Celestron StarHopper 8" Assistance

First off thanks for all of the advice so far I have learned quite a bit about this great hobby and purchasing telescopes and optics.

I am visiting a member of a local astronomy club on Thursday who is selling his telescope because he is moving out of state and does not want to drag it with him. The scope will be used as our first family scope (2 boy 8 and 5 who love science). The scope he is selling is a Celestron StarHopper 8" for $200. Here are more specifics:
-He ordered it direct from Celestron in 2000
-He has used it considerably and has been used at a number of star parties for the local club
-Comes with a 10mm and 25mm lens. TelRad finder. Weather cover. Rack and Pinion focuser
-Photos look great and it looks to be well cared for.
-It has the more sought after white DOB base (A couple of reviews of the black base had it less stable "Newer (white rocker box) versions are more desirable since they tend to hold their altitude position a little better" quote from Scopereviews.com)
-He is showing it to me Thursday and we will also take it outside for a night viewing on Thursday as well.

My main concern that has been expressed in reviews is that the secondary mirror is affixed on a single spindle as opposed to a "spider" spindle and when aligning the mirrors you actually have to bend and manipulate the spindle to properly align.

I would like to hear more from people who have this setup about their positives and negatives of this make/model. Also any additional thoughts are welcome and anything I can look for to determine if I should buy.

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Hello Alfred, I bought one of these 8 inch Star Hoppers back in 1998 and still own the scope today. I like the single stalk secondary holder better than the conventional four vane holder myself. There is much less diffraction caused by the single thick stalk than in a four vane system. At least this is my opinion when comparing the views to other 8 inch Newts. Make sure you star test the mirror before buying as all Star Hoppers were not created equal as far as optical quality goes. I lucked out and got a very good one. Also, with mine, I never had to bend the thick stalk to achieve proper collimation. The scope,once collimated, holds alignment very nicely. The new Chinese built Star Hoppers have a lot of problems with the movement of their Dobsonian mounts as I got test two of them first hand. Good luck with the scope. Dave Sewell

Thats a good price for complete 8" telescope. I'd go for it.

If at some point in the future you find that you don't like the secondary support, then you can change it. Use it until that day.

I owned one of these from 1998 - 2000. It was a great scope. I never had to bend the stalk to get the secondary aligned but I did have to "shim" it a bit with a washer between the stalk and the tube.

Mark

Hi Alfred,
I owned one of these for 3 years and was very pleased with it. My optics were very good. The movement of both axis were smoother than the newer ones of all the makes out now. I did have to bend the stalk slightly, but once is all that you should have to do; it holds collimation very well. The collimation knobs should be more than sufficient for further tweeking. I liked the fiber tube better than the metal ones. For $200, go for it.

Eddie Kirkland
Auburn, AL