This is a big enough topic that it may warrant a revisit in the future. Stay tuned!

You're the kind of dad any kid would be lucky to have

Wow, what a difference 2 years can make! 8" reflector 2 yrs ago "around $400" today: $849! If only i could have bought 100 of em for $400! That's a better investment than the stock market!

I have had the 8, 10 and 12". Decided in the end to keep the 10", more light gathering than the 8" but much easier to handle than the 12"

Thanks. You described me exactly. I'm one of those thinking, he recommended the 8" so I'll go a little extra and get a 10". Watching this just saved me some money and aggravation.

Great showcase! I love that you're next to them so we can actually estimate if we could carry it easily or not. Most showcases don't do that for some reason.

These videos of yours are very helpful. thank you for doing them.

Thank you for all the great content and advice. This has been one of, if not the best channel I’ve come across in some time.

Thanks Ed for all those years of great reviews. I'm a definite fan. You have done great things for our hobby!

Very good info and a good comparison of the sizes. Thanks, Ed.

Ed - I just recently found your channel and I love your videos and your personality. I've been a casual amateur astronomer nearly 30 years now and I really enjoy watching your content. Keep it coming, and clear skies, friend.

Thank you for doing this video. Very good information to make an educated decision. Glad we found your channel and subscribed. My honey is an amateur astronomer and had a 10" dob with a wooden base, but it was too heavy to be carting outside and moving from the yard. Now he has an 8" carbon fiber Newtonian with a carrying handle on the tube! That's a plus!

Terrific overview Ed, thanks!

Great videos. I'm glad I found your channel! (Beautiful and nice background pictures too!)

I am so glad I stumbled upon your channel! I got here by seeing your “review” of the spotting scope (you know the one LOL). I’m getting back into astronomy after retiring from my professional photography career. My last scope was an Edmund’s Scientific 3” reflector which I had planned to upgrade and then life got in the way (work, family, kids sports ⚽️ 🏀, other obligations, etc). So, here I am.... I have the cameras, now just need a decent 8” scope for planets and maybe some deep space astrophotography. I’m loving every video on your channel! Thank you so much for presenting the info in a very factual and yet entertaining manner.

Very helpful, Ed. Thank you!

I love your scopes, thanks for sharing through this video

Thanks Ed, I've been watching this video and many others on your channel, really helpful. Today I have received my Dobsonian SkyWatcher 8'' .

Ed, thanks for helping me get started on a wonderful journey all those years ago. Been reading your blog for at least 10 years. We are practically neighbors since I'm from Maine. :-)

Hi Ed, I just purchased an Orion xt8 Dobsonian telescope and it’s being delivered tomorrow! Thank you for all of your advice. I find your KZfaq Channel to be extremely educational. I can’t wait to try out my new scope! Thanks again! Dusty.

Thank you so much for all of this useful & practical information. It has saved me from making all of the usual new guy mistakes. My wife and I looked at Jupiter last night and were able to see one of it’s moons. Take care and thanks again! Dusty Morrison, Southern California.

This was so helpful. I felt so lost! Thank you!

Excellent, practical review thanks very much!

Thank you so much, Ed, for all of the work you do in the making of these videos, they're very informative, and invaluable in choosing a scope to buy. Have you ever considered doing a video where you report your findings on the optical performance of some major brand telescopes, on the moon and planets? For example, take an 8" Dob made by Orion, Meade, Celestron, Sky Watcher, and maybe one or two others, and use the same brand eyepiece at low, medium, and high power on the moon, Jupiter, Saturn and Mars. Tell which one gave you the sharpest views, best contrast; tell if the moons of Jupiter showed up better in one scope over the others. And on Mars, tell if the polar ice cap showed up better in one scope over the others. It would take a long time to do this comparison, waiting for each planet to be up. But I think a lot of lunar/planetary "backyard astronomers" would benefit from it. I know I would. Just an idea.

