[Eric Hahl]

Originally Posted by fireant911

The timing of this thread is great. We live far out in the country and I often go out at night and simply marvel at what I see in the sky above. Earlier this week, I started looking for a decent telescope for someone that wants to look closer at some of the objects in the sky without spending much cash. I did a little research and the reflector-type scopes came up as the best bang-for-the-buck. I have narrowed my search down to these two inexpensive models. What say the experts here? Are these two choices okay for novice's purchase if $200 is my limit?

https://www.amazon.com/Orion-StarBlast-Equatorial-Reflector-Telescope/dp/B06XSM4R74/ref=dp_ob_title_ce?dpID=41geR02qr%252BL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=detail

https://www.amazon.com/Celestron-31042-AstroMaster-Reflector-Telescope/dp/B000MLL6R8/ref=nsa_prb_sm_n_au_dka_US_pr_prb_0_0?adId=B000MLL 6R8&creativeASIN=B000MLL6R8&linkId=af6c99962dc3f544dabbc09b3a576f21&tag=opticsden-20&linkCode=w48&ref-refURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.opticsden.com%2Fbest-telescopes%2F&slotNum=0&imprToken=2ecoyRhLQaoEDp1nK6gmdw

Those a both great scopes for just trying out the hobby. They are cheap but the optics are surprisingly good. You will have to learn how to collimate the optics for the best results but its easy to do. As mentioned above, the mount is key to taming the wobbles.
Perhaps a 6" or 8" Dobsonian reflector would be even better. No EQ mount to mess around with, no tracking, just put it on the ground and move it around by hand. Super simple and a great aperture to see a variety of stuff.
Lots of used telescopes like this on craigslist for cheap.0