|
Hi ekon,
I just landed my 10-inch LX-200. It's plenty heavy ... I think the OTA and forks come in around 32kg. Bear in mind that you have to lift that onto the tripod. I find it just inside my comfort zone.
Meade advertise that the OTA alone on the 12-inch weighs in at a lazy 37kg, so you'll need to consider that too, after a long night at the eyepiece.
Speaking of which, the Meades come with a 26mm Plossl ... have you factored any eyepieces into your budget? The stuff below, in my signature, cost just over $8k, with miscellaneous bits & pieces in there, too.
IMO, if you can afford new, then get it. You have a warranty, and your new scope won't have any history behind it, and any secret issues that come with it.
|