Parallax Standard Rings for 5" OD Tubes

Parallax makes a variety of rings, and while the rotating ring sets were mildly attractive, I concluded that the 5.5 standard ring set (then priced at $160) made the most sense. It turned out that my tube diameter was not exactly the same as the sizes that Parallax was making, so they asked if I would prefer a liner to fill the space, or to spend a bit more money to have a smaller diameter bored out to 130mm. I decided to save some money and use the liner approach. My reasoning was not only would this be less expensive, but if my tube was a little larger than 130mm, I could cut or sand the liner to a slightly larger size--something that would be impractical for me to do with metal. It took about three weeks, but the Parallax rings arrived. They are quite solid--in fact, I would say that they are probably heavier than they need to be for my application. The thumb screws that hold the rings together are very solid, beautiful pieces of work--much nicer than what came with the refractors original rings. The liner is cork--a good choice, because it wont damage the finish on an OTA. Within reasonable limits, the cork will compress, reducing pressure on the tube. I must confess that I was a little put off by the finish. It is a black, crinkle finish. Theres nothing wrong with it--but I was expecting a glossy finish like the rings others make. They arent unattractive, and in the dark, you wont be able to see the difference. They attached easily to the Losmandy dovetail plate, and in almost a year of use, they have given me absolutely no concern about their durability or mechanical quality. One nice and unexpected feature: the tops of the rings have threaded holes as well, making it easy to attach more hardware (such as camera mounts, guide scopes, and your one megawatt laser for clearing out clouds) on top.