ah for a star party, I'd say get a morph 4.5mm to try.
Not sure of the price ranges you have in mind, as for new players I would be surprised if APM didn't have a nice planetary ep now. They have been very aggressive about getting market space and position recently.
This one looks like a very familiar design, and I'd gues QC was excellent.
https://www.apm-telescopes.net/en/ts...y-multi-coated