 Bushnell maybe
Hey there, in a theoretical sense, the Bushnell 4.5 would give the "best" view, but practically speaking the Celestron would most likely give better use. The Bushnell mount is not a true Dobsonian mount in that the altitude move on a single arm with one bearing. It's a simple arrangement but will be prone to instability (read: cheesy) and likely to wear out and get worse over time (possibly a short time). Straight out of the box you're getting a better product with the Celestron, one that will perform well for quite a while.
All that being said, if you're handy with your hands and have the ability to fix and/or rebuild the Bushnell the extra .5" of aperture, especially in that size range, would give noticeably brighter views. I suppose it depends on how handy you are and what your time is worth (i.e. would you enjoy tinkering with the scope).
Since this is your first telescope purchase, FWIW, in my experience everyone I know who had a 4.5" reflector more than two years ago has either moved on to a larger aperture or quit the hobby. I'm sure there are exceptions, but this seems to be the general rule. For testing to see whether you like the hobby or not, $100 is not that bad an investment, but if you think you might stick with it, you would be better advised to go with an inexpensive 6" or even an 8" Dobsonian scope, competitively priced with the Celestron you're thinking about. At this aperture there are many amateurs who are quite happy with what they have, use them regularly, and will continue to use them for many years to come. If you get lucky you might wind up with an excellent mirror. Our club has an old 6" Criterion I rebuilt into a Dob for a loaner scope. It has an absolutely beautiful mirror that I would not mind at all having for an only scope. We got it as a donation and I would guess it's at least 25 years old, probably more. Images are bright and crisp.
Good luck and hope this helps.  | 
03-14-2008, 09:51 AM
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