I think the main appeal of the Mewlons and Intes Maks is that they "punch above their weight". By a long way!
The images, visually anyway, have more snap, more contrast, are cleaner in these scopes than in larger, mass-market SCTs or Newts.
If even 50% of your time is going to be spent observing rather than imaging, I think you'd be better off saving for a Mewlon or IM Mak (can't speak for the TALs).
Some rate the cheaper Maks (Saxon/Orion/Skywatcher -same scopes BTW), and while you more often than not get a good one, they have nowhere near the QC that smaller outfits do and the subsequent number of 'duff-to-delightful' examples is much higher.
There is also the matter of "accessability" to consider. A big (9.25"+) SCT or Newt is a lot of scope to lug around the garden. Even with a 'Scopebuggy' or similar wheeled carrier, these are big beasts with a lot of inertia. Some owners don't even notice it. Living on a farm, I lug around enough heavy stuff during the day. I can live without it at night!
Both Tak and Intes produce a fair number of these scopes,they're not rare, the waiting list is days or weeks rather than months or years. But see how many you can find used as opposed to "garden variety" SCTs.
Very few people want to part with them. Those that do are usually trading up to a bigger Mewlon or MK.
I reckon half the fun of this pastime is acquiring gear. Half the fun of
that is arguing about what gear to acqire (IMO). But if you want to get the best for your buck from the outset, then the Mewlons or the IMs are impossible to beat.
"Good Scope"
Peter