Yuri is great to talk to and stands behind his products 110%.  The TEC 140 is the best buy for a quality 1400mm f/7 APO.  I have used mine both visually and imaging.  Visually it punches through tough seeing here in the North West when larger apertures just cant do it.  I have taken mine up to 100x the objective size thats 550x under very good seeing conditions.  I mostly image and am very impressed with it ability to capture faint stars.  I have captured 20.5 magnitude stars wit a 5 minutes exposure with and SBIG St8XME.  Visit my web site and see what the 140 can do ( samsastro.com) check out NGC 891.  I really like this scope and may consider the 200 in the future to compliment it.  Thanks Yuri for a great scope.

Sam

From: Samuel Pitts | Created on: 10/16/2009 1:48:56 PM

I have had my TEC 140 for almost two years and am extremely happy with it. The optics are fantastic and the mechanics are just as good. I had to wait a year for the scope and the wait was really worth it. Yuri is just great. He gives great personalized service and is nearly always available. I dont think you could get a better scope at any price.

From: | Created on: 10/16/2009 1:48:53 PM

This scope is the BEST there is! Others say there is no perfect scope, but this one is NO COMPROMISE.  Have thirty years observing experience and over ten scopes to compare with, the TEC just gets out of the way and puts you in space.  Fit, finish, mechanics ALL excellent. Excellent star test, very clear and precise pattern. Very slight color on vega at high power. Planetary detail marvelous, mottling on Mars, crepe, moons and numerous cloud bands on Saturn, festoons everynight on Jupiter with ragged edges to the main belts and detail within. Double stars resolved to limit(elongated beyond).  Rides well for visual on a CG5 goto. Starts to give you real deepsky detail on the faint fuzzies almost equal to an 8sct. Seems to do everything well for its size ...hence the 10 rating! Highly recommended!!!

From: | Created on: 10/16/2009 1:48:51 PM

I heartily agree with all of the above reviews (except for the 8 given by an anonymous reviewer - at least have the huevos to put your name on a rating).  My TEC 140 is the best astronomical purchase I have ever made!  I love my scope!

From: | Created on: 10/16/2009 1:48:51 PM

You wont find a better investment optically or mechanically.  Truely a work of art.  Im already dreaming of my next (larger) TEC refractor.

From: Todd Strackbein | Created on: 10/16/2009 1:48:47 PM

From: | Created on: 10/16/2009 1:48:47 PM

I gave the 140 a 10.  I wanted to give it a 9.5, but you cant.  No scope is perfect, but if you are looking for a mid sized APO I cannot think of a better value.

From: | Created on: 10/16/2009 1:48:46 PM

Everything they say is true.  

From: | Created on: 10/16/2009 1:48:45 PM

I have had my new telescope out for several good nights, and I am thoroughly pleased with it. The objective shows tremendous detail on the Moon and Saturn, and beautiful
sparkling diamond-like stars.  Even M1
looked good. The focuser is great, and
the rotatable focuser assembly with the
finder attached is a really good convenience. The finish lets me grasp
the OTA when my hands are very cold.
And, its weight is very manageable for me to put it on and take it off the
mount. Its a winner all the way around.
Very user friendly. Its a keeper.

From: | Created on: 10/16/2009 1:48:41 PM

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. 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 anti-reflective coatings are dark and evenly applied. When using a flashlight to peer inside the OTA to admire the scopes 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 havent yet reached the scopes 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.

From: | Created on: 10/16/2009 1:48:41 PM

From: | Created on: 10/16/2009 1:48:41 PM

This is a fantastic scope! The color and definition of its images are exceptional, and the feather touch focuser is a wonder.
This scope will fill the role of DSO ccd work and of mid-range planetary viewing - Ive had it up to 356X in fair to good seeing and expect it might do about 500X in seeing that is 9 or 10. Here is a great opportunity to own a premium scope without waiting for years or without paying huge amounts not to.

From: | Created on: 10/16/2009 1:48:39 PM

I believe this is the best scope available in this apeture and is quite a bargain compared to the competition. The scope is lighter and more portable than other scopes with this aperture but is of the highest quality both mechanically and optically, the 4 rotatable focuser is by far the best I have seen. If you are looking for a high quality refractor in this size range, I dont think you will ever regret choosing this scope.

