KP82

For me 5 inch is the biggest I'd go for refractors and 8 inch for newt. Portability, ease of handling and quick setup are the top priorities here based on personal experience. I find that if a scope takes too much effort/time to set up and it feels awkward and uncomfortable to handle, I'll not use it as often as I'd want to.

I believe they are the same scope. In fact I've seen this 125/975 OTA available from many rebranders including Altair Astro and Stellavue (US).

The price difference could be due to different stock focusers chosen by the retailers. Both TS Optics and Tecnosky have opted for a 2.5" focuser whereas Altair have picked a 3.7" focuser which increases the price to £1,699.

Vixen Ascot 8x42WP, not bad for £150.

I got a glimpse of Neptune also just 2 days ago. Since it was very close to Mars, finding it wasn't too hard.

Very good review. I bought a similar unit, the Bresser AR-102xs off another SGL member as my main travel/holiday scope. I have it on a SkyWatcher AZ Pronto mount on top of my old trusty Manfrotto 055CL tripod (better build quality and stability than the stock SW aluminium tripod). The setup is very light weight and can be assembled/disassembled within minutes.

The visual experience so far pretty much matches this review. The stock 26mm S.Plossl gives a nice wide FOV for bigger/brighter DSOs like M31 and M45. I also use BST Starguiders 5mm and 12mm for smaller DSOs (e.g. M57) and Doubles. Last night I tried the scope on the Moon with the BST 5mm. The view while being a bit soft for my taste and containing visible CA halos was better than expected. The lunar/planetary performance while being no match for my 4" APO triplet (my main scope for lunar/planetary and general imaging) is surprisingly satisfactory for a fast ultra portable achro.

The starguiders are really good value for money. Got the 5mm and 12mm from Skies the limit to use with my portable Bresser AR102xs along with the stock 26mm S.Plossl (surprisingly good for a cheap stock EP). The 12mm is tack sharp, almost indistinguishable from the TV Delite on my Altair triplet except for the most outer edge. The 5mm is a little softer than the 12mm on the Bresser probably because of CA from such a fast achro affecting the sharpness and resolution at high mag.