Hi Chris and welcome to the group.
First up I would suggest to visit your local Astronomical Society and attend a couple of their observing nights, that way you will get to see a variety of different makes and models as well as talking to their owners about what they can and can't see.
I own a reflector and in my opinion have no problems in seeing and imaging both planets and DSO's. If you want to track what you are observing then I would look at the models with computerised mounts and GOTO, that would also be useful as well should you wish to take up imaging at a later date.
Cheers
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