This dilemma has been solved and a purchase has been made! Whose advice did I follow? Nobody's actually...
I kept stalling on the SCT idea: cooling seems to be a hassle for quick looks and $$$ add up. Stalled on the Refractor too: small aperture is limiting and big aperture is big $ again. As originally mentioned, I didn't want the Dob mount that is so frequently recommended, but fast cooling and good value is appealing. But wait a Dob is just a Newt on a special mount, so....
I bought a Bintel BT200 f/5 with HEQ5. The money left over from avoiding SCT or Refractor prices covered a TV Plossl 32mm, TV Barlow, Orion 12.5mm, and mount PSU with change to spare. A compromise, as all things are. But I got 8" of aperture that is workable for visual, and maybe AP down the line, without breaking the bank.
The only question is: How fast can Santa bring my toys?