My first scope was an Opticron, and it served me well for many years.
I upgraded to a "proper scope", a Kowa - that cost me approx £1100 with 2 eyepieces about 9 years ago as I could justify the expense due to the amount of time I spent using it.
My advice is to decide what your budget is and then try all the scopes within that budget. Try to view at low light levels and see what performs best
