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If you have not seen one of these scopes "in the flesh", I'd strongly encourage you to stop in to a shop if you can before you buy one or alternatively get to a viewing night with a local club or people here from the site.
While it is easy for many of us to say how wonderful scope "x" is (and it can be too), I think it is important that you actually see and use one before you buy if you can.
This does a few things that I think are important.
#1 you get to see physically how big/heavy (or small/light) a particular scope is and this will help you know which scope is best for you.
#2 trying one (or several) telescopes out before you buy them helps you understand what to expect...I've found that having expectations set and understood before a purchase enhances my enjoyment...I site in particular the department store brand type scope with "Hubble" pictures on the side of the box...in this instance, the expectations set by the box picture will be different than the experience in using said scope.
Having said all of that, an 8 inch (or larger) scope can give you years of enjoyment...As has been mentioned earlier, a few years back an 8 inch scope would not have been considered a "beginners scope". Pricing and quality have sure made things better for us consumers!
In summary, don't be in a rush to buy until you have had a chance to try a few things out...getting your interests and expectations in alignment can get you enjoying and hooked on this hobby for life.
Enjoy!
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