[rusty]

Hi. I have a 70mm Meade refractor but looking for bigger aperture. It would seem the Dob is the way to go.
Two questions:

1) are the more expensive dobs (Celestron, Orion, Meade) really that much better than the cheaper ones (Bintel, Sky Watcher, etc) and

2) if i was looking to spend $1000 or less on a 250mm Dob is there a brand that stands out in terms of value for money or is it really a matter of personal choice (ie: they are all pretty much the same quality at this price).

Thanks in advance.