Hello Ed, I enjoy your videos.....I had a 17.5 inch dob from Odessey Telescope years ago; it was a beast and used a dolly to get it into the yard. Although one night saw the best view of Saturn ever! Eventually sold it for $300 to a telescope shop. Now old age favors lighter scopes, although failing eyesight does not. Thanks for a fun informative video

Fantastic video Ed! 8" is the perfect blend of everything for me. Excellent performance under my Bortle 6-7 suburban skies, easy enough to load in the car to go to darker spots. Not insanely heavy or expensive. 12" is a darn water heater.

Good job, Ed! Great video!

Back in the 1960s I bought a 5" primary mirror, a diagonal mirror, other related items for assembly, and a tripod from a local optical manufacturer. I got a 6" diameter stove pipe the appropriate length, tinkered and painted, and put the whole thing together. Back in the day the Dobsonian focus arrangement was know as Newtonian. Thanks to the efforts of the fellow that brought telescope building to the youth, it's now called Dobsonian. At least that's the way I figure it. Thanks. This is an informative channel and I subscribed.

Saw you at RTMC one year (if not mistaken). Glad to see you are still active and educating .... I will be buying a 100mm-102mm again for light photography w/Micro Four Thirds rigs.

Thanks 🙏 very informative, and you are a great speaker.

Great comparison and honest opinion based on your experience.

Excellent, thanks a lot for share your experience.

-Excellent advice- Thank you...

Sold on the 10” thanks much Ed.. dark north fl sky.. Thanks much!

Excellent review.

Thank You for information

Ed, thank you very much for a great video.

I bought the Apetura AD8 dob because of this video. I've had it a few months now and love it. Thanks Ed

Informative video. I was not sure whether to get to 10" or 12" inch. Now I know. Thanks.

After much checking on which type of telescope to go for, I think I’ve made up my mind for Dobsonian 6” or 8”. I’m sure I will never go wrong with expert’s advice 😊

I decided on the 8" Dobsonian for my first telescope thanks to you. 💙

Just bought the Apertura AD8 based on this and related videos. I used to have a 12 Inch Skywatcher Flextube that I sold 10 years ago when we moved across the country (I only kept my Orion ShortTube 80 refractor). Decided it was time to get another Dobsonian. Went back and forth between the AD8 and the AD10, but decided to do the sensible thing and get the AD8 (and I also don't have much viewing time so I needed something that was quick to carry out/setup). I am glad I did. The AD8 is larger/bulkier than I expected and just the right size for me (turns out aging 10 years will change the amount of inconvenience one is willing to put up with. The 12 Inch Skywatcher was amazing to look through but getting it out for viewing was a production each time). I've just tested the AD8 in my backyard and it was not too difficult to get it out, I feel it is just the right size to be able to take out to the backyard on a whim, and will easily fit in any car. And being a solid tube vs a truss tube setup is faster (the Skywatcher was not a classic truss tube since the trusses were captive, the downside was that the tube + trusses was really, really heavy). The cherry on the cake is that I get to use my nice 2 inch eyepieces that have sat unused for the last 10+ years.

Ed is truly a genius. I am trying to watch all his videos to learn the ABC of astrophotography.

Thank you Ed ! 💚🖤

For me, the 6" Orion AstroBlast tabletop Dob worked out perfect. Found a solid round table to set it down on and a guitar stool for viewing. Easy to move inside/outside without any hassles. Nice and bright compared to my buddies old tiny refractor! Seeing Jupiter's moons for the first time was incredible as was watching Saturn move across the eyepiece. Yes, the 2" eyepieces would be a treat. Get yourself a 2x barlow lens and a laser collimator and you are good to go. Maybe upgrade the eyepieces for sure. Months later I moved into astrophotography with a whole new rig. (GoTo EQ mount, apo refractor, guide scope, dedicated pc, etc. to shoot some emission nebulae, and other deep sky targets). These dobs are truly "light buckets".

