How to Spot a JUNK SCOPE! Avoid These Hobby Killers! Red Flags! (Plus, Better Alternatives!)

Hobby killing junk scopes have been the bane of our hobby for 50+ years. Hardly a day has gone by in these past 25 years where I don't get a question about this awful stuff. You are better off not buying a telescope at all, than spending $200 on something you will throw eventually away. Find out what red flags to watch out for, and try the alternatives listed at the end of the video.

Note: If you are old enough, you may remember when entry level scopes were decent. Up through the 1970s or so, small refractors were brand-labeled Japanese telescopes from manufacturers like Goto, Towa, Royal Astro, Halmar, and others. The Tascos from this era were good, even collectible today. Even the early scopes from Sears were good. But sometime in the 1980s, something sinister happened when manufacturers started selling useless plastic junk from China.

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