![]() Maybe one day Tasco will start supplying beginners with better quality astro gear but who knows? The “red tube” curse is entirely a Tasco thing, though other manufacturers are heading down the same route by allowing their brand to be stamped on some truly atrocious telescopes. Tasco aren’t the only manufacturer to cut costs at the expense of performance (read my Celestron 50 review) but they are responsible for turning whole generations away from small affordable telescopes. My Zennox 50×600 performs far better than the Tanzutsu Japanese 56T! most people would be surprised at just how well some modern chinese telescopes perform. The Japanese low cost telescope has been replaced by cheaper chinese competition, but not all chinese telescopes are as poor quality as the Tasco novice versions. The early Tasco’s are so much better than todays offerings from the company. In conclusion to the above i’ve got to state a few truths. I can’t recommend these models as i know there are better telescopes for the same cost available from other manufacturers. Sometimes bundled with a Microscope, these models usually have a single lens objective instead of the much superior Achromat, though derided it’s still a telescope and will still give a basic astro experience. all plastic and primarily aimed at children. Again a variable bunch! seen most commonly as the “Novice” or starter telescopes, the 5T and 45T are exactly what people expect of cheap chinese telescopes. ![]() The reason the 56T is so confusing is because it was made in Japan then Korea and lastly Taiwan. I briefly owned a Tanzutsu 56T but it was a disappointment after the Towa models. Tasco had some really good red tube scopes like the 6TR-S above and the Tasco/Vixen9VR 60mm, both replaced by models by Tanzutsu (diamond Z) the focusers are marked “Japan ”. This costcutting lead to the common belief that the “red tube” telescopes of the era were junk scopes. Now in the Halley’s comet boom for telescope sales most manufacturers were looking at cutting costs to maximise sales. All previous models are fitted with Towa objectives but sadly the 56T is not. The 56T is the last and most confusing model with a Japan variant. As you can see this version was a step back to tabletop mount but retained the 2x barlow. The 6TR-S is an exception to the red tube curse which we’ll get onto next. Now in “Radiant Red” this version is rare and widely avoided by astronomers “in the know” due to red tube Halley’s comet era telescopes that were vastly inferior to earlier versions. The 6TR-S (as far as i can tell) is the last telescope in Tasco’s 50mm lineup fitted with a Towa objective and performs as well as the previous 66TE. ![]() Although this model has a full size tripod it’s not the best but.! it’s better than the cheap flimsy aluminium type provided with todays chinese offerings. Usual focal lengths of supplied eyepieces are 20, 12.5 and 6mm. The eyepieces are all equal in performance. The optics are just a touch better in my 6TE. If i had to choose between the 66TE and the earlier 6TE, i’d personally choose the earlier model. i have three of these models and all perform identically. Next in the lineup and by far the most common is the 66TE, now with a full size tripod with steel legs and a 2x barlow added to the accessories list. (I have seen an earlier version than mine with no finderscope just two aluminium peephole sights). Mounted on a sturdier tripod these scopes are a joy to use. I have tested the views through two seperate 6TE’s and both were good performers. Equiped with a Towa 50mm objective it gives very good views for it’s size. To my knowledge the earliest Tasco 50mm is the 6TE, a Tabletop telescope supplied with a diagonal, 3 eyepieces and a tiny finderscope. This guide is’nt meant to be a thorough guide to Tasco’s 50mm telescope collection, only an overview of my knowledge that i share freely and without recourse. I’m not including the terrestrial versions or “spotters” as they’re commonly known, just the Astro versions. This is a quick guide to the well known and often overlooked Tasco 50mm (2 inch) Refractor range.
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