Yeah, depends on what you want to do and portability may be an issue
However, mount is king IMHO. Great OTA on crap mount = disappointment. Great mount means lots of options and fewer frustrations, especially if you want imaging options.
If it was me, I'd buy an MX or equivalent and whack an 80mm refractor on it to start with rather than have a poor mount. I faced a similar dilemma in that I had an MX and a one time opportunity to move up, OTA or Mount. I now have an ME II, will never need another mount and I can wait a little while to set it up. MX's are coming up for sale, Logan has one up for sale now and I'd highly recommend it.
As for EQ8, dunno. Had an eq 6 and endless problems. Same company and by the looks of it, some lessons not learned. You can get a up-kitted G11 for less. Build is amazing.
My 2 cents worth. Good hunting... its fun
