4.5/114mm Orion Starblaster F/4 Barlow and zoom lens questions

[stringpickin]

Hello again.  Well, I ended up pulling the trigger on a Scope that didn't make me feel like I was spending more than I should on my new adventure..  I got it brand new in box for $148 delivered. Which is about $50 cheaper than anywhere I could find it.  Reading the reviews and posts on stargazer and astronomy forum apparently even semi-pros and pros alike are really praising this little scope for a very nice portable that is on a dob type mount. 

In any case would appreciate your input on the item as well.  But my main interest now is realizing that the kellner eyepieces that come with the scope are going to be garbage can fodder pretty much out the gate. The scope package does not come with a barlow, only a 17mm and 6mm. 

So realizing that most of my viewing experienc is going to be directly related to quality and type of eyepieces is what I am inquiring about.

Realizing this I am interested in buying (high quality) without being fanatical "eye pieces".

I am considering purchasing a barlow of some brand/type that would work well with the Baader 8mm-24mm click stop zoom lens.. The thought is, as high of quality the Baader is, I would have to spend a lot of money to buy single eyepieces that would get me to the (even slightly reduced quality because it is a zoom) Baader.  I.E.. IF I spend $180 bucks on the Orion plossl 6 piece kit, the plossls as stand alone viewing would most likely not equal the view quality contrast and angle of view as the adjustable Baader. And being I have the adjusability of the Baader I can have every multiplication from 8mm to 24mm even inbetween click stops.

However I notice that in the kits there are 6.3mm and 7.5mm single eyepieces.  Am I going to be missing out on something by only being able to go down to an 8mm on the Baader.. or can I make up for this issue with a 2.3x barlow or using the Celestron 3x-1.25-X-Cel LX Barlow. 

You can see where I am going.. I dont' mind spending big bucks/necessary bucks to buy great quality eyepieces because they will always maintain their investment value.  So if I for some reason never up grade to an xt8 or 10 I will have excellent quality optics I can sell and recoupe a good portion of my investment. 

At the same time if I decide to end up with a 12'" dob, and an SCT and a refractor some day I will have the optics that will be plenty good enough to get an adequate job done without having to spend lots of money on expensive single eyepieces..

I appreciate all of your input..  You can give me a novel of information on this subject and will not bore me in the least. I look forward to your input recomendations and appreciate your time very much..

thank you

[stringpickin]

P.S..  am or will consider other zoom options such as the vixen 5836 8-24 or the new Celestron Deluxe 8-24 which I can find no real reviews about as yet, or the 8-24 and maybe a zhumell barlow.

[Peter Drew]

I wouldn't rush into buying anything else for the telescope at this stage, it is an entry level telescope and you seem to be an entry level user and if so I would recommend practicing with it for a while to get used to it. A zoom eyepiece would be a cost effective upgrade to the existing eyepieces but would need to be of the Baader quality as the cheaper units are disappointing at F4, the Baader or equivalent will, as you suggest, be a good investment for the future.