A spread of magnifications, or four that overlap
An eyepiece set is bought for a reason that is rarely stated outright: it is cheaper than assembling the same range one piece at a time, and it arrives in a case that keeps glass out of a coat pocket. Whether it is a good purchase turns on a single question — does the spread of focal lengths cover useful magnifications in the telescope that is already owned, without repeating what came in the box with it? A set whose longest eyepiece duplicates the supplied one, and whose shortest gives a magnification the aperture cannot support, is a set of two usable eyepieces sold as six. Work the division out before buying. The second question is what else is inside. Many sets include a Barlow lens, which doubles the count of available magnifications but also doubles the chances of duplication — a 2× Barlow with a 20 mm and a 10 mm eyepiece produces the same figure twice. Coloured filters are a common make-weight; they have genuine planetary uses and are also the cheapest thing to put in a box. Read the optical design of the eyepieces themselves rather than the count, since a set of simple Kellners and a set of wide-field designs are different products at the same nominal size. Check the barrel size and the case. We compare focal length spread, duplication risk, optical designs, included Barlow and filters, barrel size and case.
Five Plössls · six filters · two Barlows · 1.25 in throughout
A fifteen-piece 1.25 in accessory case with five multi-coated Plössls, five colour filters, a Moon filter, a polarising filter and two Barlow lenses, one carrying a T2 thread.
Best for: Equipping a new telescope in one purchase rather than five
≈ £83 / €89
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