Orion SpaceProbe 130 EQ Reflector
This was the first scope I owned. Overall, I had an OK experience with it. The scope itself is great for a beginner, enough light gathering power to give you a show, but not so much it empties your bank account. The tripod and mount however, well... suck. The thing jitters like crazy, so using it in any sort of wind is a real pain. Not to mention every time you touch it you have to wait a good 10 seconds before the image shake calms down. On top of that, the setting circles are so flimsy you might as well pretend they're not there. If I had paid more for this package I'd be quite upset. But the thing is, that for an entire package that costs ~200 bucks, you just aren't going to get a good EQ tripod and mount. If I had it to do over again I think I'd buy the Dobsonian equivalent.

Orion SkyView Pro 8 EQ Reflector
This is my current scope of choice. The SkyView Pro mount is definitely a step (actually, more of a leap) up from the EQ2 mount on the SpaceProbe. I'd recommend getting the additional polar alignment scope, which makes setting up a breeze. The mount tracks well and the tripod as a whole is stable even in moderate wind. The scope delivers refined images compared tot he SpaceProbe and definitely brightens up DSOs quite a bit. It works ok for casual astrophotography so long as you're not too zoomed in and the exposure isn't too long. The setting circles are better than the SpaceProbe's, but still not reliable enough to make much use of. Coming in at around double the price of the SpaceProbe 130, I'd have to say you get double the scope and triple the tripod.

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