I am loving this!

The table-top dobs can also be placed on stacking plastic milk crates. To adjust height, add or remove a crate. To add stability, add plywood to the top. For storage, simply nest the crates. Crates can also be used for storage, such as the finder and star charts when the scope is not being used.

I'm so glad I found your channel. I have a 4.5 table top, 6SE, and 8" DOB. I was thinking of getting a 10" or 12" Goto DOB, or a 9.25 STC due to aperture fever. Now I realize I have all of the telescopes I need. The 8" DOB and C6 are at the limits of what I can handle.

Mr ting, I wish to thank you for your advice as I am now a new owner of an Orion XT10!

I am am card carrying member of the 8" fan club. I have been interested I Astronomy for 40 years and I always seem to end up owning an eight inch scope. The perfect combination of aperture and convenience.

This is marvellous sir thank you from Edinburgh

Very cool!

This channel is so good

Thanks for this amazing comparison. I have decided to go for the 6inch one as I live with my family and do not have much space at home... My only concern is the eyepiece but I will be as careful as I can when carrying it around. Other than that it looks the perfect telescope for a beginner considering the price and the size of it

Thank you for the informative vid!! Now to find one in stock.😥

Those carrying handles look like they are a great help. This is the first time I see those. I gotta get me one of those for my 12.5" Dob!

Thank you !

Thank u .., very useful information..

I bought a lazy susan for 14 bucks at Amazon for my 10" skywatcher dob. Just put 2 small pieces of leftover carpet next to the teflon pads and it moves perfectly. Got that tip from an astronomy board. The 10 isn't that heavy, just more bulkier so a little harder to carry by the altitude handles.

Thank you!!

Another great video, Ed. The Orion scopes are frequently discounted in the clearance section on their website. Got my XT6 for $230, an unbelievable price for six inches of aperture and 1200mm of focal length.

I started my hobby almost a year ago and got Astro photo gear. Due to limited time, they need to be operational. 2023 New Year's Eve, I saw a 10" Dob on sale and ordered it for the fun of our small local star party monthly. If you want to learn astronomy, Dobsonian is a must-have; it is simple to use and a reasonable price to start the hobby, as Ed always said. Many of them are on sale after a few uses since they are big and do not aim for astrophotography; you may pick up a mint one locally from hobbis who have moved on or moved up in prices. In 2024, prices are 50% more compared to 3 years ago when this video was made. 10" regular price is roughly $900, 8" is $650, and 6" is $450. At the end of the year's holiday, you may see half price for one model from Sky-Watcher / Celestron (same Taiwan company). Yes, all are made in China. As China's economy grew, the manufacturing cost increased yearly. So they are not going cheaper unless they move to another country like India or Vietnam. So the best deal at year-end holiday time is if you can wait, but just one model, so there is no choice price-wise. Most are sold at Amazon without discount unless, like that Black Friday event, I see the price up 10-15% from 2023 or 22. But more supply after Covid.

many thanks 🙂

i purchased the x6 for my first telescope. So far very happy.

Hi Ed, I'm new to astrology and I recently brought a 8" Dobsonian as per your recommendation and am extremely happy with it. If you are ever in New Zealand please free to stop by and say hi. Keep up the great work . Big fan of your channel.

Love to see a review on the skeleton Dobsonian telescope.

My 17.5" Discovery is a truss tube and gives amazing, sharp, bright views. Is very solid and smooth in motion. I have the F5 model which doesn't need a coma corrector but does need a 2 step ladder 😀 .

Thanks !

I agree with Ed in his hatred of the lazy Susan on the Dobs! I had an Orion 6” I bought used, as I’m older, an wanted a light scope to take out to the deck for a quick look! It was fine, but you know amateur astronomers, never satisfied, so I sprang for an 8” Apertura! It has many fine qualities, most of which are found on the optical tube, including the 2” Crawford and the great right angle finder! HOWEVER the base drives me crazy! If you can’t change eyepieces in the dark with out moving the scope they went too far trying to make the scope swivel too easy! I have the tension knob so tight I’m afraid I might be warping the ground board! So..... I guess every scope has it’s good points , and it’s bad!

