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I too am in the same boat and this is what i have found so far..
The Vixen ED80SF is the same as the Synta clones from Celestron/Orion/Skywatcher etc. The best in this category would be the Stellarvue 80 Night Hawk Next Generation but its a bit heavier than the Synta clones, and is about 599$ USD. There are upgrade options and often you can find on of the optioned out ones on Amart for a good price.
The Vixen ED81SWT are a level above these and the optics are made by Vixen Japan. This OTA weighs in at 2.5kg the lightest one next to the Borg 76ED.
William Optics has so many to chose from, but the one that best fits the above category would be the Zenithstar 80 II ED. Very nicely made.
Oh wait there are more, Long Perng the manufacturer behind some of WO telescopes has also released there products direct. Andrews is geting these in at present the have the 80mm Achromat and the 72mm ED. But the manufactures website lists a 80mm ED scope.
When I contacted AOE about there 80mm ED scopes, they also mentioned the had there own branded one. I would hazard to guess these are the Long Perng OTA's badged for them.
Oh and there is the Borg 76ED very light weight.
I think the latest Andrew's magazine ad I saw has the ED80 ota for 499. York Optical quoted 599 but I think this is with rings and dovetail like the Bintel one for 699.
Regards
Fahim
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