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I own a Meade dob and a Skywatcher refractor which are both great. People I know use Meade, Skywatcher or Celestron scopes and are mostly satisfied. Can't comment on the other brands you mentioned.
There could be nasty scopes in any brand at the cheaper end.
I would go for a larger mirror to collect more light. This will show you fainter objects and improve resolution. The cheaper scopes tend to have flimsy mounts which are a pest as they vibrate a lot more when focusing and in a breeze. Also, equatorial mounts are difficult for the beginner. Small finders (25mm) are next to useless. You are better off with a red dot finder.
Dobs are steadier due to their sturdy bases. They are best value for your money as far as aperture size. As a point of reference, BINTEL has a Skywatcher 6 inch (~150 mm) dob for $379 with binoculars thrown in.
Regards, Rob
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