The SAA is rather dull compared to the old times when engaged discussion
raved here and also Valery Deryuzhin of Aries, Ukraine participated.
He somehow disappeared, who knows how the wheels of history touched him.
Last time, he posted here under the nom the guerre Vader...
The fond memories of past were back reading the Astromart ad 431263 for
an Aries 10" Mak:

"Older model (original) Aries 10" f/13.5 Maksutov Cassegrain with
adjustable secondary and helical focuser. I have mechanically enhanced
this scope and implemented an internal cooling fan capability along with
the rear side ring handle and finder bracket seen in the images. The
scope was also professionally painted and looks mint. I have even
included an original (as received) image in order to provide a sense of
the enhancements I have made to this scope. The images above speak for
themselves and it looks even better in person.

HERE'S THE RUB... It was sold to me with claims of a 1/11 wave figure
but the fact is that it has never lived up to this spec in the field...
Star tests show reveal far too much energy in the outermost diffraction
rings and images are soft, irrespective of how well the scopes
collimated. There is also a small chip on the edge of the primary. My
conscience would never allow me to pass it off at as originally
advertised, hence the price. My mechanical restoration efforts were a
labor of love and I had hoped to have the optics ultimately restore as
well. Personal reasons force me to sell it now and abandon the project.
My hope is that there is an amateur or professional telescope maker out
there with the expertise to analyze and refigure the optics. Hopefully
the right person will see this telescope as a project worth pursuing and
restore it into an observatory class instrument."