Lidl telescopes

Sounds like it's faulty. Why not accept an exchange?

Cheers, Jiffy

Martin

2004-09-07 17:55:24 UTC

Post by Jiffy
Sounds like it's faulty. Why not accept an exchange?
Cheers, Jiffy

Before i bought it i tried out an opened telescope in the Lidl store and it
wouldn't focus on anything.
I assumed that it'd focus on more distant objects.
Another chap looking at the telescopes at the same time said he could get it
to focus on anything - but the store's less than 100 metres or so in length
so..

If i can't find my receipt then i'll get it exchanged, but from testing the
one in the store and from how the one i've purchased is (isn't!) working i'm
assuming they're all the same.

If the sky's clear later and i can get some reasonable lunar images then
i'll be 50% happy - but i was hoping that the telescope would have a
terrestrial purpose..

Martin.

Richard

2004-09-07 17:36:24 UTC

I was in Lidl yesterday and a customer was peering down one of these
telescopes up and down the aisle. I thought he was some sort of
pervert until I saw him complaining to the manager about something. I
guess it was to do with the non function of the telescope.

Andy Heer

2004-09-07 17:47:57 UTC

I bought one of these the last time they had them and it took a while before
I realised that you twist the body of the telescope to focus it.

Andy

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Martin

2004-09-07 18:33:40 UTC

and

Post by Martin
got just an unfocussed blurry image.
So i headed for the local river thinking it'd focus on the rivermouth -

over

Post by Martin
1000km away..

I bought one of these the last time they had them and it took a while before
I realised that you twist the body of the telescope to focus it.
Andy

Without making myself sound stupid could you elaborate......??

Martin.

Andy Heer

2004-09-08 07:36:49 UTC

Post by Martin
Hello all.
I bought myself one of the Lidl £9.99 telescopes on Monday -

expecting

Post by Andy Heer
a

Post by Martin
good bargain.
Only problem - it doesn't seem to focus on a single thing!
I first tried it out trying to focus on objects say 100-200 metres away

and

Post by Martin
got just an unfocussed blurry image.
So i headed for the local river thinking it'd focus on the rivermouth -

over

Post by Martin
1000km away..

I bought one of these the last time they had them and it took a while

before

Post by Andy Heer
I realised that you twist the body of the telescope to focus it.
Andy

Without making myself sound stupid could you elaborate......??
Martin.

Hold the faux-leather bit (ie one end of the telescope) in one hand and the
other end of the telsecope in the other hand. Twist one hand.

Andy

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Martin

2004-09-08 08:24:56 UTC

Post by Martin
Hello all.
I bought myself one of the Lidl £9.99 telescopes on Monday -

expecting

Post by Andy Heer
a

Post by Martin
good bargain.
Only problem - it doesn't seem to focus on a single thing!
I first tried it out trying to focus on objects say 100-200 metres

away

Post by Andy Heer
and

Post by Martin
got just an unfocussed blurry image.
So i headed for the local river thinking it'd focus on the

rivermouth -

Post by Andy Heer
over

Post by Martin
1000km away..

Post by Martin

Post by Richard
guess it was to do with the non function of the telescope.

I bought one of these the last time they had them and it took a while

before

Post by Andy Heer
I realised that you twist the body of the telescope to focus it.
Andy

Without making myself sound stupid could you elaborate......??
Martin.

Hold the faux-leather bit (ie one end of the telescope) in one hand and the
other end of the telsecope in the other hand. Twist one hand.
Andy

I was expecting it to be a simple twist one way or the other to focus -
unfortuantely Lidl's seem to have had a batch of dud's on sale this week.

Thanks anyway.

Martin.

Martin

2004-09-08 05:36:15 UTC

Post by Martin
Hello all.
I bought myself one of the Lidl £9.99 telescopes on Monday - expecting a
good bargain.
Only problem - it doesn't seem to focus on a single thing!
I first tried it out trying to focus on objects say 100-200 metres away and
got just an unfocussed blurry image.
So i headed for the local river thinking it'd focus on the rivermouth - over
1000km away..
No joy - still just a blurry image.
Tried focussing on some clouds - same blurry image.
Seems as if it can't focus on anything.
I was gonna try focussing on the moon last night but weather conditions
prevented me.
Meanwhile i seem to have lost the receipt so when i tried to get my £9.99
back from Lidl earlier today they weren't interested - they would exchange
it for another telescope but no chance of a refund.
I'm no dunce when it comes to such devices - need no obvious comments about
how to focus it...
Has anyone else bought one of these and got it working?
Is it's minimum focal distance large - so it'll only focus on objects a long
way away (such as the moon maybe)?
Hoping for a clear night to give some lunar focussing a go...
Else i'll be searching for my receipt and demanding a refund.
Martin.

Well i was up bright and early to give the heavens a view but still the
telescope wouldn't focus.

Meanwhile i've found the receipt so it's going back for a refund at 9AM!

Martin.

