O'K went and visited Roger at Bintel this afternoon.
Nothing short of sensational. Like a big kid in a candy store.
Service was A1 and even though I mentioned that I was only looking at this stage, Roger was sensational discussing all my options and 'for's and againsts' for 10", 12" collapsibles etc........I actually held the 12" tube easily enough and only 18 kilos plus 16 for base (if I recall correctly) but more then easy enough for me so looks like the 12" tube is now the go and settled upon in my head. And now to keep saving........
I feel for my needs, and long term investment, the 12" was the way to go. Aperture Envy convinced me that the 12" would make the better investment too with 40% larger light capturing ability as mentioned earlier.