Rewriting the History of Meade Instruments
Birthed in Stargazing: The Meade Instruments Story
Telescope Models, Critiques, and Ratings: Meade Series Overview and User Assessments
Meade Instruments, a household name in the astronomy world, was born in 1972 by visionary John Diebel. Initially an importer,Diebel's operation started in his humble apartment before expanding into a full-sized warehouse in Costa Mesa, California.
Meade's metamorphosis from an importer to a manufacturer began when Diebel started collaborating with Japanese manufacturers, providing design input. This collaboration resulted in Meade producing top-notch equatorially-mounted Newtonians with their own optics, made by former employees from Cave and Coulter Optical.
The Stardust 2080: The Game Changer
In 1980, Meade solidified its place in stargazing history with the introduction of the Stardust 2080—an 8" Schmidt-Cassegrain. This telescope was designed to challenge Celestron's popular C8, which was showing signs of age. The 2080 boasted superior rigidity with its extendable telescoping-leg tripod and a DC-powered worm gear drive compared to the C8's AC-powered spur gears.
The 80s and Beyond: A Race to the Stars
Although both Meade and Celestron juggled quality issues as demand for telescopes surged due to Halley's Comet, Meade remained innovative, often overtaking Celestron in the 80s. In the late 80s, Meade introduced the LX200 line—the first affordable GoTo telescopes for amateur astronomers. They also debuted the ETX, a 90mm Maksutov-Cassegrain with optics similar to the famed Questar.
The 90s: A Decade of Greed?
By the mid-90s, it seemed Meade's primary focus shifted to profit, leading to poor customer service and a trend of selling "department-store" telescopes at big box stores, targeting unsuspecting consumers. Meade Instruments eventually went public in 1997 and attempted to buy Celestron in 2002, an attempt thwarted by the Federal Trade Commission.
The Move to Mexico: Quality Concerns Arise
In 2006, Meade moved the majority of their telescope production to Mexico, citing profitability concerns. They also introduced the "RCX" line, claiming these Schmidt-Cassegrains were Ritchey-Chretien telescopes—a false claim that eventually led to lawsuits and technical troubles. The financial crisis of 2008 further impacted Meade's sales, and they neared bankruptcy by the early 2010s.
The Orion Age: Saved, Reshaped, and eventual Shutdown?
Meade was bought by Ningbo Sunny Electronics Co. in 2013, but struggles continued. A lawsuit in 2019 by Orion revealed collusion with Synta, the present owner of Sky-Watcher and Celestron, to fix prices on telescopes. This led to Meade's filing for bankruptcy and eventual buyout by Orion. As of 2022, Orion seems to be keeping Meade on life support, but the company's future remains uncertain.
Questionable Quality: A Telling Tale
Today, Meade offers a mix of high-end and lower-quality telescopes, with occasional false or misleading advertising, poor customer service, and a lack of spare parts plaguing their product range. Although Meade still makes some nice telescopes, their constant product line changes, lack of support, and questionable quality make it difficult to wholeheartedly recommend them.
A Word of Caution
Despite Meade's success and influence in the astronomy world, their history is marked by financial struggles, shifts in focus, and questionable practices. If you're considering purchasing a Meade telescope, proceed with caution, especially when it comes to electronics with potentially unreliable customer support.
Meade Telescopes Reviewed by Us
- Meade Infinity 70
- Meade Infinity 80
- Meade Infinity 90
- Meade Infinity 102
- Meade ETX 80 Observer
- Meade ETX 90 Observer
- Meade ETX 125 Observer
- Meade Polaris 130
- Meade Starnavigator NG 102
Where to Buy Meade Instruments Telescopes in the US
- Amazon
- HighPoint Scientific
- Agena Astro
- Astronomics
- Meade's collaborative venture with Japanese manufacturers allowed them to produce equatorially-mounted telescopes with their own optics, competing with the market's offerings like Celestron's Schmidt-Cassegrain.
- In the 1980s, Meade introduced the LX200 line, revolutionary GoTo telescopes that catered to amateur astronomers, and the ETX, a Small Schmidt-Cassegrain with optics akin to Questar.
- As technology advanced in the space-and-astronomy gadgets sector, Meade continued to innovate, offering manual and automated telescopes equipped with top-notch optics to serve the changing demands of stargazers.
- Today, many consumers doubt Meade due to their questionable practices, such as false advertising, poor customer service, and inconsistent product quality, making it crucial for buyers to exercise caution before investing in their telescopes, especially those with electronic components.