I personally regard a 6 or 8-inch Dob as a great choice for a beginner. Under good skies they do offer a lot of bang for the buck on both deep sky objects and the planets. The F/6 and F/8 focal ratios eliminates the coma that is very noticeable in faster telescopes and that also makes producing high quality primary mirrors easier. The diagonal can be smaller which is beneficial because the smaller the diagonal the better to a point. Less light loss and better image contrast are a good reason to keep the diagonal no larger than 20 or 25 percent of the primary mirror's diameter where possible.

I had a friend give me a telescope like one of these, It was about 4-5 feet long and around 8 inches in diameter. I had no idea how to use it, and the eye pieces got lost...(kids!) I ended up giving it away to a good will store.

Focuser tubes for the star blast are easy to get, but come as a complete focuser. One must disassemble both to switch the tubes. Great presentation!

Excellent review. For me, 8 inches is a great sweet spot between bulk and capability. I am the original owner of a 1983 Meade 826 8in GEM Newtonian. Great scope. I have had decades of fun with it, and it has kept up with my astronomy growth from age 14 to 52. After all those years, I finally decided to upgrade to a 12in Orion Goto Truss Dob (should arrive this month).

the prices of the xt8 have surprisingly doubled on retail and their old price was replaced by the bl135mm sky scanner, i wanted to point that out as that would probably change your recommendations. I was very excited to buy the telescope after seeing so many videos on it, all of them saying it’s $400, but at some point recently they must have changed that price sadly and given the price it to a cheaper model

The straps around the 12" look very handy. I've been looking for some way to make handles on it, this might be it.

I’ve had my zhumell z130 for a little over a year now, I go out every clear night and am already dying for more aperture lol

I love my 12" dobsonian and have upgraded the azimuth bearing to a proper heavy duty bearing which is really smooth. I also always use it on an EQ platform which eliminates the constant nudging especially at high magnification on the planets.

Great Video. I have the 10" Orion with the Atlas Equatorial mount. Mine came in the box with both focusers (plastic and Metal). I put the metal on and kept the plastic one as a spare part. The big issue I have always had with it is size. When I purchased it, I purchased my SUV to fit the scope and wherever I take it, it doesn't go far from the car. I'm also struggling to use USB to serial connections because the controls (I bought it in 2008) are all serial. Also, I'm finding that the scope is a little big for the Atlas mount if you want to add ANYTHING to it , like cameras, guide scopes, etc. If I add anything, I'll almost never get a three star alignment. Also, with an equatorial mount, I'm finding lugging around counterweights and the mount itself daunting. I wish Orion sold a dobsonian adapter kit for this scope.

Hi Ed Im so glad I found you I've had My Skyquest 8 since 95 or 96 its the only scope I've felt I ever needed well now at 60 its getting a bit hard on me to lug it around so I'm using astro binoculars now they are much more comfortable but had to settle for a slightly less terrific view have you a suggestion or am I just to spoiled from the Skyquest 8. I did think about leaving it outdoors maybey getting a tough shed to protect it from the elements anyways great topic Love this video in particular.

Thank you. I was looking at a 12in But I don't want to deal with a bad base. 8in is the winner 🎉

Love your videos Ed! Where did you get the carrying straps on the 10” and 12” scopes? I mounted the handle from a concrete finishing float on the back of a 10” we use as a loaner scope. But of course that required drilling holes in the tube.

