Hi Chris! Welcome to the forum. You are sensible to ask questions before spending your money. It would be good if you could join a club, or go along to an open night.
I think most people would tell you that the EQ1/2 mounts are not ideal. Certainly what you've heard about the mount is true, you will get very frustrated with any mount (equatorial OR alt-azimuth) if it jiggles and jerks when you're trying to get a planet into the field of view and changing the focus.
Iceman is right. Most people think a dob is best for a first scope. I'm one of them. Aperture always wins, and an 8 inch dob will show you a lot more than 114 mm.
In the Projects & Articles section you'll find a couple of articles aimed at beginners that might give you some things to consider too.
Cheers,
Brian.
