I have owned several Takahashi scopes and yes they are pricey but they are sure to wow you. Everything will work, you won't need to modify or correct some deficiency etc and they are just plain nice to have. They ooze quality and competence.
You will however need to buy certain accessories so that $1000 difference may be more than that. For example I bet the AT130 comes with rings - the Tak doesn't. The Tak also will need a finder scope (perhaps the AT will also). A Tak finderscope is about another AUD$250 and the rings perhaps another AUD$325. Although you can use alternatives if you know the tube diameter.
I have an AT66ED and it is a surprisingly good scope. The fit and finish are very good and it has a microfocuser. I believe these are Taiwanese so that is a step up from Chinese.
The AT also comes with a case the Tak does not.
The Tak TSA 120 is an oiled triplet. This is the classic design for an APO made famous by Astrophysics. It is the premium design. Oiled triplet means only 2 air to glass surfaces which means less reliance on the optician to get 6 surfaces perfect - they only need to get 2 surfaces perfect.
I just looked up the AT130mm. It says it is an air spaced triplet and uses OHara glass. That sounds good. But who makes the optics? Air spaced triplets are very hard to make. Easily botched. Are 10 great and then the next 4 no good as they are done by some other guy in the factory or are they simply pumped out by a computer controlled polisher with little input from the worker? Air spaced triplets of quality that I am aware of are either Tak (TOA series), Astrophysics (AP160 a rare scope), or mostly by Russia's LZOS (in TMB or APM scopes mainly). At US$3595 its not a cheap scope either. I know the focuser is probably similar to the AT66 I have. It is a bit loose and doesn't tighten 100% (the locking screw) and it will slip under load (from a camera). Also a 2 inch focuser is way small for astrophotography. 2.7 inch is really the minimum otherwise you are likely to get vignetting in your images. I'd say offhand Tak versus AT is like comparing a VW with a Mercedes. They aren't really competitors as they are in 2 different levels of the market.
Also F6 is good for imaging but not great for visual. The Tak is F8 I assume and a reducer would be available to give it F6 for imaging. That makes it more versatile. Also F6 is a real challenge for the optics. Again you are placing trust in a relatively unproven manufacturer. F6 is a challenge for Tak or Astrophysics let alone AT. The faster the optics the harder it is to make it APO.
Competitors to Tak are Astrophysics, APM/TMB and TEC. For US $5200 you can get a TEC140 - a proven performer or you could pick up a second hand Tak TOA130 which would be unbeatable. There were also some nice 130mm TMBs going cheaply on Astromart quite often like US$2500. There is also a nice APO by APM that seemed good value.
Also as mentioned a Tak scope resells for close to what you buy one new for. You may lose perhaps 15% on a Tak on resale. An AT may lose 30-45%?
Having said all that I suspect the AT is probably overall a reasonably nice scope if my AT66ED is anything to go by.
I had a quick look on Astromart - here you go a TMB 130mm F7 signature series, rings and case US$3600 negotiable so that probably means he'll sell for $3300 or less (the ad was on page 3 so no takers yet). It looks like it has a feathertouch focuser. These scopes got good reviews when they were first released:
http://www.astromart.com/classifieds...fied_id=702002
Add about US$350-$400 for shipping and insurance and 10% of the landed cost for GST to get the final cost (same with your AT130 if you are buying from overseas).
Greg.