Hi,
Just a quick perspective on the GSO-12 from Andrews....
I recently got one of these and am VERY impressed with the OTA
build quality.
My OTA is gloss white...looks beautiful and came with a range of
accessories to get you up and running: 5 Eyepeices (incl a 2") and
a bonus cheapie weatherstation (great gadget, not really for Oz but has
some handy functions).
The mirror quality on the 12 is pretty good, the crayford 2 speed focuser
is also a good quality product.
I have used it just twice in 3 weeks due to rain!
Jupiter was very clear and steady at mid to high powers even though
it wasn't a good night of seeing and the scope hadn't cooled down
to ambient when I used it.
Low power wide angle views with the 2 inch 32mm and 1.25 inch 25mm
of Scorp-Sagittarius areas of the milky way left me speechless after
using a homemade 8" F7 for about 25 years
Coma is fairly noticeable but not terrible.
Portability is ok but only if there are TWO people!
The tube is fairly heavy!
I wouldn't recommend it for one person setup unless you
manage the transit from car/ shed etc with some sort of
bodged up hand trolley dedicated to the job.
All up I think these scopes from Andrews and Bintel are an absolute
bargain, even if used for cannibalising parts, like I intend to, to make
a better scope from them ( I know that probably sounds crazy to some!)
I have ditched the Dob cradle and it is now on my main homemade
GEM mount.
See here:
http://mywebsite.bigpond.com/astrosteve/gso_12.jpg
Not affiliated with Andrews or Bintel btw.....
Steve