S & S Optika

My husband found this gem a few weeks back. This mom & pop shop is not just a business for them. S & S Optica is their lives & passion. These folks are perfect for those from young beginners or experts. They are very knowledgeable & friendly. We go here for all of telescopic needs.

If you are a beginner or expert, W&S Optika is the place for you! I started shopping there in 1991 and have always been very pleased with them. They know their business and know the technology. And, they’re happy to share what they know. I’ve been happy with everything I’ve ever purchased there.
Yes, you could order a telescope from some mail-​order place and save a few dollars. Take my word for it: it’s not worth it. Spend the money locally; support a local business while you get MUCH better support and service. I wish all of the vendors I deal with had the same commitment to quality as S&S.

Here’s why we order from S&S when we could save a few bucks drop-​shipping our gear from the astronomy vendors:
1. Collimation. Kathy unpacks your telescope, sets it up, and adjusts it for optimal viewing. Your new toys get banged around the back of the UPS truck, and she puts everything back into alignment. Many experienced astronomers can do this themselves, but I haven’t learned yet. Expertise is something I’m willing to pay for.
2. Inspection and vendor relations. The guys at Orion customer service are great, but I’m glad I had a local expert on my side when my scope arrived with a small red speck inside the tube. I’m not sure when I would have noticed it, and it might have fallen onto the primary mirror to cause a little blurry spot that I would never understand.
3. Discounts. When I received my telescope, Kathy offered me a discount on eyepieces, a Barlow lens, red lights, etc. I could have waited for a sale at Orion or Celestron, but I wound up with a great bundle at a fair price.
4. Eyepiece loans. Is Orion going to ship you a premium eyepiece to try out over the weekend at no cost? Nope, didn’t think so.
5. Impulse buys. I can stop by S&S after work and be ready with a new toy by nightfall.
6. Advice. We spent over an hour practicing the setup and alignment of my new telescope, aligning the finder scope with the main tube, learning to focus, pack up, etc. I suppose I could have read that in a book somewhere, but I found this time to be invaluable. Every time I stop by I learn something new.
I like the staff at S&S — they are helpful and never try to oversell. I purchased a long focal length Maksutov-​Cassegrain telescope that is just about never sold as a first scope. Kathy has helped me many times to choose new accessories or to go home empty-​handed and happy. Local retailers fill an important role in the marketplace, and are really squeezed by all of us online shoppers. I’m happy to support them when I can.

I guess as a complete pair of beginners my wife and I had a different take on this than the first reviewer. They did a good job of asking what we were looking for, level of experience etc. and for that I was happy to buy from them.

I’m not sure how S&S Optika stays in business. I guess they cater to beginners in astronomy since they carry very few items and those are pretty low end. They have a few starter scopes and a few books and a few used telescopes that are being sold on a consignment basis. For anything else they offer to order it for you. I’m not sure if they are aware that a customer can just order things themselves off of the internet. I don’t see a whole lot of value in paying full retail at S&S when you can usually get a discount online or at least save on tax, and get the item faster and delivered directly to your door.
I REALLY want to support them but I just can’t see the point in shopping there. Why can’t Denver support a fully stocked astronomy store?