. I also noticed last night here a few people came out of the woodwork all of a sudden to put there opinions……as suspected all of it against me in some way or another. All because I wanted to know how lidls managed to cop hold these telescopes. It doesn’t matter now, im totally lost! my 25yrs of taking advice from the experts has been crushed in one day. Im not against you all buying the scope, Meade is quality stuff!!

Its being sold in a supermarket that bothers me that is all and I want to know why? Its as plain as that. I thought by mentioning this in my first post that some one might have the answer, but so far all I got was little snide remarks from some of you no doubt I will attacked for that remark. I cant argue with you all on my own about this topic its not fair. So its pointless me posting anymore about anything because I feel uncomfortable now, I don’t know what to believe anymore.

I think the name Meade got in the way of the real issue here……..all you can see is Meade and nothing else!
I hope it turns out to be a good scope for the beginner…I really do. Hey…thanks for all your replies it’s a pity someone didn’t take my side on this one but as I said Meade got in the way. I will go now ive bored you all enough now.

Ps…..maybe if it wasn’t a Meade and some other brand my opinions would accounted for something and people would have agreed with me……..it’s a pity!!

Orion

Orions neb:
Lidl seem to have a knack for getting hold of good quality goods at a low price, but with the proviso that they don't use the original maker's name. They also seem to have a policy of only having certain items on offer in their stores at certain times, so a recent offer they had of a reasonable laptop computer here in Ireland was being sold only in London a few months before.

I'm also a beginner, and agree with the junkscope advice I've got from many sources. (though the first scope I ever bought was a cheap 40 quid tasco from Argos, and I had many hours of fun looking through it though the optics were poor) I bought an ETX 70 as my first proper scope, and have been very happy with it. I can take it around easily so it gets used, and it lets me see pretty much everything I want to while learning my way around the sky (enough stars so I can get lost comparing the view with the mark one eyeball ) The build quality is good, for the price, so the fact it is mostly plastic is not a problem as it's good quality plastic rather than cheap easily deformable stuff. The lenses *are* coated glass, so give good seeing, though obviously not as good as the ones you'd buy separately.

To Orions Neb,
Please do not give up with your opinions as they are as valuable and valid as any one else here. These comments are not personal, other users are saying what they believe to be true. It is great to have someone who is prepared to go against the majority and have the good manners to do it in a civil way. Have a look in the General section ,page 3 about half way down under the heading "warning to user brad guth". This guy can really piss people off in a big way.
You could show him how to put reasoned arguments in a sensible way. We need people like you here(not afraid to voice opinions and back them up), so please continue to contribute and enjoy his site and all its pleasures. Regards Peter
(very amatuer astronomer who hopes to buy one of these scopes on monday)

I'd recommend it to any beginner. (In fact many of the budding astronomers in Gonzaga are getting one). For €60, it's simply impossible to go wrong. Of course, I *know* it's a great scope and it happily sits beside my 9" Dob. Unless you really want the motor or for portability issues, I suggest it. But get a decent eyepiece.

I'm not quite a beginner - I'm no expert, but I've had a set of 10x50s, a 70mm Celestron and a few eyepieces for a few years now. It's mainly because I don't want to be lugging my Celestron back and forth on the bus, so yes, the portability would appeal to me. And the motor... well, it'll look cool, even if I don't use it much
:lol: I think I've decided to get the Meade, so we'll see how it goes

And Orion's Neb: You say that nobody's explained how Lidl have gotten hold of the telescopes, but quite a few (including myself) have commented. They can buy large amounts of stock for a cheap price (particularly cheap in this instance, as others have explained) and divide it up between their many many stores. The specialist telescope outlets wouldn't have a fraction of the branches Lidl does, which is possibly why they don't seem to have gotten hold of them.
Does anyone else agree?

OK,
A WARNING to all budding astronomers out there who are going to get either of these 2 scopes,
You will not see a wow wee image of the andromeda galaxy through these scopes.
you will not see the complete casinni division through this scope,
I'd hate to be reading posts here next week saying whay cant I see ....

Orions neb,
Gosh, your taking this wayyyyy to personally.
My opinion would probably be different if the ETX was some other lesser known make, for instance the Skylux 70mm doesn't fit the bill for me, I didnt get it the first time around and wont be getting it now, but thats just me, but not because of the make, but because the tube is just too long for my requirements.
If others want to get it, fine, it shouldn't and doesnt bother me.
Given the opinions expressed here, most of those who bought it the first time around seem happy with it.

The make is at the heart of the matter here, what if Lidl were somehow offering the Teleview NP101 for 1000E (a 100mm refractor worth 3500$), would you not get one, I'd be outside queing from the previous night !!!
Those of you who know me out there know I'm not exagerating here.

If either the ETX or Skylux end up with a short-coming in some way (as long as its not a serious optical problem), big deal!, I've seem some scopes that cost many multiples of the prices given here turning out to be nothing but daytime birdwatching scopes, where every star has a rainbow and wobbles all over the place when you breath on it. :x

You shouldn't be offended or put off because we have differening opinions?, god knows there are people out there who don't always agree with me.

Hi again.

I think the name Meade got in the way of the real issue here……..all you can see is Meade and nothing else!
I hope it turns out to be a good scope for the beginner…I really do. Hey…thanks for all your replies it’s a pity someone didn’t take my side on this one but as I said Meade got in the way. I will go now ive bored you all enough now.

Orion

Orion, the real issue as I see it is whether the said telescope is a good buy or not. Who cares if this offer is from Lidl, the corner gas station or some expensive photo store? One is buying the contents and not the seller's reputation (vis a vis a German supermarket chain selling astro gear).

I agree with you FULLY that "the name Meade got in the way" since we are confident of this particular product and particularly in relation to the price it is being offered. Would it really matter if you were to pay the same price through a purchase from Meade directly?

The said telescope, the Meade ETX-70, is a very good scope at a tremendous price. Why does it matter that it is being sold on Monday by Lidl? Do the contents somehow seem of lesser quality than would have been the case if the same scope was sold to you by some outfit that supposedly specializes in astronomy equipment?

Would you buy a chocolate bar ONLY from a grocery store or would you also consider buying it from a pharmacy, a gasoline station, a restaurant etc? What you are buying is the item and brand name with the middle agent being a non-issue.

Anthony.