Dear all,
I have been starting to consider some options to buy a sextant, and I have seen that many buy sextants that a no longer produced, or 'vintage' sextants, see for example this thread. Given that sextants are highly delicate precision instruments, how do you guys make sure that you will get a sextant in proper conditions when you buy a 'vintage' one? Is there a way to identify reliable online vendors?
For example, in the thread above Douglas Denny says:
Given that this is a 'vintage' model, I wonder how one could make sure that it was new in the box before purchasing it.
Finally, I have a question about brand new sextants. I see that the brand that makes the sextant is not the same as the distributor. For example, Tamaya Technics does not sell directly its sextants. To buy one, one may go to Celestaire, or other distributors. What are some good, reliable distributors in Europe? Is Celestaire one of these?
Thank you for your help!
I have been starting to consider some options to buy a sextant, and I have seen that many buy sextants that a no longer produced, or 'vintage' sextants, see for example this thread. Given that sextants are highly delicate precision instruments, how do you guys make sure that you will get a sextant in proper conditions when you buy a 'vintage' one? Is there a way to identify reliable online vendors?
For example, in the thread above Douglas Denny says:
Quote:I have various sextants but the 'best' of all was amazingly cheap costing about £200 ($240 exchange rate Jan 2016), bought about four or five years ago; it is a Russian SNO-T and was new, unused in the original box. These were ex-Russian Navy released presumably as surplus to requirements.
Given that this is a 'vintage' model, I wonder how one could make sure that it was new in the box before purchasing it.
Finally, I have a question about brand new sextants. I see that the brand that makes the sextant is not the same as the distributor. For example, Tamaya Technics does not sell directly its sextants. To buy one, one may go to Celestaire, or other distributors. What are some good, reliable distributors in Europe? Is Celestaire one of these?
Thank you for your help!