Everyone prob already knows this...but,,

In my opinon...

I think Meade makes absolute total junk.. and I have had the pleasure to be honored and blessed by the great god of junk (Meade Instruments) in the last few years.

It just blows my mind... How a company could design telescopes so cheap.

It could be because the Meade god of junk thinks everything in the world has to be made out of microscopic super thin cast aluminum with parts so damn china cheap that if you dare even think, of modifying it, it will totally self destruct into a trillion million little small piles of junk that eventualy get reincarnated into the meteorites that Meade sells on ebay.

I have been blessed to own Meade quality lenses, lenses so cheap that 99% pure high grade lab optical cleaner used on mega buck multi coated laser mirrors and lenses, instantly strips off all the thin film crap that Meade calls "Multi Coated" that are on their lenses. Wow - the Edmunds Sci lenses didn't even do that... hell the wall mart bushnell didn't even do that.

And I want to meet that Meade engineer that designed the 2" Meade star diagonal... now thats cheap! cheaper than the 2" focuser on a DS series reflector (chrome colored paper sticker wrapped around plastic, .. thats funny.), and you gotta love the Meade quality tripods.,,, I really love that trusting meade focuser draw tube wobble and the High quality plastic they use for bearings and gears!. wow! I have higher quality DC drive motors in my
stupid fax machine then the ones meade puts in some of their mounts.

Thats just my opinon, I could be wrong.

oh well..... after 1000's spent, I think I should saved for one of those fat Astro Physics APO's.