My telescope: Orion XT12 and borrowed a C11.
I used a few Orion eyepieces that aren't bad at all, but I decided to go ahead and buy the highly recommended Pentax SMC-XW 10mm.

This is a fully multi-coated eyepiece made up of 7 elements! Yes 7! The Lanthalum element delivers high refraction. The coating is PENTAX-original multi-layer.

Images are sharp across the whole field of view, stars are tak sharp.

I take my scope out almost every weekend and spend hours, this eyepiece makes every hour seem like a minute. Views are very clear and sharp, even for faint objects, the contrast is so high that you can make faint objects better than you would with other eyepieces.

Planets:
I used my neighbor's C11 with this eyepiece, the XT12's focal length is a little short. Saturn was simply amazing! Razor sharp edges. I looked at Mars a few days ago, the first night was very humid so the view was washy, but the second night, my jaw dropped.... I saw the dust storm very clearly, almost greenish-gray colored. This eyepiece is simply amazing! I spent a very long time looking at Mars and I'm sure many of you out there did as well.

DSOs:
I've seen M31 and M13 at numerous occasions, very contrasty views. M13 is absolutely beautiful, stars are discernable all the way across the entire FOV.

The Orion nebula was so beautiful, my neighbor called his wife who never was interested in Astronomy but suddenly found the view beautiful. I'm telling you, a high quality eyepiece makes all the difference in the world.

Verdict:
Very highly recommended! I give this eyepiece a 10 out of 10 even with the high price. High quality demands a high price.

Pros

Long eye relief, lanthanum glass, great contrast, razor sharp views.

Cons

E x p e n s i ve (arond $350)

Rating