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Andrew, the Skywatcher SWAT80 would be a great scope for you if your budget stretches to $300: though not to say that other scopes are there around that price range that may be more suited to your needs/wishes.
I have a Skywatcher refractor amongst my scope collection and definitely believe they have good optics - my SW 150mm f8 is a gem to me! This SWAT80 has a nice size objective lens for your primary needs; is a correct image job with the more ergonomic 45 degrees eyepiece viewing position, and with a finder and tracking/go to has extra bells and whistles that can just function as a motorized "direction pointer" for you or for its more sophisticated capabilities. Definitely a scope that would satisfy your primary needs and double as a fine little intro scope for night skies! (I acquired a secondhand go to refractor (80mm) for my grandson - I really was amazed at what could be seen in the night sky with it: cloud bands and moons of Jupiter, Saturn's rings, nebulae and star clusters, double stars etc that far exceeded my (prior) presumptious expectations!)
Of course there are a number of other scopes that could equally compete for your needs and dollars, it is best to look around and canvass as much opinion as you can, but this is certainly one scope to consider.
ps all achromat critics: not only am I able to discern chromatic aberration with the best of you, but these units suffer very little from CA, despite some of the arrant nonsense sprouted by people wishing to elevate their own sense of expertise etc!
From your considerations Andrew, CA (chromatic aberration) is caused by differing wavelengths of light bein diffracted (bent to focus) at separate positions, sometimes resulting in colour-fringing on very bright objects (eg moon, Venus, Jupiter etc.) For terrestial useage this problem almost/never has any consequence; but on the scope's mentioned, it is so neglible at night, even on the moon, that it is still of no consequence!
Cheers, Darryl.
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