The 5 Telescopes I Should Not Have Sold!

We all have regrets, which are yours?

Note: Did I say "1977" in the video? It should be "1997."

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[elvispoe]

John D Johnston. I am a refracter man. I am 85 yrs now. I got into astronomy way back in the 1970s and started with an 8 inch reflrector. The mirror was a gift to me. I built the telescope by hand on a used and worn equatorial and it served me well until 1986 when I discovered refractors. I have had many over the years. My last was a Celestron XLT 102. At 4.5 inches it was the largest telescope I could handle at my age. I had to pawn it nearly 2 yrs ago to cover vetinary and creamation costs for my dog. I was unable to retreive the Celestron and it has nearly broken my heart. I can now afford to buy another, but a Celestron will be too much for me. I will acquire an Orion 90mm. This is the next best refractor to XLT 102

[goldni]

The only scope I wish I had never sold was a garage sale find I made over 15 years ago, an early 80's Unitron 3" in pristine condition with the un-earthly rare searlized objective lens cell No. 5121 with multi-coatings probably made by Pentax, so rare that according to uniton aficionados It might be the only one known, I paid $150 for that scope from the original owner, he said he paid $850 for it new in 81' or so and I listed it on eBay in 2009, it fetched nearly $2000. The views through it were extremely impressive. Wish I still had it.

[andreww]

As a young boy of around 9 or 10 y.o. with a space obsession in the late 60's, I visited my first local observatory. I saw Saturn through a large refractor and was hooked. Not long after that my parents bought me a desktop 60mm Tasco refractor. I studied the star charts and found Saturn again, all on my own, using that telescope on a card table I had set up on my parents driveway. A yellowish marble with rings. You can imagine my astonishment and glee as I ran back down that driveway yelling to Mum & Dad to come and look at what I'd found. I'm now 64y.o. and the fire in my belly to observe has never abated, thanks to a 60mm desktop Tasco.

[meropealcyone]

Ed: "This is my most prized possession. I will never let it go."
pause...
..."Would you like to buy it?"

[leatherindian]

Could you please advise me before you sell the next telescope you will regret selling?

[rga]

Ed - your videos and your website are some of my favorite things on the internet. Thank you for doing these!

My biggest regrets: selling my Starmaster V-8 and my TEC-6 Maksutov. Both were really great scopes.

[LI-Aquanaut]

I feel your pain. In 2017 I decided to get myself out of crushing student debt and sold everything that wasn’t tied down, including my vintage mint condition Celestron c8. Best scope I ever had, and I’ve had a few. Crafted in Torrance in 1978. Optics second to none. Best view of Saturn I ever had was through that scope. I wish we never parted ways, but it did help me get debt free.

[chichimus]

My problem is that I can't seem to sell a scope once I've bought it.

[jimmahon]

Ed, technically not a scope, but I really wish I had not sold my 22x60 Takahashi Astronomer binoculars - despite the fact that they went to a friend who is a fine person and a good astronomer, and I converted the cash into a badly need Losmandy mount. They were absolutely amazing, and I know that there is very little chance that I will ever sniff another pair... It is wonderful to see you Youtube channel - I just now discovered it, having read your scope reviews for years. Clear Skies!

[ToddHurney]

Carl Zambuto! One of the few craftsman/artists in making super smooth reflecting mirrors. You pay top dollar for one of his mirrors, but it's always worth it.

[starastronomer]

I had an AP Traveler from 1995 and it cost me $1995.00. I sold it when I got a 130GT. It was the "smooth" tube. The 130 replaced the Traveler :)

[TheStarHound]

I had a Criterion RV-6 back in the 1970s. I used it often during my high school years. I sold it near the time I entered college. It was a sweet scope and I have had seller's remorse since. Ed: I thoroughly enjoy your YouTube channel. Clear skies to you, Sir!

