About Us

First Light Optics Ltd are SteveG, Annette, James, Lisa, Martin & SteveB. We operate from our distribution centre in Exeter, Devon. We are a dedicated team thriving on strong coffee, Jaffa cakes and a sense of humour!

The company was launched Autumn 2006 from a bedroom, today it is one of the UK's largest and most successful astronomy retailers. This has been achieved not through magazine advertising but from word-of-mouth recommendations, customer loyalty and our association with Stargazerslounge the UK's largest, most active and fastest growing online astronomy forum.

Our approach to retailing:

All our stock is sourced either direct from the manufacturer or from the manufacturer's appointed UK distributor (we do not grey import) so is covered by the manufacturer's warranty. We only stock products that are trustworthy (we can source pretty-much anything but stock only that which we are confident will perform well, batch-to-batch, consistently).

Our prices are fair, reasonable and competitive. We don't advertise 'spoilers' (some retailers advertise a lower price when out of stock then raise it when in stock with the intention of 'spoiling' sales for competitors offering a price-match policy). We don't offer 'free' low quality products with inflated retail prices. We don't inflate the prices of goods sourced from the US (over the last five years we have done more to end this practice than any other astro retailer, and continue to do so). And we don't switch-sell (some retailers have what is essentially a sales funnel where enquiries for one product are converted into another that is exclusive to them and/or is more profitable).

Most importantly, we are not box-shifters. We have invested in premises, knowledgeable staff, stock on the shelves, modern website, SSL security encryption, customer-friendly returns policy, etc. Our after-sales support is one of the best in the business (some competitors have actually complained that we set the bar too high!). We are setup and operate in a way intended to instil trust and confidence because astronomy products are essentially scientific instruments, not plug-and-play devices, so access to reliable advice and support is essential. Particularly when starting out.

Thank-you for your support

Steve and the FLO team