I’m sorry to hear about the trouble with your scope.??I can't argue with your assessment of the design tradeoffs made to the UC line.??I just wouldn't characterize those tradeoffs as "problems".??Those are the features that differentiate the UC from other big dobs, and make it what it is - light, highly portable, easy to load in a car, and easy to set up and tear down when in the field.??

I have to drive at least an hour to get to clear, dark skies.??I’ve been doing this for over 20 years with all variety of scopes.??I’ve learned by experience that the heavier the scope and the more difficult it is to set up, the less it will get used after that new car smell wears off.??

When I purchased the 18UC nearly 15 years ago, I did so fully understanding these tradeoffs and willingly accepted them in order to get a light bucket that was highly portable and easy to set up and tear down.??There was no shortage of honest reviews back then, when I was researching this scope. It was because of the many reviews provided by users that I chose not to add a Servocat to this scope.??However, I did choose to add the digital encoders and Argo Navis.??This allows the 18UC to work extremely efficiently as a "push-to" scope.??No servo-cat required.?

I bought special collimation tools to help quickly align the scope after it is set up, something that has to be done every time.??I got very proficient at it.? I'd even re-collimate during a session if needed. ?It only takes a minute. ?Only rarely did collimation issues limit my ability to use the scope visually.??

I’ve logged more hours on the 18UC in the past 15 years than all other scopes that I’ve ever owned, combined.??I’ve seen thousands of deep sky objects with it.??On those rare nights where seeing wasn't the limiting factor, I’ve had the best views of Jupiter and Saturn that I’ve ever seen. Ad nauseam...

Amortizing the cost of the 18UC over 15 years, it may be the most economical scope I’ve ever owned as well.

Bob

Mark Bungart on 8/16/2022: To flame others who have had similar experiences to mine is insulting and sophomoric. Be better than that. ?

Richard Miller on 8/14/2022: I doubt that a group of enthusiasts and satisfied customers will be persuaded to join your cause if they have not been denied the customer service, or warranty repair or a refund from the supplier of the defective product. ?

J Molin on 8/17/2022: I respect your opinion and so do others. But, for me, seeing your inputs over a number of years on every related forum (and your communication with fellow astronomers we have encountered in common) that the Obsession UC 22 is the worst telescope ever and no one should ever buy/own one is very disappointing.

Richard on 8/18/2022: i purchased my UC18 without the ServoCAT and later installed it my self. ?Very happy customer, and have added lots of extras to achieve remote observing from inside my house. ?

Mark Bungart on 8/16/2022: All I know is that my Obsession has been the best purchase Ive ever made, nothing comes close tho my Honda snowblower is a distant second :)?

Frédéric Ruciak on 8/18/2022: And the views are ... wow. So we can argue endlessly about the value of the scopes and what you expected for that price. On my own when I look at the price of a very good 22' mirror, AN / SC, ?I found that the value of the total integrated scope is very good :-). I am very rational about my buying choices and I do not regret a moment to have let my scopes travel the ocean to land in my garage in France. I understand that you are disappointed, just consider that your experience might not reflect the one of many others who are satisfied without being stupid fans ;-)

Bob on 8/20/2022: I’ve logged more hours on the 18UC in the past 15 years than all other scopes that I’ve ever owned, combined.??I’ve seen thousands of deep sky objects with it.??On those rare nights where seeing wasn't the limiting factor, I’ve had the best views of Jupiter and Saturn that I’ve ever seen.? Amortizing the cost of the 18UC over 15 years, it may be the most economical scope I’ve ever owned as well.? Of all the scopes that I’ve purchased over the years, the OBSESSION UC18, while not perfect, is hands down THE BEST TELESCOPE that I have ever owned.

Mark Bungart on 8/16/2022: Dave has sold over a thousand Obsessions of various sizes since Obsession 1 was first designed. Clearly people love his scopes. Dave has typically been very responsive to customer issues and my own personal experience with Dave backs that up. Ive owned my Obsession 15 for 20 yrs now without a single mechanical issue or failure.? From my experience, Dave is a stand up guy and provides great support.?

Richard Miller on 8/14/2022:? After my 2 star alignment last night I set the Argo Navis to 'From Planetaruim" and retired to my recliner to "remote into" the telescope computer.? My UC18 dob "system" then sat out on my deck in range of my wifi and performed flawlessly powered over 8 hours by a 55 amp hour battery.? The ServoCAT and powered ground board provide the rotating power contacts and motion control with perfect interaction with Argo Navis.? Mallincam gets it power through these rotating contacts.? There is something very satisfying about all these systems working together to give me this remote observing capability from a dob.

Frédéric Ruciak on 8/18/2022: If we concentrate on UC22 that you are very disappointed with, I choose from the ordering to ask for single piece altitude bearings to avoid what I suspected to be some potential problems with foldable ones and I added some washers between the VMB and the side bearings to handle the slack that I had between the VMB and the rocker. Having done that during the initial assembly of my scope, I am very happy with it. Yes it is not as smooth as the classic design but I have AN/SC so it is not so important to me. The collimation holds from low altitude to zenith with some marginal difference I have always noted from all big scopes that I had the opportunity to compare with at star parties. Pointing and tracking works well, no issues with the altitude cable. What was most important to me is that I can put my UC22 in a standard space wagon and drive to my preferred rural dark spot and assemble/disassemble it alone.?

Bob on 8/20/2022: I wouldn't characterize the design tradeoffs of the UC as "problems".??Those are the features that differentiate the UC from other big dobs, and make it what it is - light, highly portable, easy to load in a car, and easy to set up and tear down in the field.?

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