[g__day (Matthew)]

Dave,

Your needs become clearer still when you say don't really need astro-photography. On that basis alone I'd rule out the Sphinx which is designed for that purpose and is excellent in its weight class. If you had stipulated astrophotography, but with the lighter mount than I would have also considered a Takahashi EM-10 vs the Sphinx.

I would question the EQ6 if portability is a large concern and you don't need that much carrying power. What does a 6" MAK weight - I suspect its less than 10 Kg.

The Meade simply gets no stellar reviews and its fair share of gripes, so you are left with EQ variants or the CG5. The HEQ5 costs about $800 more than the CG5 and it has 10 vs 13 Kgs carrying capacity - so less carrying capacity over the cheaper mount. The CG-5 also has 40,000 objects in its database.

If you don't need to upgrade your hand controller than you can get a great Goto mount for under $1,000 from Andrews in the CG-5. The EQ-Atlas with Goto SynScan (13,000 objects) at Bintel is $2,299, whilst the EQ-Sirus is $1,749 + Goto (same number of objects in its database too).

The data says these scopes will hold respectively 18 Kg vs 14 Kgs (14 KGs is teh same rating as the CG5). Whereas the EQ6 sells for around $2,300 with Goto at Andrews and will hold $25 Kg.

There comes a point where choice is purely personal, so there is a good bevy of information out there to help guide such decisions - good luck!