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Skywatcher Dobson Heritage Comparison
Look | Links | Appendix: Data
Archive
On this page, I put together some comparative information about my Skywatcher Heritage Dobson telescopes (the later acquired and returned 114P is only partially included in this comparison). See the appendix for the data.
Meanwhile, none of these telescopes is in my possession, but I keep this page because it might be interesting for one or the other visitor of this site.
Note: The Skywatcher Heritage 100P telescope is very similar to the Orion SkyScanner - 100mm TableTop Reflector telescope (or even identical to it). Also note that the Skywatcher Heritage 76 telescope is very similar to the Celestron Firstscope 76 (or even identical to it).
| Note: I gave the Heritage 76 telescope away in March 2016. Since I acquired the Heritage 114P after I had given the Heritage 76 away (namely, in May 2016), I cannot present all four telescopes together on one photo. In addition, I returned the 114P soon after its purchase (not because of the 114P tube, but because the GoTo control behaved erratic). I gave the Heritage P130 telescope away in Mid-April 2017. Finally, I gave the Heritage 100P telescope away in March 2019. Thus, I do no longer own any Heritage telescope and therefore can no longer report any experiences with these scopes here and on other pages. |
Look
Packages in Comparison (76, 100P, 130P)
Outer packages in comparison (76, 100P, P130) |
Ditto |
Package Dimensions: Outer Package: Package: |
Packages in comparison (76, 100P, P130) |
Ditto |
Ditto |
114P Package
Outer package |
Ditto Package Dimensions: |
Outer package and package of the Heritage 114P |
Package of the Heritage 114P |
Ditto |
Ditto |
Look of the Telescopes in Comparison (76, 100P, P130)
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Look of the Telescopes in Comparison (100P, 114P, P130)
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Changing the Base (100P, 114P, P130)
Since all three telescopes tube have the same type of mount for the base, I exchanged tubes and bases where it seemed to make sense:
114P on base for 100P, 100P on Virtuoso base |
100P on base for P130, P130 on Virtuoso base, 114P on 100P base |
P130 on Virtuoso base, 114P on P130 base |
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114P tube on base for P130 (left) and base for 100P (right); the latter is not very stable and can easily tilt over... |
P130 tube on Virtuoso base |
Ditto |
Ditto |
The base for the Heritage 100P is suitable only for its own small tube. The Heritage 114P tube might fit in principle, but the whole thing tilts easily over, because the diameter of the 100P base is too small (see the photo in the middle row at the center). The tube of the Heritage 114P can, however, be mounted on the base of the P130 without problems, even though this base might perhaps look a little bit too big for the tube (see the photo in the middle row on the left).
The opportunity to mount the Heritage P130 tube on the Virtuoso base looked interesting to me, because, this way, I would have a larger telescope with tracking at my disposal. This is possible in principle, but the P130 tube seems a bit too heavy for the Virtuoso mount, which can carry a maximum of 4 kg (or even only 2 kg as I also read). The "naked" P130 tube weighs already about 3.25 kg (P130-base = 3.1 kg P130 tube = 3.25 kg, according to my scales), and you have to add the weight of the eyepiece and, perhaps, a camera to this. This possibility is indeed no longer an option for me, because I have returned the Virtuoso mount. Instead, I was able to use the P130-tube on the Sky-Watcher Star Discovery AZ GoTo mount that I aquired thereafter and that can carry even 5 kg. But in spring 2017, I gave the Heritage P130 away, because it was too similar in its data/performance to the newly acquired Explorer 150PDS (at the time of writing my largest tube...).
Links
- Sky-Watcher Company Website, USA: ca.skywatcher.com ( Heritage 100P and 114P not found on Sky-Watcher Website)
- Pages from German Distributors for the Sky-Watcher Heritage 76 (in German)
- Astroshop (here I bought the telescope): www.astroshop.de/skywatcher-dobson-teleskop-n-76-300-heritage-dob/p,23896#tab_bar_3_select
- Teleskop-Service: www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/language/de/info/p2926_Skywatcher-Heritage-76-300mm-Mini-Dobsonian.html (in German) - www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/language/en/info/p2926_Skywatcher-Heritage-76-300mm-Mini-Dobsonian.html (in English)
- Pages from German Distributors
for the Sky-Watcher Heritage 100P:
- Teleskop-Service (here I bought the telescope): www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p6827_Skywatcher-Heritage-100P---100mm---4--f4-Reise-Dobson-Teleskop.html (in German) - www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/language/en/info/p6827_Skywatcher-Heritage-100P---100mm---4--f4-Reise-Dobson-Teleskop.html (in English)
- Pages from German or Dutch Distributors for the Sky-Watcher Heritage 114P:
- Teleskop-Experts (NL, here I bought the telescope): www.teleskop-expert.de/skywatcher-heritage-114p-virtuoso (in German)
- Teleskop-Service: www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/language/de/info/p5880_Skywatcher-Heritage-114-Virtuoso---114-500mm-Newton-Teleskop-mit-Nachfuehrung.html (in German) - www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/language/en/info/p5880_Skywatcher-Heritage-114-Virtuoso---114-500mm-Newton-Teleskop-mit-Nachfuehrung.html (in English)
- Astroshop: www.astroshop.de/skywatcher-dobson-teleskop-n-114-500-heritage-virtuoso-dob/p,33070 (in German) - www.astroshop.eu/skywatcher-n-114-500-heritage-virtuoso-dobsonian/p,33070 (in English)
- Pages from German Distributors for the Sky-Watcher Heritage P130 (in German)
- zu-den-sternen: www.zudensternen.de/Teleskope%20f%FCr%20Kinder%20Dobson.html
- Astroshop: www.astroshop.de/skywatcher-dobson-teleskop-n-130-650-heritage-flextube-dob/p,14966 (in German) - www.astroshop.eu/skywatcher-dobson-telescope-n-130-650-heritage-flextube-dob/p,14966 (in English)
- Teleskop Service (here, I bought the telescope): www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/language/de/info/p2705_Skywatcher-Heritage-130P-FlexTube-Dobson---6years--.html (in German) - www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/language/en/info/p2705_Skywatcher-Heritage-130P-FlexTube-Dobson---6years--.html (in English)
- Teleskop-Spezialisten: www.teleskop-spezialisten.de/shop/Teleskope-fuer-Einsteiger-Kinder-und-als-Geschenk/Skywatcher-Heritage-130P-130-650-Newton-FlexTube-Dobson-Teleskop-mit-Zubehoer::356.html (in German) - www.teleskop-spezialisten.de/shop/Telescopes-for-beginners-children-and-as-a-gift/SkyWatcher-HERITAGE-130P-FLEXTUBE-Newtonian-Dobsonian-Telescope::356.html?language=en (in English)
- See also my page offering Astronomy Links.
