these appear to be $1400 new a bit more than your $1100 option.
great pointing and tracking, easy to use and view through. equatorial mounts are a pain for visual especially with a Newtonian.
8" aperture gives great views of the planets and deep sky.
http://www.skywatcher.com/product.php?cat=6&id=64
http://www.bintel.com.au/Telescopes/...oductview.aspx
My suggestion if you can afford the extra $.
Cheers & welcome to IIS!
Russ