[KingLoopie]

I recently sold a B&L Criterion 4000 to a retiring coworker. Old, 110V AC drive Schmidt Cass 4" tabletop. It was with a mostly complete eyepiece set and a couple of extras and had given me some of my best views of Saturn on a night of great seeing... He had never had a scope before and came back a couple of days later telling me how he and his son saw the moon! His face literally lit up as he talked about it! It was a great moment to sell it and help him get started, but I also miss its convenience and solid build. Might have to replace that some day if I can find room in the house... 👍

[johnmcvey]

Thanks for your videos! Years ago I built a 10" f/6 using a Coulter mirror that I bought from a friend. This is back when Coulter mirrors were excellent and this one was. I got amazing views of the planets that were jaw-dropping in my memory. My Dad still talks about how good it was. But it was a little long for my Ford Pinto with the seats folded down, so I sold the mirror and diagonal, shortened the tube and changed to a Coulter f/4 primary. The f/4 version never performed and I fought collimation problems off and on until I sold it. So I totally regret selling that 10" f/6!

[michaelsherck]

Folks are going to laugh but... my old 60mm Tasco with the reflex finder, on a German equatorial mount. It was my re-entry into astronomy. Bought it at Montgomery Ward, a long-gone department store chain. Legendary performance? Nope. But it was a one handed carry and I took it out into the yard every night there was a even cheater hole. Saw things that were legendary to me - because I was out under the sky with it. It succumbed to aperture fever and I've regretted selling it every night since that wasn't "good enough" to take out a larger scope on a heavier mount.

[roberthodgson]

Robert Hodgson - Regrets? None!
The Saturn/Jupiter conjunction event rejuvenated my interest in amateur astronomy. I dusted off my Edmund Scientific red & tan Voyager 6001 refracting telescope. I pulled the little gem from long-term storage and had a great viewing experience with my family at home in Northeastern Florida. This morning I found the Edmund SKY GUIDE by Terence Dickinson and Sam Brown which was included with the telescope. I WILL NOT SELL THE VOYAGER SCOPE OR THE GUIDE. I cannot be bought! The rest of the story includes finding the gold in the Ed Ting video series and the realization that it takes time to learned the craft of observing the heavens as an amateur. I became a new member of a local astronomy club. Thanks Ed for your amazing video series.

[JC]

I have the opposite, a scope I'm glad I did not sell. I managed to pick up a Vixen FL102 for a very reasonable price, mechanically it was in poor condition but optically excellent. Someone wanted to buy it off me for considerably more than I'd paid but I managed to resist the temptation. That was over a decade ago (and I still need to get that scope a new OTA) but I'm so, so glad I didn't sell it. The views are simply exquisite with those trademark pinpoint stars and absolutely zero false colour. Other than that I don't miss a single scope I've sold. They served their purpose until circumstances changed and then it was time for them to go to someone who could still use them to their full potential. I also have an Intes-Micro M706, a 7" f/6 Maksutov that I'm thinking of selling but I have a suspicion that might be a mistake. Even though there's a lot of money tied up in it it's not like I can get another one if I decide I shouldn't have sold it after all...

[tjzambonischwartz]

RIP Rick Singmaster. The dude made incredible scopes.

[royramdeen]

Remember the astronomy year 1997 well.. thanks for sharing Ed. Was on the list for an AP 130 when I go the same call from Marg after years of the dreaded waiting list, just couldn't afford it at the time, so I had to pass. Many years after I am fortunate to now own a few AP's, including Roland's signature eyepieces that I will never sell. :-)

[malanstecker]

Great video! I bought both the Astro-Physics 130 mm (5-inch) f/6 and 155 mm (6-inch) f/7 EDF Starfire triplet refractors in the 1990s. Still have them today. Of all the telescopes I bought these are the best. I recently got the Celestron EdgeHD 9.25-inch SCT with their 0.7X reducer. Unfortunately it does have mild chromatic aberration. Celestron does admit to this when used at f/7. Not a problem with my Astro=Physics scopes, even at f/4.5 with the AP reducer on the 130 f/6 when used for astrophotography.