Customer Reviews

Meade 128 3x 1.25-Inch Barlow Lens

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I believe this barlow was released by Meade for use in the ETX-60 and -70, but it works in my EXT-90 EC.

I first used it while observing the moon, which all of a sudden got a heck of a lot closer.

The field of view changes a little when using the barlow, so that takes some getting used to. Also, I had to slightly adjust the focus after inserting the barlow -- in other words, you can't just sight in an object with a standard eyepiece, drop in the barlow, and then be in perfect focus. Not a big deal.

I debated whether to get the 2x or 3x barlow. Perhaps naively I went for the higher power ("real" astronomers advise against the abuse of power), but right now I just have the stock 26 mm eyepiece, so I don't think I exceeded my limit (with the barlow I get to 144x).

After reading some of the other reviews, I wasn't sure if I should get the 2X or 3X Barlow for my ETX-60AT. Since they cost the same, I went for the higher power one and boy was that the right choice! With the included 9mm(39X) eyepice, I now get 117X magnification w/ the Barlow. It's like being right on the moon! (Well, not really, but closer nonetheless.) What's even more impressive is the fact that the image remains crisp and clear. And for those who complain about having to re-focus when using the Barlow, what planet are you on? When you change eyepieces, don't you re-focus then also? BTW, with the 25mm(14X) eyepiece and Barlow, you'll get 42X. Another way to get 117X is to buy the 6mm(58X) eyepiece along w/ the 2X Barlow. Of course w/ the 6mm, you're looking into an eyepiece 33% smaller than the 9mm. May be tough to see if you're wearing glasses too. I wonder if there's a Meade 4X Barlow??

This lens does what is says - it triples your current lens' magnification and makes things look much closer. However, do not expect miracles from it. The image is not quite a crisp and clear as your regular lens. You also have to re-focus after adding the Barlow lens, and it is a little more difficult to focus. Overall, it is a good lens but a stronger eyepiece might work even better.

Their workmanship is immaculate and it performs exactly as they said in their catalogue. I am very pleased with this accessory for my telescope.

Right now we only have the 26mm lens that came with our Meade 90ETX. This 3x Barlow was the first add-on lens that we bought - and we're glad that we did. Images magnified with the 26mm + 3x Barlow remain crisp and well-defined.

I can't wait to try this baby out with some higher power base lenses.

This Barlow lens is a WONDERFUL addition to any amateur astronomers collection, bringing even the faintest objects much more clearly into view. On the down side, it is also very touchy, in that one needs to have the telescope extremely stable, and wind conditions cannot be above 5-7 mph, due to stability problems. However, all things aside, I would HIGHLY recommend this item to any astronomer wishing to increase their enjoyment of local (solar system) viewing as well as longer range viewing.
Extremely portable, very well made. Meade does it again!

I have a short tube 2x barlow that works okay. The 3x short tube barlow has multiple internal reflections which cause the image to blur. I don't know enough about the optical design to say if this is intrinsic to the short tube design, but I think it is the reason that meade discontinued selling their 3x barlow.

It works like it should (3x zoom) - of course it distorts the image, but you can see your image much bigger than without it.

Pleased, fit with no problems on an Orion 8" dobsonian sky quest. Will now try a 5x lens and compare the two.

With this piece combined with a 2x Barlow I can get great magnification without using high-power eyepieces. Only problem I found is the thread does not fit with the Celestron filters. I clarify, I can couple the filters with my Celestron 1.25 eyepieces but I cannot screw it directly in the Meade Barlow. I can do it with the Celstron Barlow. Not a big deal because, anyway, I use the Celestron Barlow along with the Meade Barlow. I wonder why the manufactures does not establish a standard for the threads.