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I've got a 56mm Meade Plossl, and the view in an SCT relative to using a wideangle 40mm 2" eyepiece is like looking down a well. I always prefer the 40mm eyepiece.
There may be some obscure nebula somewhere where with an O-111 or H-Beta filter you can see it better because of the brighter image from the 55mm Plossl. But you will get the same result with a higher powered eyepiece coupled with you focal reducer (and a black cloth thrown over your head and around the eyepiece).
If you have lousy eyesight (e.g. astigmatism) than the shallow eye relief from a wideangle 40mm eyepiece might not allow you to wear eyeglasses while viewing. In that case, the 55mm Plossl could be better as you could easily wear eyeglasses. But I have lousy astigmatic eyesight, and I still prefer the 40mm wideangle or 30mm ultra-wideangle in my SCT.
I guess what I'm saying is that if curiosity gets the best of you, don't spend big bucks on a premium model, rather wait patiently for a cheap second hand one.
My favourite eyepiece in my 8" SCT has always been a 1.25" wide angle 20mm one for DSOs, since it gives a 2mm exit pupil. I note that you don't have a near 2mm exit pupil eyepiece.
My favourite eyepiece for wide angle viewing is a cheap 2" 30mm Ultra wideangle (cost me $80). It is a terrible eyepiece in shorter focal length eyepieces, but as I'm not fussy about edge distortion in ultra-wide angle eyepieces, I think it fine in the SCT.
Regards,
Renato
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