Great video and advice! About 30 years ago I made the mistake of buying a 13.1" Dob from Coulter Optical. I think I saved for over a year before I could order it, and I think it took about 6 months to be made and shipped to Germany (THAT was expensive!) It was a great scope, but we live on the 5th floor. I think I only carried it down (and back up) the 80 steps 3 times before I sold it. It was just too big. I´ve been thinking about getting a new scope after all these years, and have been thinking about a 10 inch. But after watching this, I think I´ll go with a maximum of 8 inches.

I just received my brand new 16 inch truss tube dobsonian from Orion a week ago and I can already vouch that it is a beast to haul around. But oh, what a view!

Ordered Zhumell 8 after some research👍 First scope as a beginner😊

Just picked up a super clean Orion XT8 off Craigslist for $50 with a Telrad,I'm so excited! Even though it's number 21 in my scope collection it's my first Dob!

I think anything over 6" dob becomes bulky very quickly. I discover this when I got my Evolution 9.25, so much easier to handle than my 10" dob

Ed, I've been watching a lot of your videos recently. I find this one "dead on" with regard to the 12" Dob. It's a great scope but it's over 80 pounds. With dew heaters, right angle finder and Telrad it's closer to 90 pounds. Mine now has long 1x4 "handles' with lawn mower wheels so I can move it outdoors fully assembled. The older I get (retirement age) the more I appreciate scopes that are easy to handle. I'm seriously considering converting my 6" Cave Astrola to a Dob for easy, quick viewing sessions/ I'm sure it will see more use than it does with a heavy German Equatorial Mount.

The 8" Dob is absolutely the best all-around telescope on the market, especially when outfitted with a Telrad.

Thank you for this comparison video! I really enjoyed it. I've got a 8" SCT and a 6" Newtonian and have been saving up some money to drop on a solid tube 12" Dobsonian. I know all the downsides to such a larch telescope, but I really want something large, but that won't also break the bank for my nights of astronomical sketching. Also, I can't believe that Orion switched to a plastic focuser. In my cold northern winters here in Plattsburgh, NY I can only imagine how quickly I'd damage/crack a plastic focuser especially on the bitter cold winter nights.

Thanks for the ""All Dobs Compared" video. it's one of my favorites! I purchased a new Zhumell Z12 Dobsonian telescope that's still in the shipping box. I intend to mount it on small JHI Wheeley Bars (three 10 inch pneumatic tires w/screw-down posts) and roll it out to my driveway. I will be observing at home using a minimum of attachments (Telrad, RACI Finder Scope, medium-size quality lenses). After the viewing session the whole mobile assembly will return a climate-controlled garage. I have enough space in the garage to remove the heavy aluminum tube from the base. I do not wish to warp the wooden particle board base. What is the best way to position the tube for safe, temporary storage (either vertically or horizontally) until my next session under the sky? I want to stick with this method of observation until I can learn this craft the traditional way...trial and error and talking with the local astronomy clubs. I have a scientific (field geology) education but I lack woodworking/fabrication skills. The videos made by you and others are very well done. It's expensive but worth every penny. Cheers!

Enjoy your channel, have learned a lot in my research for buying a telescope. But you should be aware that orion xt 8s now retail for 600, 700 dollars. They are now quite pricey for some reason.

I had a Coulter 10-inch.... Borg 77ED, Meade LX (10-inch) on a custom budget mount, haha... Apogee 25x100 binocs... I once carried a Celestron Comet Catcher 5.5 f3.3 Schmidt-Newtonian optical tube assembly up into a clearing at Big Bear Lake and saw the dust lanes in the Trifid Nebula. This kind of stuff is nearly impossible now with the light pollution....

Thanks.

Thanks Ed for another great video. Are there significant differences between brands for the 8" models? (like mirror quality, coating, tube ruggedness, etc...)

Subscribed!

