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Post by aviegas on Jan 4, 2014 10:17:07 GMT -5
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Post by astromanuk on Jan 4, 2014 11:49:01 GMT -5
Very interesting...... They can't be that far off now! |
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Post by mikey cee on Jan 4, 2014 12:41:08 GMT -5
I'm scared that they are having trouble securing the right glass types in the quanity and quality they hope for. I'm usually wrong about most everything I open my yap about.....hopefully nothing will change.   Mike |
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Post by Mike on Jan 8, 2014 11:15:49 GMT -5
Guys, this is an old web page that the CNer dug up. I think it's from 2010. I asked Ales about why it's still up but so far no response. It's in written in Czech so I thought it may be Zdenek??? Yes, Mikey you are correct. We are having a difficult time getting the correct glass. So we have had to go back to the drawing board several times. Just because a particular glass is in the catalog doesn't mean you can get it. Some companies like LZOS might only produce a particular type once a year and it's usually spoken for. Ask Markus. Getting glass is the bane of this industry. Yuri and Roland have struggled with it for years. We have no intentions of giving up. We're just "stuck" right now. A guy sent me the link to CN for this "CAR." So I checked it out against my better judgment. Remember the guy who bashed me so bad here about not coming through with the Celestron C6R adapter? He is still bashing me over it. Over there making up stories (lies) about why we didn't come through with it. It was my idea not Istar. When I lost my parts to Crawmach, I gave up... not Istar. Yes, I would have eventually sold them through Istar. After hearing from you guys it was decided that it was not cost effective to invest that much money into an old Celestron refractor. Wow! How difficult can it be to understand? He also insists that selling such an adapter would hurt our business. Nothing could be further from the truth. We survive on lenses only business. We sell more lenses by themselves than complete scopes. Do we like that? Not necessarily. But if the market calls for lenses only then we're happy to fill it. Surprisingly, the thread has turned out pretty positive. It didn't take you guys long to figure out this guy was full of it and it hasn't taken the CNers long to come to the same conclusion. All of his empty accusations have been refuted by level headed posters. Also surprising is the moderators have not stepped in to slant the conversation. My hats off to them. Ales and I are passionate astronomers. How many times have I posted pictures of my scopes in the driveway for the night? How many planetary and DSO images have I posted? There is no one more into astronomy than I am. Ask my wife. I eat, sleep and drink it every single day. I am "ate up" with it. My garage is full of scopes and mounts (set up and ready to go). My book shelves are packed with astronomy books. My coffee table and night stand it stacked with Sky and Telescopes, Astronomy, Astronomy Technology Today, Astronomy Now, Amateur Astronomy, ALPO Journals, British Astronomical Association booklets and dozens of web page print outs. Why am I telling you this? We try to build products that we would use and think would appeal to other astronomers. We do not build what we think will merely sell to make money. I think this is the same philosophy that most "small" telescope companies have. You show me one small company who's owner isn't an astronomer and I will be very surprised. To say that Istar builds what will sell instead of what astronomers want is ludicrous. I have enjoyed using and testing every single product we sell with the exception of Mikey Cee's giant lens. Unfortunately, I did not have a ten foot tube to mount the lens in. If I did I would have soaked up some serious starlight before I shipped it  |
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Post by mikey cee on Jan 8, 2014 14:01:29 GMT -5
I have enjoyed using and testing every single product we sell with the exception of Mikey Cee's giant lens. Unfortunately, I did not have a ten foot tube to mount the lens in. If I did I would have soaked up some serious starlight before I shipped it I've often wondered about that. Thanks for coming "clean" on the matter. :PHopefully somebody over seas checked it out before you got it. That animal was spotless and I just couldn't fathom how something that cumbersome could be tested by one guy whose testing equipment or resourses could barely handle an 8" and leave not a smear or a single fingerprint. Whether it was just dumb luck or some mighty fine craftsmanship I hit the jackpot on that baby! |
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Post by Mike on Jan 8, 2014 15:59:02 GMT -5
Oh Mikey! Dumb luck? Please... That lens was thoroughly tested, just not by me. In special cases like that lens when I don't have the resources to star test it we make other arrangements. Your lens was a special circumstance. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt from my reports that your lens was exceptional before it ever arrived here. Anyway a lens would never have a finger print. I visually inspect every lens and clean them if necessary. Sometimes customs will leave a big finger print right in the middle of the lens. That lens is the result of a fantastic design by Zdenek and seriously careful production. Please... don't insult us. Dumb luck... sell a guy a fabulous lens and this is what he posts about you.
