Hi Dave,
Welcome to IIS! As Allan has pointed out the link, have a read. It's quite good to read. I would very much recommend you purchase a 8" dob. I owned both a 10" & 8" dob and have to say, unless you got dark skies the extra weight and hassle of moving a 10" is definitely not worth it (for me anyways
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I believe Dobs are the best type for visuals and especially for beginners. The money goes towards good optics and simplicity of use - something you definitely need whilst in the dark learning for the first time. Anything with computers will probably make you spend more time reading the manual than gazing! Plus they have better resale value than the SLTs. I personally think the SLTs are just a good marketing strategy for making money of those who haven't done their research which you clearly are
Try joining an astronomy club or see when the next public viewing night is (Bintel can probably help you there).