The quality is the same, just ever so slightly more out of date.
Daniel S Said,
Some stores sell you the telescope in a box and have nothing else to do with you after the sale. Their prices are lower than stores that employ knowledgeable sales staff who can advise you on what to buy, help you after the sale, and stock repair parts and accessories. If you know exactly what you want and don’t need that kind of help, then go ahead and buy from the mail order discounter.
Use the internet to research the reputation of the store, what experiences have other customers had with them? Would they recommend the store to others? Do they advertise honestly, do they ship what they promised? Do they include all of the manufacturer’s accessories that were supposed to be included with the telescope? Do they pass off returned or refurbished merchandise as new? How is their customer service? Do they treat you friendly or rudely after they have your money? Problems with mail order camera stores not shipping what they advertised (Oh did you want the LENS also? We never said that the camera came with a LENS…) have existed for years but in the internet era it is much easier to find out what other customers have experienced with that particular business.
Finally, before anyone buys a telescope, you should gain some experience in observing the night sky, Visit one of your local astronomy club’s “star parties” and learn to observe with other people’s equipment before spending a lot of money on your own telescope. There is a learning curve for telescopes, you need to have some idea what to expect from your new telescope. Many first time telescope owners are disappointed that they don’t see images like the ones in astronomy text books, which are really long time exposure photos taken with large telescopes. An amateur astronomer CAN take such images with a small scope, but it takes years of practice to get it right. Many telescopes end up stored away in closets or sold on e-bay because the owner ended up disappointed in his expectations.
You can locate an astronomy club in your area here:
Geoff G Said,
Adorama is a typical big New York camera store. Their prices are low, but nobody on staff knows anything much about telescopes. If you know _exactly_ what you want and expect no customer service, then go ahead and order from them. I’ve bought stuff from them and they were fast and efficient, but I knew exactly what I wanted. Their prices are low because they deal in large volumes and offer absolutely zero in the way of customer service.
At the opposite extreme is Orion Telescopes & Binoculars. They specialize in astronomy products, have technical experts on call 24 hours a day, and offer generous return policies. They will help you choose your purchase and support it extensively after purchase. Personally I would rather deal with Orion than Adorama.
Comments
The quality is the same, just ever so slightly more out of date.
Some stores sell you the telescope in a box and have nothing else to do with you after the sale. Their prices are lower than stores that employ knowledgeable sales staff who can advise you on what to buy, help you after the sale, and stock repair parts and accessories. If you know exactly what you want and don’t need that kind of help, then go ahead and buy from the mail order discounter.
Use the internet to research the reputation of the store, what experiences have other customers had with them? Would they recommend the store to others? Do they advertise honestly, do they ship what they promised? Do they include all of the manufacturer’s accessories that were supposed to be included with the telescope? Do they pass off returned or refurbished merchandise as new? How is their customer service? Do they treat you friendly or rudely after they have your money? Problems with mail order camera stores not shipping what they advertised (Oh did you want the LENS also? We never said that the camera came with a LENS…) have existed for years but in the internet era it is much easier to find out what other customers have experienced with that particular business.
Finally, before anyone buys a telescope, you should gain some experience in observing the night sky, Visit one of your local astronomy club’s “star parties” and learn to observe with other people’s equipment before spending a lot of money on your own telescope. There is a learning curve for telescopes, you need to have some idea what to expect from your new telescope. Many first time telescope owners are disappointed that they don’t see images like the ones in astronomy text books, which are really long time exposure photos taken with large telescopes. An amateur astronomer CAN take such images with a small scope, but it takes years of practice to get it right. Many telescopes end up stored away in closets or sold on e-bay because the owner ended up disappointed in his expectations.
You can locate an astronomy club in your area here:
Adorama is a typical big New York camera store. Their prices are low, but nobody on staff knows anything much about telescopes. If you know _exactly_ what you want and expect no customer service, then go ahead and order from them. I’ve bought stuff from them and they were fast and efficient, but I knew exactly what I wanted. Their prices are low because they deal in large volumes and offer absolutely zero in the way of customer service.
At the opposite extreme is Orion Telescopes & Binoculars. They specialize in astronomy products, have technical experts on call 24 hours a day, and offer generous return policies. They will help you choose your purchase and support it extensively after purchase. Personally I would rather deal with Orion than Adorama.