From: | Created on: 10/16/2009 1:48:39 PM

If you desire the excellence of a high contrast oil spaced optical set in an apochromatic triplet, with an extremely well made CNC tube and a one of a kind FeatherTouchthe a  focuser with its 10:1 fine focus, then this is the scope for you.  Having first looked through Yuri Petrunin and companys 8 f/20 Mak/Cass at the Riverside Telescope Makers Conference in 1995, I knew that his company, TEC, made quality in their scopes. Loa oking for an oil spaced triplet refractor was difficult in that Astro-Physics had and has a multiyear backlog.  I really wished for another high quality manufacturer to make a telescope as good as the A-P refractors.  Well my look went no further when I discovered that TEC would be making that scope.  And indeed it is a fine refractor.  Having looked through A-P refractors and loving great contrasty views, I say that the TEC 140 measures up to the standard set by A-P.  But now, you can actually get this scope by TEC.  After owning every Celestron SCT, the 8 and 10 Meade LX200, the Meade 7 Mak/Cass,the Unitron 2.4 and 3, the Vixen 102 Fluorite and the D&G 6 f/12 refractors, and the Questar 3.5 and Quantum 4 Mak/Casss over the 20 years as an adult stargazer, I can truly say I have found the best.  Not only will the scope and TEC rings and plate mount straight on the mount for great pointing. Its optical quality is great for high mag extended objects like double stars, planets, moon and sun, as well as wide field on large clusters like the double cluster in Perseus.
And the personal help that both Kacie at Anacortes as well as Mr. Petrunin at TEC gave made the decision much easier. Thanks again to TEC and Anacortes.  

From: | Created on: 10/16/2009 1:48:39 PM

If you desire the excellence of a high contrast oil spaced optical set in an apochromatic triplet, with an extremely well made CNC tube and a one of a kind FeatherTouchthe a  focuser with its 10:1 fine focus, then this is the scope for you.  Having first looked through Yuri Petrunin and companys 8 f/20 Mak/Cass at the Riverside Telescope Makers Conference in 1995, I knew that his company, TEC, made quality in their scopes. Loa oking for an oil spaced triplet refractor was difficult in that Astro-Physics had and has a multiyear backlog.  I really wished for another high quality manufacturer to make a telescope as good as the A-P refractors.  Well my look went no further when I discovered that TEC would be making that scope.  And indeed it is a fine refractor.  Having looked through A-P refractors and loving great contrasty views, I say that the TEC 140 measures up to the standard set by A-P.  But now, you can actually get this scope by TEC.  After owning every Celestron SCT, the 8 and 10 Meade LX200, the Meade 7 Mak/Cass,the Unitron 2.4 and 3, the Vixen 102 Fluorite and the D&G 6 f/12 refractors, and the Questar 3.5 and Quantum 4 Mak/Casss over the 20 years as an adult stargazer, I can truly say I have found the best.  Not only will the scope and TEC rings and plate mount straight on the mount for great pointing. Its optical quality is great for high mag extended objects like double stars, planets, moon and sun, as well as wide field on large clusters like the double cluster in Perseus.
And the personal help that both Kacie at Anacortes as well as Mr. Petrunin at TEC gave made the decision much easier. Thanks again to TEC and Anacortes.  

From: | Created on: 10/16/2009 1:48:39 PM

Absolutely fantastic value and quality.  That is the short version.  The mechanical quality shows simplicity of design and high precision of execution.  The Feathertouch focuser is a dream to use, handles heavy loads with no sweat.  The OTA itself is clean with a very nice design for dew shield that slides over the tube.  The rings from TEC are light weight but very well built.  The optics are even better than the mechanics.  Very clean and color is so minimal I am not sure there is anything beyond what is supposed to be there.  I have used many scopes from Cave 10 Newt, a Cave 12.5 Cass, several SCTs, ED Refractors, some light buckets and a current scope a MN66.  None have the wide field and planetary contratst and sharpness exhibited in this extremely plesant surprise of a scope.  In the hobby for 30 years, and have found the mfr. that can not be topped.  Thanks Yuri!

From: | Created on: 10/16/2009 1:48:39 PM