Product Comparison: ORION SkyQuest XT8 (8945) vs ORION SkyQuest XT8 PLUS (8974)


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General Specifications
Brand
Orion
Orion
Model
SkyQuest XT8 (8945)
SkyQuest XT8 PLUS (8974)
Origin
USA
USA
About the Product
A powerful and capable telescope, the Orion SkyQuest XT8 Classic Dobsonian is one of our most popular reflectors due to its elegant combination of precision optics, mechanical simplicity, and rock-solid stability. You and your whole family will appreciate the bright, clear views of the night sky provided by the XT8 Classic.
This deluxe version of our popular 8" Dobsonian reflector telescope is loaded with top-notch feature enhancements and upgraded accessories to make every night under the stars a special experience. The Orion SkyQuest XT8 PLUS Dobsonian telescope boasts a redesigned base with weight-reducing cutouts and highly visible white trim on the baseboard.
Key Specs
Optical Design
Reflector
Reflector
Aperture
203 mm
203 mm
Focal Length
1200 mm
1200 mm
Focal Ratio
f/5.9
f/5.9
Highest Useful Magnification
300 x
300 x
Lowest Useful Magnification
29 x
29 x
What customers say about "Key Specs"
ORION SkyQuest XT8 (8945) Classic Dobsonian Telescope
  • Decent size optics that have a lot of light gathering ability. This is needed for the faint galaxies, nebula, and star clusters.
  • Fantastic light-gathering capability. Easy to collimate by hand with included collimation cap
  • Pretty awesome so far. It's quite large. An 8 inch aperture scope for this price can't be beat. It can be a bit of a job to move around but i think its worth it for the simple yet rugged design.
  • The Orion XT8 Classic is a great telescope at a wonderful price for new telescope users or those upgrading from a small, very inexpensive telescope to something more capable.
  • This is my first telescope ever, and its amazing! I have looked through other scopes before, just never owned a good one until now! The scope came well packaged and quick.
ORION SkyQuest XT8 PLUS (8974) Dobsonian Reflector Telescope Kit
  • Gorgeous light capture, really brings the sky to life especially with the 2inch 28mm Wide eyepiece it comes with.
  • This scope is beautiful and is all that I had realistically hoped for. The upgrades are worth the price increase over the Classic IMO. Enjoy!
  • This is a fantastic scope for observations. I upgraded from a Celestron Powerseeker 127eq and this took things to a whole new level.
  • That much said....this scope is quite amazing and beyond capable at its price point. It's all most of us will ever truly need.
  • This scope is worth the extra price over the basic XT8 in my opinion...but I'd still take a basic XT8 in a heartbeat if it was all I could afford at the time....the basic or this will serve you very very well.
Size & Weight
Height
50.2 in.
50.2 in.
Width
17.5 in.
17.5 in.
Depth
15.5 in.
15.5 in.
Weight
41 lbs.
42 lbs.
Features
Optical Coatings
Low thermal expansion borosilicate glass
Low thermal expansion borosilicate glass
Finderscope
EZ Finder II
EZ Finder II
Optical Tube Length
1180mm (46.5")
1180mm (46.5")
Accessory Tray Included
No
Yes
Extras
Sirius Plossl 25.0mm (1.25") eyepieces, PTFE and UHMW bearings
Sirius Plossl 10.0mm (1.25"), DeepView 28.0mm (2"), 2" dual-speed Crayford focuser, PTFE and UHMW bearings
What customers say about "Features"
ORION SkyQuest XT8 (8945) Classic Dobsonian Telescope
  • I thought long and hard about spending three to five times this much on different scopes with more advanced features.
  • Finderscope adjustments are fast, easy, and nowhere near as frustrating as a three-screw system
  • Starpointer EZ finder works great on bright objects (planetary) but if you need to find m51 that does not have any bright objects around it you'll see what I am talking about. It should come with a nice optical finderscope.
  • If you live in a light-polluted zone, switch out the red dot finder to a finderscope. Star hopping is great if you can actually see the stars.
  • Aligning the finderscope was more of a challenge, however. I note that most people who "dock a point" on this telescope do so due to the finderscope.
ORION SkyQuest XT8 PLUS (8974) Dobsonian Reflector Telescope Kit
  • Eyepiece holder makes things easier during the dark to switch out as needed [its the little touches]
  • I can say, without a doubt, that I’m extremely happy with it. It comes with the EZ Finder II to help you find what you’re looking for.
  • The red dot finder if properly sighted in is pretty capable on brighter objects. It's sufficient.
  • Viewfinder it comes with is garbage, get yourself a nicer one when you buy it [I got a Telrad with mine, love it].
Mount Information
Mount Type
Dobsonian
Dobsonian
Tripod Material
Wood
Wood
What customers say about "Mount Information"
ORION SkyQuest XT8 (8945) Classic Dobsonian Telescope
  • The springs on the Dobsonian mount are a nice touch. It keeps the scope from slowly drifting up or down because of balance issues.
  • Tracking objects is no problem at all when the mount tension is just right.
  • Mount is easy to swing but not easy enough to get free wheeling.
  • The mount is heavy, however not heavy enough to compensate vibration on the floor when people walk through.
  • As others have noted, it took longer to unpack and verify nothing was missing than it took to assemble the base and mount the scope.
ORION SkyQuest XT8 PLUS (8974) Dobsonian Reflector Telescope Kit
  • Solid construction, wood base, metal tube, metal eyepiece holder, heavier adjustment knobs throughout give it a nice feel
  • The structure seems sturdy and looks sharp with the blue instead of black tube. I look forward to testing out the eyepieces are completing my review in a few weeks.
  • It's a very sturdy and well thought out designed base and tube.
  • The dobsonian base on this unit over the basic is quite nice. The cut outs on the sides reduce the weight and give you an area to grasp the base when transporting it.
  • Heavy to slog around, good 35lbs with the wood base [your supposed to take it off the base and carry each separate but who does that?!?]
Warranty / Certifications
Manufacturer Warranty
1 year(s)
1 year(s)
Certifications
CE, FCC
CE, FCC
Other Information
Manufacturer
MSRP
399.99
599.99

Price History


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