A cautionary tale for my Astromart friends...
In an effort to be punctual with my feedback for others, I often take a quick glance at an eyepiece and post feedback. I recently acquired a 20mm T2 Nagler, at a good price, with "pristine" optics, and "a little wear on the barrel, but nothing major". Fair enough, I thought.
When the eyepiece arrived I made a quick, but careful (I thought) inspection. The glass looked to be in good shape, but in addition to the aforementioned wear, I spotted one spot where it looked like the upper edge of the barrel had hit concrete pavement. I know what that looks like, unfortunately, having dropped a 41 Panoptic once. (I later sold that EP, at a discount, with full discloser, and extensive detailed photos.) I immediately double-checked the optics, fearing subtle, hard-to-see cracks or who knows what.
My mistake was jumping right into the feedback department, where I deducted one star for understated damage. The seller had shipped promptly, packaged well, and otherwise performed as expected.
Not until taking the EP out on the week end though, did I discover the full extent of the damage. I was unable to thread a 2" Lumicon filter onto the Nagler, and upon closer inspection later, I saw that the threads had been badly mangled. On the outside edge, the unmistakable imprint in pliers marred the chrome finish. The barrel was still tweaked inward slightly. And sure enough, the mashed threads inside aligned perfectly with the plier tracks. Argh! Looking back up to the top, black section of the barrel, the damaged spot there was aligned. Of course. So, clearly, the bottom edge took the first full impact on the pavement, and as it bounced upward, the upper barrel made contact.
When I diplomatically brought this up to the seller, he said that his filters fit fine. I must have an off brand. Right. I gave him another chance to clarify the situation, to no avail. Now, if he bought the Nagler in this condition, and never tried to use a filter, I could understand. But if he dropped it, attempted repair, and then failed to disclose, I have a real problem with that. :C
But...I digress. I was at fault for rushing to feedback. And THAT is the moral of my story. We are a pretty trusting group, for good reason. But there's plenty of time to do feedback, later. Make sure you really go over your purchase, first.
...and to all, a good night.
Linton
In an effort to be punctual with my feedback for others, I often take a quick glance at an eyepiece and post feedback. I recently acquired a 20mm T2 Nagler, at a good price, with "pristine" optics, and "a little wear on the barrel, but nothing major". Fair enough, I thought.
When the eyepiece arrived I made a quick, but careful (I thought) inspection. The glass looked to be in good shape, but in addition to the aforementioned wear, I spotted one spot where it looked like the upper edge of the barrel had hit concrete pavement. I know what that looks like, unfortunately, having dropped a 41 Panoptic once. (I later sold that EP, at a discount, with full discloser, and extensive detailed photos.) I immediately double-checked the optics, fearing subtle, hard-to-see cracks or who knows what.
My mistake was jumping right into the feedback department, where I deducted one star for understated damage. The seller had shipped promptly, packaged well, and otherwise performed as expected.
Not until taking the EP out on the week end though, did I discover the full extent of the damage. I was unable to thread a 2" Lumicon filter onto the Nagler, and upon closer inspection later, I saw that the threads had been badly mangled. On the outside edge, the unmistakable imprint in pliers marred the chrome finish. The barrel was still tweaked inward slightly. And sure enough, the mashed threads inside aligned perfectly with the plier tracks. Argh! Looking back up to the top, black section of the barrel, the damaged spot there was aligned. Of course. So, clearly, the bottom edge took the first full impact on the pavement, and as it bounced upward, the upper barrel made contact.
When I diplomatically brought this up to the seller, he said that his filters fit fine. I must have an off brand. Right. I gave him another chance to clarify the situation, to no avail. Now, if he bought the Nagler in this condition, and never tried to use a filter, I could understand. But if he dropped it, attempted repair, and then failed to disclose, I have a real problem with that. :C
But...I digress. I was at fault for rushing to feedback. And THAT is the moral of my story. We are a pretty trusting group, for good reason. But there's plenty of time to do feedback, later. Make sure you really go over your purchase, first.
...and to all, a good night.
Linton