Wish you were my friend. Your a awesome guy

Excellent overview. I've owned 8, 10 and 12 inch GSO and Synta Dobs and tried the 6 inch a few times at star parties, and it's 8 inch all the way for me. Most fun to use of the lot. The 6 inch does not quite have the resolution to really wow on planets, while the 8 inch is usually more limited by the atmosphere than aperture when it comes to detail. The one with optically the best mirror though was the Synta/Skywatcher 10", which is the only one that uses pyrex instead of BK7 g;ass for the main mirror. (It's weird that for the 12", which would need the low-expansion glass the most, they go back to BK7.) But the extra weight and bulk of the 10" over the 8" somewhat limits its usefulness especially if you need to move it around a lot (like to take it places, show other people the night sky). The 12" is by far the most cumbersome and the mount is not up to the job. Sold mine after 6 months and replaced it with a 10". Still got the most use out of the 8" though (for 6 years, till it got stolen).

My local club bought a 16" Meade truss-tube Dob. The guy assembled the base. Then they regretted - when they transported the scope to its final site, the base was too wide and they couldn't get it through the door. They had to take it apart. Mine is a 12", and I too need to solve balancing issue - the primary mirror cell was steel - so I used strong magnets and barbell cast iron weight training disc to balance it when I used my big eyepieces. I made a giant setting circles that fit the base and use a inclinometer to make it into a push-to.

Prices are through the roof now, just got the 6 inch for $500, at least Orion has upgraded thier 6 inch to a 2 inch metal focuser. I can't wait for it to arrive!

I really enjoy your videos. I did, however, have one issue that needs to be addressed concerning altitude bearing diameter. It is true that large diameter altitude bearings are needed on low pivot point dobs like the Obsession, Starmaster, and the compact truss tube designs where the rocker box is very low to the ground. There is no way to make those work without them due to the extreme torque of the system. My old 18 inch Obsession was a joy to move around the sky, but it did have some disadvantages in terms of image dampening due to the torque on the system. That was largely a non-issue since I had Servocat, and I would suspect many people use the Servocat just to eliminate that issue with manual guiding. I also agree that some of the commercial dobs do not have a large enough diameter bearing (the giant 16 inch Meade being a case in point, as well as a few others). However, there is a point where making the altitude bearing larger diameter on a high pivot point design is not only not necessary, but undesirable. Your homemade design looks to be excellent, but making the diameter larger would make it perform worse. There is a commerical dob available that I had the unfortunate experience of purchasing where the altitude bearings resembled the low pivot point bearings on the Obsession, but this particular telescope was not a low pivot point design. It was the classic John Dobson "cannon" design with the pivot point further up the tube like a cannon (just like your homemade version). What I believed would be a much better motion in altitude actually became a frustrating exercise in actual use. As an engineer, I spent some time trying to figure it out, and went back to John Dobson's original design concept using a cannon as the model. As Mr. Dobson explained, the diameter of the altitude bearings is not a case of "bigger is better" because it all has to do with the location of the pivot point. In the case of most inexpensive dobsonian designs, I have found the higher you make the pivot point (and the sideboards will need to be higher), the smaller the diameter altitude bearing that is required for smooth motion. There is a sweet spot that should not be went above or below to get good push-to tracking, and so far, I have found the 14 inch Skywatcher manual push-to (discontinued in favor of the goto version) has been the absolute best in terms of the higher pivot point mount and altitude combination. Sticktion is perfect in this design, and there is no need for counterweight with an Ethos eyepiece and a Starsense mirror and iPhone and battery pack mounted near the eyepiece. The bearing diameter of this particular scope is 8 inches. Unfortunately, not all Skywatcher dobs have this perfect combination of design attributes across all sizes, but at least I finally got lucky with the 14 inch version. The Orion XX14g I owned had a much lower pivot point and a lower sideboard height, and the bearings were not large enough for good manual tracking. Good thing it had motor drive...Sorry for the long message, but just wanted to point this out because one partcular manufacturer whose name begins with an "E" and the second letter of second word begins in an "S" is touting the large diameter altitude bearings on their inexpensive dobsonian line, and they did not do their homework. They should have read the memo by John Dobson.