Sextants: Tamaya vs. Astra

[DWJensen]

I'm in the market for a decent metal sextant and have narrowed my search down (largely based on budget) to the Astra IIIb and the Tamaya Venus MS-933. Both appear to be decent sextants, with pretty good reviews from people. I know the Tamayas are a bit older than the Astras, and the Venus is slightly smaller (7/8), but I'm thinking that condition of the instrument is more important than age.

So, any input here? Given similar condition and pricing, which would you lean toward and why?

Thanks.

Daz

[svHyLyte]

Daz--

I have been using an Astra IIIB since 1987 and have been very pleased with the instrument which I obtained as a replacement for a far more costly unit that was "liberated" from our boat by a sneak thief. Our's has the whole horizon mirror which I like much better than the split mirror. I cannot comment of the Tamaya as I have never used one but the Astra is nearly the equal of our old Plath tho' admittedly not as handsome. If one takes care of the gear it will last almost forever and it is quite accurate despite it's low cost.

FWIW...

[Boasun]

Sorry I have a C-plath and she is right on the mark
Have used Navy sextants and found them adequate for the job.
But never used either a Tamaya or a astra. So can't help you there.

[mikieg]

i too are looking to learn to use and aquire a sextant. all input is greatly appreciated.

[ChuckeD]

I've had and used my Astra for 12 years. Very good, well made sextant for the money. I've seen used Astras on craigslist and ebay for half price.
cd

[hellosailor]

Smaller is not necessarilybad, it often means "lighter" and you'll be able to hold it steadier longer. I'd agree that condition means more than age, a sextant may sit boxed on a shelf for five years or be used multiple times a day in salt air for years. Condition.

I don't know the idiosynchracies of the models you will be looking at but each sextant has some. If the rear of the eyepiece is the focal ring? The sight can go out of focus as you rotate the sextant. Then there are subtleties, i.e. on the Plath Horizon Ultra, there's a slight green tint to one side and a slight red tint to the other. If you're doing a star sighting at night, the result is that the star "pops" into a whiter color when it is fully aligned. I haven't seen that officially mentioned anyplace--but have seen it on the sextant.
If there's a seaport museum, planetarium, or other group that meets anywhere you can get to, where you might lay hands on the actual sextants, try doing that. Any one of them can and will do the job, but you might prefer one or the other once you've had hands on.
And of course, learn how to clean, align, check for a damaged frame, etc. There are a couple of books on that, and a number of reputable resellers.

[DWJensen]

Thanks for the input everyone. I made my decision and bought an Astra with a WH mirror today.

[dnf777]

I have an astra WH-mirror and really like it. I don't feel qualified to comment, as it was (is) my first real sextant, and the one which I learned on. I can say with certainty however, it is very accurate, as it indeed confirmed that I was in the vicinity of Lake Arthur while sailing last summer! Who ever said that lake sailors need to be facile with celestial nav anyway? ;-)

Have a good one,
Dave