Orion Sirius 10 and 25mm Plossl. The illuminated reticule on the right is the Meade 9mm cordless. Behind the reticule is an older model Celestron 2x barlow.

The second row contains two TeleVue pieces. A 5mm Radian and a 12mm Type 4 Nagler. The 3 large, black eyepieces are 2" SuperView 5-element eyepieces from
Owl Services. These are the 50mm, 42mm and 30mm.

With my limited experience, here is what I have come to find regarding eyepieces.

First off, the more you read reviews, the more you will realize there are two groups of analysts. Those who want the best value for their money and those who need the very best regardless of cost. One needs to keep this in mind when listening to the experts.

The best eyepiece I've ever looked through was a Pentax. You'll pay through the nose but if you want the best... Gesundheit.

Another high priced eyepiece you can't go wrong with is TeleVue. I recommend taking a look through a TV at a star party and let your retina tell you if you belong to the "bang for the buck" or the "money to burn" group.

As said earlier, you can't go wrong with a TeleVue or Pentax. However, the cost goes up much faster than the benefits. You have to decide weather the gain is worth the $.

There are a lot of good affordable eyepieces. The 2" Owl pieces are quite good and when you can get 3 of them for $149, they are almost disposable. My scopes are a little more forgiving due to their slow f/. Your mileage may vary.

My biggest peeve with these eyepieces is the very small angle of attack. You can get a great view with these, but you have to find the sweet spot and then hold your eye very steady. The more expensive eyepieces are much more forgiving that way. In fairness, the 12mm T4 Nagler also has this effect, but with its amazingly magnified wide field of it warrants forgiveness.

The Meade 4000 series eyepieces are a good value, particularly at the lower more forgiving magnifications. If you can get a set of these cheap, go for it. Keep in mind, the higher power eyepieces have an increasingly tiny hole to look through. Compared to the TeleVue 5mm, all of these Meade's eyeholes are small.

Always try to avoid cleaning your optics. As much as you try, eventually it will need cleaning. The best method is "touch less" and will work well for particles that may settle on your optics. This is accomplished with a puff of air from a device like that shown here.

When oil gets on them, from eyelashes or other mishap, you will be forced to actually wipe them. You should only do this with a true lens cloth. Wipe them extremely lightly. Make sure the cloth is clean. These lens cloths can be laundered, but don't use anything with fabric softeners. They can leave behind chemicals, which are bad for your optics.

This is all I have ever needed to clean any eyepiece. whatever you do, "Don't take them apart!".