[AG Hybrid (Adrian)]

Well Ive been looking to upgrade within the year and I reckon that XX14 is pretty damn good value . A 14 inch truss tube dob with a 10:1 micro focuser and DSC's and an object locator with a 14000 object database is pretty good.

And Ill be able to fit the bloody thing in my car, unlike a LB16 which I also cant get through the doors in my house(LB base is 80 cm and my doors are 76 cm). Also, from what I read, the XX14 wont require a plethora of modifcation to stop it from exploding when I put in a heavy eyepiece. It also doesnt have any annoying shiny surfaces in the light path. And if its built to the quality of the XX12i, you knows its going to be a winner.

Someone also mentioned the optics are the same as Skywatchers. Sounds good to me! I know they consistantly provide great mirrors. Sure they arnt Zambuto's but who cares its a 14" dob thats less then 3K.

Mind you I was looking at an Orion Optics dob as a well. A "steal" at $3800 if you choose the 1/10 pv mirror. But now that the Orion is just a about here. Well, decisions decisions.

Although if we are talking value for money here. You can buy a 12" Skywatcher flex-dob with tracking for $2100 now. And that is very very attractive indeed!

*edit*

Also something I noted: The XX14i has a focal length of f/4.6. This means you can switch out perfectly an Orion Optics 14" ultra grade mirror with 0.99 strehl and 1/10 pv rating with 97% reflectivity! You'll need deep pockets for that mod though!