That guy at the star party was right about eyepieces

Ran into an older guy with a Dobsonian at a dark site in Joshua Tree. Told me to skip the cheap Plossls and save up for one good Explore Scientific instead. I argued back. Figured more eyepieces equaled more fun. Bought a set of four budget ones for $150 total. Three of them have terrible eye relief. One has a scratch already. Now I'm shopping for that ES he mentioned. Anyone else get burned by cheap eyepiece sets?

2 comments

2 Comments

johnson.daniel15d ago

That's a tough lesson to learn, and I've been there myself. Spent good money on a set of four eyepieces years ago and only two of them were actually usable at the eyepiece. The eye relief was so short I felt like I was squinting into a keyhole. You really do get what you pay for with glass, and those budget sets are usually a gamble. The Explore Scientific stuff is built solid, I've had one of their 82 degree eyepieces for about five years now and it's still crystal clear.

west.henry14d ago

Did you get a chance to try the Explore Scientific 82 degree on a fast scope, like an f/5 or faster? I've heard mixed things about how they handle coma at the edges with shorter focal ratios, and I'm curious if your experience lines up with that or if it holds up fine.