Martin

2004-09-08 08:23:32 UTC

Post by Martin

and

Post by Martin
got just an unfocussed blurry image.
So i headed for the local river thinking it'd focus on the rivermouth -

over

Post by Martin
1000km away..
No joy - still just a blurry image.
Tried focussing on some clouds - same blurry image.
Seems as if it can't focus on anything.
I was gonna try focussing on the moon last night but weather conditions
prevented me.
Meanwhile i seem to have lost the receipt so when i tried to get my £9.99
back from Lidl earlier today they weren't interested - they would exchange
it for another telescope but no chance of a refund.
I'm no dunce when it comes to such devices - need no obvious comments

about

Post by Martin
how to focus it...
Has anyone else bought one of these and got it working?
Is it's minimum focal distance large - so it'll only focus on objects a

long

Post by Martin
way away (such as the moon maybe)?
Hoping for a clear night to give some lunar focussing a go...
Else i'll be searching for my receipt and demanding a refund.
Martin.

Well i was up bright and early to give the heavens a view but still the
telescope wouldn't focus.
Meanwhile i've found the receipt so it's going back for a refund at 9AM!
Martin.

9:21AM and i've just got back from Lidl's...

They gave me a refund no problems - the supervisor said they'd had no end of
these telescopes returned since Monday.
All with the same problem - unable to focus on anything!

Martin.

2004-09-08 09:51:37 UTC

Post by Martin
They gave me a refund no problems - the supervisor said they'd had no end of
these telescopes returned since Monday.
All with the same problem - unable to focus on anything!
Martin.

What happens to these now - skipped?

Central TV

2004-09-08 15:44:09 UTC

Post by GB

Post by Martin
They gave me a refund no problems - the supervisor said they'd had no

end

Post by GB
of

Post by Martin
these telescopes returned since Monday.
All with the same problem - unable to focus on anything!
Martin.

What happens to these now - skipped?

Yes usually Lidl most times can't be bothered to send anything back. A
friend was a manager at one, but also had to filled in as a manager at a
couple of others.

They just skip them. Non of the workers (or managers) are meant to have
anything that's been skipped or going to be skipped, but he didn't care as
long as the area manager wasn't popping in, but he'd probably do the same
anyway..

We would go in in the van, have childrens bikes, bunk beds, bread-makers,
fruit and veg (before it made it to the skip), clothes - anything - no point
in it going to waste.

Walt Davidson

2004-09-08 16:02:21 UTC

On Wed, 8 Sep 2004 16:44:09 +0100, "Central TV"

Post by Central TV
We would go in in the van, have childrens bikes, bunk beds, bread-makers,
fruit and veg (before it made it to the skip), clothes - anything - no point
in it going to waste.

Pikey!

:-)

--
Walt Davidson Email: g3nyy @despammed.com
"I don't use Linux. I prefer to use an OS supported by a large multi-
national vendor, with a good office suite, excellent network/internet
software and decent hardware support."

Len Warner

2004-09-11 10:24:59 UTC

Post by Martin
I bought myself one of the Lidl £9.99 telescopes on Monday - expecting a
good bargain.
Only problem - it doesn't seem to focus on a single thing!
I first tried it out trying to focus on objects say 100-200 metres away and
got just an unfocussed blurry image.

<snip>

Post by Martin
Has anyone else bought one of these and got it working?
Is it's minimum focal distance large - so it'll only focus on objects a long
way away (such as the moon maybe)?

Lidl Welwyn Garden had a very few of these on Thursday 9th.
Lidl Borehamwood had quite a lot and one of them had been partly dismantled.
I found the bits, took them apart a bit more and put it back together,
so I can give you an autopsy report ;-)

This is a conventional terrestrial telescope with a well made and finished
metal body giving a smooth focusing movement. The lenses do not have
any obvious anti-reflection coating but appear of good quality.
The front tube (the big one) contains the 30mm objective lens, the rear
tube (the smallest one) contains an image-erecting eyepiece at the rear
and a field lens at the front (this is a fixed assembly - no adjustment).

To focus the telescope, extend it fully and then retract about 5 to 6 mm.
(It doesn't matter which joint you move, since there are no optics
between the front and rear tubes, but I found the rear joint easiest.)

This puts the telescope near infinity focus (actually the length of the
store, but Lidl Borehamwood is pretty long!)

To focus CLOSER extend the telecope again: the limited movement available
means the closest focussing distance is about 6m/20ft.

This worked identically on two telescopes I tried.

My opinion: nice, basic telescope but not what I want. I'm happier with
my 8x21 binoculars from my local Safeway/Morrisons petrol station for
about a fiver. However, if you want higher magnification than 8x, you have
more chance of holding steady a 25x telescope than 25x binoculars.

BTW, Lidl Borehamwood has MUCH more 'weekly specials' stuff than I have
found in other stores: an aisle and a bit in an unusually long store.

Some things I recognised from previous weeks: a few satellite dishes, and
several tv/sat extension cable kits sans-box: I wonder if they clear
the leftovers from the other local London Lidls?

Len Warner

Len Warner

2004-09-16 16:23:02 UTC