Lee:
My friend has a Celestron C6-R on a CG-5 GOTO mount and I have a Celestron C-11 SCT on a CG-5 GOTO mount. When we can, we head out into the dark country and set up. He can have his scope set up about 10 minutes faster than I can because he has two counterweights to my three. His OTA is longer, but lighter, and he can put it on quickly. I have to carry mine out in a padded bag, put it on, and then check balance (even though I mark the balance spots, I still double-check it everytime).
We often select the same object and view through both scopes. He's into astrophotography, so we can view through mine when he's doing prime focus shots.
As John Crilly said, it really depends on what you are looking at with either scope. For some objects the refractor gives great views, but on DSOs the SCT really shines. I would love to have both!
Good luck on your decision. A 6" refractor should work well.
By the way, my friend has not purchased a MV filter for his C6 yet. Other than the moon, it has not shown hardly any C.A. It's a good scope for the money. One thing he doesn't like, however, is the OTA's balancing point can be awkward and the EP position when viewing near the Zenith can also be. He is getting a Right Angle finder after looking through mine! He is looking into an external balancing weight and an extension to overcome the viewing awkwardness. These are all things that you have to consider (budget-wise also) when purchasing a scope. You may find that the Pollux-recommended W.O. MV filter is necessary depending on what you view (I would have mentioned a couple of other available MV filters, but I'm saving Pollux from having to recommend the W.O. version).
