Help me choose!

This is my first post and from reading many other's here I'm sure I will get a lot of responses. I'm looking for advice on purchasing my next scope. I currently have a meade 826 (8" f/6 newt on equatorial mount) that I purchased new in 1980 and an Orion 10" f4.7 dob I purchased used 2 years ago. I'm ready to make the next jump up but there are so many choices and I'm not sure where the best values are. I don't know if I'll be better off with a significantly bigger scope or just a slightly smaller one with better optics.

Here's my observing style: All visual almost no photography. Planetary, moon, clusters, nebulae and galaxies are all interesting subjects for me. I own a 35MM panoptic,25mm Plossel,18mm Radian, 9mm & 5mm Naglers. What is the smallest size scope that will make me say Wow when I see M27, Ring Nebulae, Whirlpool?

I live in an area where, due to shopping centers my sky is about 5.0 magnitude. However, a 15 minute drive will get me 6.0 and I've traveled twice last year to Cherry Springs State Park in PA.

Also, how do mirrors compare from the likes of Zambuto, Stevens, Pegasus, Woden and others? Are they all comparable? Which one has the best Value? I was leaning towards the Astro Sky with a 16" 4.5 mirror. They seem to be substantially less expensive than the Obsessions, Starmasters and others. What would I be giving up if I chose Astro Sky and which mirror would you pick if price Was an object? Thank you all in advance for your opinions?

Thanks for sharing.

Mark

Hi Mark,
Well, [COLOR="Red"]WOW[/COLOR], is very subjective. I would think that 14.5" or larger would be the next step. Larger than 16" and you need real transportation to take it places. What can you pick up weight wise and how much room in the car?
If you are just going to use in at[COLOR="Yellow"][/COLOR] the house, then you can go larger.
The mirror makers that you mention are good choices. Zambuto and Stevens are very good, Zambuto is expensive but worth it. Stevens is very similar and less expensive. Both are comparable.
Are expensive optics worth it? [COLOR="Red"]YES[/COLOR]
The others in your list are also good and one of the big concerns is wait time for delivery. This can be very long indeed at times. Some people have been waiting quite a while for mirrors.
Astro Sky is a good scope, but production is way behind at this time. It is a small shop and he has a backlog of 22 scopes I am told. I have one of his scopes myself and it was a good value.
How much are you wanting to spend? How long are you willing to wait? Do you want a solid tube or a truss and do you want a Dobsonian?
For me, the 14.5" Starmaster is an ideal size. It has wow factor and is easy to assemble and transport. The real WOW factor starts at about 18-20" though. That is where the light grasp begins to make big leaps. But the scopes are difficult to transport and set up and require dedication to own and opperate. But the views are very spectacular for your trouble.

What I would do if I were you(and hope to do myself some day) is decide on your next scope and then hang out on Astromart classifieds EVERY day. You will see people selling "dream scopes" at serious discounts and you won't have the months/years of waiting lists. If you found a well-rated seller, jump on it, even if you have to drive a long way. I'd personally drive over 2,000 miles round trip if I had the money to close a deal. Happy 2007!