Tele Vue eyepieces have a tremendous reputation and the same can be said of its Barlow lenses, so this 2x Barlow lens has a lot to live up to. Fortunately it delivers.
It appears long, measuring 97mm, but only 41mm extends out of the focuser when fitted.
The main upper barrel is black, the central 1.25-inch barrel is silver and the lower lens housing is black. This lens section is threaded to accept standard filters.
The screw for holding the eyepiece is chunky and doesn’t unscrew all the way out, so it won’t fall out and get lost in the dark.
Another good feature is its brass compression ring, which holds the eyepiece firmly in place.
Unlike a screw, the compression ring doesn’t cause any damage to eyepiece barrels.
Looking at the night sky, the width of the view with our 26mm eyepiece inserted is similar to the Orion Standard Barlow at about 1.25º.
The quality of the view was impressive, with virtually no distortion near the edges of the field.
When we placed the double star Iota Orionis at the field edge we could see its companion easily.At the centre of this view sprawled the Orion Nebula.
Using averted vision with our 10mm eyepiece in the Barlow, we saw the extra two stars in the Trapezium Cluster among the nebulosity.
The 10mm with Barlow combination also gave good views of M82 and M1.
So all in all this Barlow is a really good performer; if only it had a camera thread and rubber grip it would have everything.
Vital stats
- Price £125
- Magnification 2x
- Barrel 1.25-inch
- Lens design Double element
- Lens coating Multicoated
- Length 97mm
- Weight 136g
- Supplier Telescope House
- www.telescopehouse.com
