TEC 140

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Brand and Model:	TEC 140
Price ($USD):	4500
Type:	Apochromatic Refractor
Attributes:	Go-To PEC
Aperture:	140 mm
f Ratio:	7
Focal Length:	980
Finder:
Electric Power:
Mount:
Tripod:
Weight (lbs):	20
Dimensions (w/h/d):	36 in
Description:	TEC 140 APO Refractor. Design: Aplanatic oiled triplet APO, ED glass with two other ones. Optimized for e-line 456nm - Strehl 0.99, PV 1/20 (calculated)

Vote Highlights

TEC 140

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This is a magnificent scope, both mechanically and optically. The massive Feathertouch focuser is very smooth and has some nice features such as the fine focus knob, rotating ring, and the tapped holes that allow the finder to be attached directly to the focuser. This feature lets the finder rotate with the focuser...a nice touch! The collet at the back of the focuser grips the diagonal firmly while keeping it centered directly in the optical path. The OTA itself is flawlessly painted a sturdy, barely off-white color that has a slight pebbled texture on the finish. Altogether, it is a very attractive instrument. Not to be outdone, the optics are as good as any I have ever seen. The TEC 140 sports an oil-spaced triplet of unsurpassed quality and has anti-reflective coatings that are dark and evenly applied. When using a flashlight to peer inside the OTA to admire the scope's baffles, I almost had to work at producing reflections from the glass. These fine optics produce images that are clear, bright, and razor sharp. When looking at DSOs, the background is very dark and contrast is excellent. On the moon, color is completely absent on the limb and terminator, and I haven't yet reached the scope's full potential for high magnification. Views of Saturn and Jupiter are stunning and reveal a wealth of fine detail during good seeing, also without false color. Bluntly stated, I have never looked through a refractor of similar size that produced better views. To sum up, this is a beautifully made, high-performance scope that will satisfy anyone searching for a top quality 5-6" refractor. I recommend it without reservation.

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 Ease of Use:10 Value:10
Weight: 40 (Reputable Vote)
Date: 07/29/2007 12:15:33 am PDT
By: Sailcat
Link to this vote: http://excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=334117

Reply Replies: 0

TEC 140

This is a magnificent scope, both mechanically and optically. The massive Feathertouch focuser is very smooth and has some nice features such as the fine focus knob, rotating ring, and the tapped holes that allow the finder to be attached directly to the focuser. This feature lets the finder rotate with the focuser...a nice touch! The collet at the back of the focuser grips the diagonal firmly while keeping it centered directly in the optical path. The OTA itself is flawlessly painted a sturdy, barely off-white color that has a slight pebbled texture on the finish. Altogether, it is a very attractive instrument. Not to be outdone, the optics are as good as any I have ever seen. The TEC 140 sports an oil-spaced triplet of unsurpassed quality and has anti-reflective coatings that are dark and evenly applied. When using a flashlight to peer inside the OTA to admire the scope's baffles, I almost had to work at producing reflections from the glass. These fine optics produce images that are clear, bright, and razor sharp. When looking at DSOs, the background is very dark and contrast is excellent. On the moon, color is completely absent on the limb and terminator, and I haven't yet reached the scope's full potential for high magnification. Views of Saturn and Jupiter are stunning and reveal a wealth of fine detail during good seeing, also without false color. Bluntly stated, I have never looked through a refractor of similar size that produced better views. To sum up, this is a beautifully made, high-performance scope that will satisfy anyone searching for a top quality 5-6" refractor. I recommend it without reservation.

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 Ease of Use:10 Value:10
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
Date: 01/15/2004 09:48:55 pm PDT
By: Anonymous (xxx.xxx.38.145)
Link to this vote: http://excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=333901

Reply Replies: 0

TEC 140

This scope is just incredible. By far the best of any 5" class scope I have looked through. It completely blows away the competition. It is also nice that it is one of the lower priced entries in that field. I did a side by side with several fine refractors, including the TV-127is, and you could easily see more stars with the TEC 140. Fit, finish, optics, all are 10+.

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 Value:10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date: 01/25/2008 12:24:04 pm PDT
By: Anonymous (xxx.xxx.86.174)
Link to this vote: http://excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=575047

Reply Replies: 0

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