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Easier and cheaper to upgrade the 8" or 10" to an equatorial later, don't need as big a GEM as you'll need for the 12".
My 10" f4.66 newtonian is a handful , but still portable and I can slide it across the back seat in the pajero if I need to.
If there is a need to lump the scope around or transport it in the car to somewhere else , the 8" or 10" are the go .
If you'll not need to move it very far to observe through it, or can handle the extra mass (single handed) go for the 12" keeping in mind that you'll likely want to convert the scope sometime and put it on GEM to do some imaging = and a bigger more expensive GEM will be required to adequately handle the bigger scope.
Another question to consider is who else is likely to be looking through it on a regular basis, eyepiece height at zenith may be an issue.
I read somewhere that retired priest who's discovered stacks of supernova with his 16" dob sets it up on his patio to do his sweep.
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