Meade LightBridge 12 Inch Truss Tube Dobsonian Telescope

Comments about Meade LightBridge Deluxe 12-Inch Truss Tube Dobsonian Telescope:

First the good news: The initial service from Telescopes.com was flawless. According to the website the LightBridge 12 was in stock. I selected overnight shipping and had the scope sent to south Florida where I would pick it up in two days. The scope arrived exactly on schedule and location -- perfect so far!

This was the third Meade LightBridge 12 I've owned, so I have some prior experience. The scope was easy to assemble. The wooden base went together without significant problems. The scope is a managable size -- one adult could pick up and move the scope in two parts (base and assembled tube). Many factory improvements had been made since earlier one's I've owned -- like blackening the truss poles and some of the metal fittings. Also the new two-speed focuser worked flawlessly. Some after-market add-ons like counter-weights were still necessary, however.

The optics were very good -- the intra/extra focal star tests at 500x showed about 1/6 wave PTV spherical over-correction with no astigmatism -- very nice for mass produced optics. I used this scope for six nights at Winter Star Party 2013, and it provided many memorable views. Sirius B, the faint companion of this bright star, was an easy object. Jupiter showed many festoons in the cloud bands, and some detail was noted on the Jovian moons. The globular cluster Omega Centauri was resolved into millions of pin-point stars. While the scope is rather basic, it is easy to use and capable of very nice views.

Now the bad news: While the optics were good, the scope would not hold proper optical alignment for more a few minutes. Every new target required re-collimation of the primary mirror to get the best views. As much time was spent adjusting the optics as actually viewing. After two nights I noticed the black metal casting at the top of the lower optical tube was cracked completely through near the lower truss attachment point. As a result, the truss attachment point was loose on the lower tube, which probably explains the unstable optical alignment. My impression was that the metal casting was of poor quality or the metal was too thin by design -- there was no obvious shipping damage to the carton, nor any damage events during assembly or use. I contacted Meade who agreed to send a replacement part right away -- this would have been an ideal solution since I could have replaced the part in about 10 minutes. But after a week they called and said the part was not available, and that I would need to return the scope to them. I returned the entire scope to Meade, and after another week I am awaiting further news.

Overall I would recommend the Meade LightBridge 12, but with reservations.

Comments about Meade LightBridge Deluxe 12-Inch Truss Tube Dobsonian Telescope:

I purchased this scope after much information gathering. I expected a few items would have to be upgraded. Wow! were we surprised! All the usual upgrades have already been done. Stiffer springs, Blacked out trusses and rings on the ota, 2 speed focuser, and an extension tube just in case to boot! True, it still needs better eyepieces, counterweights, and a better finder scope of some sort, but that is less than earlier designs. The optics are absolutely great and we could not be more pleased. The service here is awesome. I have had no need whatsoever to contact anyone. Everything has gone exactly as expected. I have since returned here and purchased more items just because I like how easy it is. Telescopes.com, you have a customer here!

Comments about Meade LightBridge Deluxe 12-Inch Truss Tube Dobsonian Telescope:

It was very easy to assemble. It took me less than 20 min and put it to use right away viewing Mars.