I can't believe the sleepless nights Ive had thinking about telescopes! My parents bought me my first scope about 20 years ago (60/700 Tasco, of course) and I had a lot of fun with it but remember a lot of frustration as well. A few weeks ago my 5 year old daughter asked about the stars so I dragged out the old Tasco- surprisingly still complete but the lens holder was cracked. So with some silver sticky tape and a cable tie we got the lens to stay put with as little wobble as possible and had a wonderful view of the moon. We even managed to fluke Jupiter and moons first try, and needless to say, I'm a little hooked again.
An 8" dob was my first choice but the more I thought about it the more I was pulled towards a refractor, for a number of reasons, the main one being I enjoy terrestrial viewing, as well, and like to play around with a dslr. I can always get a dob later if the hobby sticks.
And then the reality of finances hit.
So with a very tight budget, at least 20 good reviews read, and an understanding of the limiting factors like CA, I've decided on a Skywatcher 102 (f5). What a relief! I hope I'll enjoy it as much as I think I will. (When I get one! Am looking for second hand for a while first)