NavList:

Modris,

You wrote:
"I agree with you that it is better to invest in instrument rather than in box. A box doesn't have to be like a piece of art. It can be utilitar, of course. But it must fulfill its basic functions. My SNO-T's box assembly quality and wooden part quality is quite low indeed."

My SNO-T arrived from e-bay in factory paper wrapping (so it was never used). But the box arrived broken, and I had to repair it. I agree that the box does not have to be of fancy expensive wood, but it must be strong enough to protect the instrument.

And you wrote:
"The sextant is made in 1987 (number on the box and sextant itself: 871430). The instrument has been tested in 29. january of 1988 (it can be seen in the  certificat brochure)."

Does your  certificate show any arc corrections? My certificate is filled by the same numbers +10'' for all angles of the arc :-) which indicates to me not only that they did not bother with actual measurements, but also that the person who filled the certificate had no understanding of what s/he was supposed to do.

The second certification (at Freiberger factory) was made in my presence, and it shows numbers varying from -4'' to +14''.

At Freiberger, they did not pay any attention  to the scopes during the certification, but when I pointed  to them the issue about the night scope, they quickly fixed it.

Alex.