What do you mean barely handle an 8"? I have two mounts that are more than capable of handling the weight and size of a 200mm scope. No, I don't have a mount that's capable of launching missiles like you.
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Post by Mike on Jan 8, 2014 16:10:58 GMT -5
Here is a picture of me sitting around on the couch dreaming of products to sell to astronomers that I wouldn't use personally but would make money.  |
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Post by Mike on Jan 8, 2014 16:18:05 GMT -5
Here is a picture of me sending out 10" untested lenses to guys like Mikey.  |
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Post by Mike on Jan 8, 2014 16:59:30 GMT -5
Here is a picture of Ales sitting on his couch typing critical comments on forums about Astro companies and their products without even looking through the eyepiece. But based on the published specs of course...  |
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Post by mikey cee on Jan 8, 2014 18:19:51 GMT -5
Looks like Ales is closely scouring the passersbys looking for a nametag, a clue, anything to ferret out a Cloudy Nights naysayer. Boy if I was an interested party I don't know if I'd go near that bear or not! Looks like he could bite.  Mike |
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Post by jimcurry on Jan 12, 2014 9:21:14 GMT -5
"I have enjoyed using and testing every single product we sell with the exception of Mikey Cee's giant lens. Unfortunately, I did not have a ten foot tube to mount the lens in. If I did I would have soaked up some serious starlight before I shipped it " And no doubt it would have taken 4-6 months of star testing to assure Mikey it was a good lens :>). Perhaps return it once a year for a cleaning? Jim |
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Post by jimcurry on Jan 12, 2014 9:25:18 GMT -5
Oh, yeah. Another thing Istar Mike, looking at the picture of Ales, when are you going to start selling some Istar Polo shirts and baseball hats? Or at least send us the file so we can get a local shop to make it. I like to be properly dressed for the occasion!
Jim
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Post by mikey cee on Jan 12, 2014 21:00:35 GMT -5
 And no doubt it would have taken 4-6 months of star testing to assure Mikey it was a good lens :>). Perhaps return it once a year for a cleaning? Not on your life! First off that lens is too heavy to take out and put back in. Secondly I'm not risking getting that lens damaged by shipping. Thirdly I built an access door behind the lens to get at any minor dust particles or any haze which as of over a year now hasn't manifested itself. I've already cleaned the front several times. The multicoating is a tough one and so far no sleeks or scratches. Most people are too paranoid about cleaning coated optics even tho' some very knowledgeable say otherwise. If you pay good money for the finest then you've got to let that "finest" do it's job or you're a bloomin' bufoon! Mike |
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Post by Mike on Jan 13, 2014 12:24:19 GMT -5
I clean the optics on refractor lenses all the time. I don't know where people get their paranoia about the lens surface. Those coatings are very tough. I use Purasol Optical Lens Cleaner. AP used to sell it but now you have to get if from somewhere else. It's fairly expensive for a small squirt bottle but you only use a small amount at a time. I've had this bottle for over a year. I use cosmetic wipes from OPT. I never spray the Purasol on the lens directly but spray it on the wipe, wipe the lens, then use a another dry wipe to remove the liquid. Works great on lenses, eyepieces and camera equipment. Cleans great and no smears left over. It's all natural ingredients so no harmful chemicals. I highly recommend the cosmetic wipes as they are super soft and are actually made for skin. You would never see a for sale ad from me that said, "optics never touched." Instead it would say, "clean optics." Now I don't think it's a good idea to clean them everyday but just once in a great while or if some buffoon customs agent puts his big fat finger print on the center of the lens...
I can have polo shirts or caps made anytime. My wife runs an embroidery business. What do you want and what size?
Now regarding Mikey's lens... Do I know how to open a can of worms or what? You know, everything that Dobbins said was true after all.
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jpb30
Full Member
Posts: 84
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Post by jpb30 on Jan 16, 2014 1:49:22 GMT -5
I also use Purosol to clean all my optics, it is really very effective, the ideal is to spray Purosol on all the surface and to let act the product until complete evaporation, it is later enough to make some retouch with a smooth fiber tissue
¨JP
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Mike
Mike 
