neon4891 wrote:Any recomendations on where to buy a decent reflector around $500? ...
IIRC names like meade and celestron are good peices for what I'm looking at
If I were looking for a $500 reflector, I'd go to telescope.com a/k/a Orion. Their house branded stuff is pretty good. The 6" Dobsonian Intellescope is an excellent choice, and is in your price range.
Alternatively, if you really want a Meade or Celestron, pick up a recent copy of Sky & Telescope or Astronomy and check out the ads for various vendors and prices. Most of the larger ads in either magazine will be a decent vendor, but some are better than others. Also, I think each magazine site will have reviews that will separate the good from the bad.
BTW, there's nothing wrong with either Meade or Celestron, although I'd stay away from their very lowest level models.
(Full Disclosure: As noted above, I have an 8" Celestron SCT.)
