Hi pauly
sounds like you had a great time at astrofest.
have a read of this article , the part on field stop will help you understand why you saw so many 2 " barrel eyepieces.
http://www.televue.com/engine/page.asp?ID=277
there are many exceptional eyepieces in a 1.25" format .
I have an 8.5 xf and think its a great eyepiece good eye relief
very light and great views .
@ 140 x or so in your scope you would likely get a lot of use imo
I think the xf stacks up against some other offerings well above $200
so finding something a little cheaper that compares is a bit of an ask .
good luck
graham