Appendix: Data for my Sky-Watcher Dobson Heritage Telescopes (in Comparison)
| Telescope | Meade |
Sky-Watcher
Skymax/Heritage/Explorer |
GSO | Omegon | |||||||
| 10" | ETX 90EC | 102 | 127 | 76 | 100P | 114P | P130 | 150PDS | GSD 680 | PS 72/432 | |
| Optical Design | Newton (Parabolic) | Maksutov-Cassegrain | Maksutov-Cassegrain | Maksutov-Cassegrain | Newton (Spherical) | Newton (Parabolic) | Newton (Parabolic) |
Newton (Parabolic) | Newton (Parabolic) | Newton (Parabolic) | Refractor |
| Primary Mirror Diameter | 254 mm | 96 mm (90 mm) | 102 mm | 127 mm | 76 mm (3") | 100 mm (4") | 114 mm (4.5") | 130 mm (5") | 150 mm (6") | 200 mm (8") | 72 mm |
| Focal Length, Focal Ratio | 1270 mm f/5 |
1250 mm f/13.8 |
1300 mm f/12.7 |
1500 mm f/11.8 |
300 mm f/3.95 |
400 mm f/4 |
500 mm f/4.38 |
650 mm f/5 |
750 mm f/5 |
1200 mm f/6 |
432 mm f/6 |
| Resolving Power (arc secs) | 0.45" | 1.3" | 1.15" | 0.91" | 1.51" | 1.15" | 1.01" | 0.9" | 0.77" | 0.58" | 1.61" ** |
| Limiting Visual Stellar Magnitude | ca. 14.5 mag | 11.7 mag | 12.7 mag | 13.2 mag | 11.2 mag | 11.8 mag | 12.1 mag | 13.3 mag | 12.7 mag | 14.5 mag | 11.1 mag ** |
| Light Gathering Power | 1316.7 | 165.3 | 212.3 | 329.2 | 117.9 | 204.1 | 265.2 | 344.9 | 459.2 | 816.3 | 105.8 ** |
| Maximum Practical Visual Power | ca. 600 x | 325 x | 204 x | 254 x | ca. 100 x (152 x) | 150 x (200 x) | 170 x (228 x) | ca. 195/220 x (260 x) | ca. 225 x (300 x) | ca. 300 x (400 x) | 144 x |
| Optical Tube Dimensions (dia. x length) | 35 cm x 119 cm | 10.4 cm x 27.9 cm | 11.6 cm x 27 cm | 14.4 x 33 cm | n.a. | 11.5 cm x 37 cm* | n.a. | Tube collapsed < 37 cm (14.5") long |
18.2 cm x 69 cm 18 cm x 68 cm* |
23 cm x 115 cm | L: 39.5 cm with extended dew cap |
| Net Weight Basis | 12.2 kg | --- | --- | 1.3 kg* | 1.6 kg | 3.1 kg* | -- | 11.2 kg | n.a. | ||
| Net Weight Optical Tube | 17.2 kg | 1.9 kg | 3.4 kg | 1.2 kg* |
3.7 kg |
3.25 kg* |
5.0/6.0 kg 5.5 kg* |
9.5 kg | n.a. | ||
| Net Weight Complete | appr. 30 kg | 3.5 kg | 1.75 kg | 2.5*/2.8 kg | 5.3 kg | < 6.5 kg or 14 lbs. | --- | appr. 21 kg | 2.06 kg | ||
| Outer Package Dimensions (about) | 42.5 cm x 25 cm x 26 cm | 52 cm x 29.5 cm x 29.5 cm | 58.5 cm x 35 cm x 34 cm | 53.5 x 41 x 41 cm | 80 cm x 39 cm x 34 cm |
Tubus: 140.5 cm x 41 cm x 34cm Rockerbox: 69.5 cm x 59 cm x 13.5 cm |
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| Package Dimensions (about) | 39 cm x 23.5 cm x 24 cm | 48.5 cm x 27 cm x 28 cm | 57 cm x 32.5 cm x 33 cm | 50 cm x 37.5 cm x 39 (40) cm | A little bit smaller than the outer package... | ||||||
| Package Weight (Gross/Net) | 2.5 kg / 1.7 kg | 4 kg / 3 kg | 9 kg / 7 kg | 8 kg / 6.5 kg | 9 kg / 7 kg | 16.6 kg + 13.2 kg (gross measured) (approx. 40 kg gross) |
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Dark Blue: Telescopes that I still own; italic and dark red: telescopes that I owned; black: for comparison; *) own measurement; **) corrected values
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made by  on a mac! |
| 17.11.2024 |  |