VIXEN COMPANY, LTD
Overview: Vixen Today
To the US Department of the Interior the term "vixen" refers to a mature female fox; to males vixen refers to something else. But to astronomers the Vixen Corporation is a successful company based in Japan that designs, manufactures, exports, and distributes astronomical telescopes, telescope accessories, binoculars, spotting telescopes and other optical products. Vixen began in October 1949 when their present Chairman Mr. Kousuke Tsuchida started a wholesale business specializing in optical goods. The original company name was established in March 1954 when "Koyu Company, Limited" was formed in Shinjuku, Tokyo. In August 1969, their manufacturing division, Vixen Optical Company, Limited was founded in Itabashi, Tokyo. And in August 1970 the name "Koyu Co., Ltd. was changed to Vixen Company, Limited. Since 1985 Vixen has been located in Tokorozawa, Japan.
The company's most noteworthy areas of expertise include the incorporation of "go to" computer control electronics into a number of their portable German equatorial mounts. Starting with the "SkySensor" introduced in 1984, continuing with the introduction in 2004 of the STAR BOOK and SPHINX SXW and SX Compact "Go To" German equatorial mounts, Vixen has developed original products that offer reasonable solutions as a child's first telescope, or a capable instrument for the adult. By the early 1980's Vixen also featured well made achromatic and the then state of the art fluorite doublet apochromatic telescopes (most notably the highly regarded Vixen 102 Fluorite Apo, some Newtonian models, and a variety of binoculars and interesting accessories.
Vixen's motto is "offering better quality products at lower prices for more people", as a result Vixen products are ranked very highly and are used by professionals and enthusiasts the world over. The Japanese authoritative commodity testing organization "The Japan Consumers Association" designated "Grade-A" status to Vixen's binoculars and astronomical telescopes, this is the ranking earned by the highest quality of goods.
The Vixen Group of Companies
- Vixen Co., Ltd. Domestic sales division: distributing Vixen products through more than three thousand retailers accross Japan and achieving the top sales record in this field.
- Foreign trade division: exporting Vixen products throughout the world (United Kingdom, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, The Netherlands, Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Andorra, U.S.A, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Kuwait, Turkey, Israel, Oman, South Africa, Russia, Korea, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, etc.)
- Vixen Research & Development Industries Co. Ltd. Manufacturing division: producing Vixen astronomical telescopes, etc.
- Vixen Optical Co., Ltd. Manufacturing division, producing Vixen binoculars, telescope accessories, etc.
Facilities: Vixen telescopes are designed and manufactured in their facilities in Japan:
Above: Vixen's factory near Tokyo, Japan front view at left (170,517 bytes),
and rear view at right (187,400 bytes)
The Vixen targeted hallmarks remain:
- Product Quality Control and Value
- Customer Service
- Continual Innovation
Vixen North America
Vixen North America, a wholly owned subsidiary of TeleVue Optics, Inc. has been the exclusive distributor of Vixen (of Japan) astronomical telescopes and accessories for Canada and the United States since May 2002. Vixen North America operates from TeleVue's new headquarters building in Chester, N.Y. with its own staff.
Right: new Vixen logo on top line is incorporated with added text to form the "Vixen North America" logo (128,424 bytes).
Click on image to see enlarged view (130,383 bytes).
Company Seven's Experience
Company Seven has acquired much experience with the Vixen products since we have offered their better products for more than twenty years. We continue to stock and offer several of their better telescopes, German Equatorial and Alt-Azimuth mounts, and accessories. Vixen has a history marked by innovation of relatively affordable, good to very high performance products - often imitated but rarely equaled.
