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A 12" dob would let you see infinitely more than the ED100. The ED100 is more of a photographic scope than a visual observing scope.
The OTA can come off the base of the dobsonian at any time, for storage, transport etc. The base itself stays put together. The base isn't light, but can be carried by one person - put in position, then carry the OTA and put it on the base.
The OTA of a 12" newt is about 20kg (and long), the base is a bit lighter. So make sure you can carry them. If it's too big and heavy, consider the 8" dob. Much smaller and lighter, but still easy to use and will let you see a lot more than a ED100.
The dobs are "push/pull" and you need to find/point to the object you want to view. You use starcharts and the finderscope to do this initially, but eventually you can "computerise" the altitude/azimuth motions and use something like the ArgoNavis which will tell you how far to push and when to stop. A must have accessory if you can afford it (about $1k with encoders).
The skywatcher ED100 on EQ mount would have "goto" functionality, that is, input the object and it will slew to it for you. You still need to align on a couple of objects first, as well as accurately positioning the mount with respect to the south celestial pole.
It's great as a photographic scope, chuck a DSLR on the back (with the right adapters) and you can do photography pretty easily. But it just doesn't have the aperture for great deep space observing.
The 10" dob sits right in the middle of the 8" and 12", and is an excellent, value for money scope with great aperture, portability, customisability, etc.
If you've got the money to spend, you get the 10 or 12" dob with the extras right off the bat - good quality eyepieces, ArgoNavis and encoders, stellar seat, star charts, red light torch, collimation tools, etc.
Even with all that, you'll be under your budget and you'll have a top-notch scope that will cost you much less than an equivalent size SCT (10" or 12" SCT), and show you far better, contrasty views.
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