Refractor Telescopes

Refractors were the initial instruments of astronomy, and though at times surpassed in use by reflectors and other designs, have continued to garner many enthusiasts. The instruments have been available both as "beginners" and "serious" telescopes. In their simplest form they are the least expensive telescope to make with the automated tools available to industry today, which is chiefly why they have proliferated as entry level amateur telescopes for so long. At the other end of the spectrum, the highest quality refractors can be the most difficult to design and manufacture and as a result, are very costly. Of course the old maxim holds true that you get what you pay for. On the lower end of the spectrum you can get a small diameter and fairly long instrument (for example 2.6" diameter and over 38" long) with a purple-blueish haze around any bright objects and a rather restricted view of the sky. At the high end you can get a fairly large instrument that is reasonably compact, (for example 4" diameter and less than 30" long) and that provides a fairly wide view and without doubt produces the sharpest and most detailed images you can imagine.

There have been many manufacturers of small refractors over the past few decades, and they vary in quality ridiculous to sublime. Manufacturers such as Bushnell, Jason, Idai, Tasco, and numerous others have made telescopes that are barely usable and worse. The chief complaint about these are the wobbly mounts and the ridiculously high power eyepieces supplied with the telescopes. The telescopes listed here are in the better categories and it is worthy of note that even most small telescopes built before the mid eighties can be of pretty good quality even if they are not listed here. The brands of Focal, Sears and Swift often fall into that category, and should be available on the used market for less than $100.