Very nice writeup with good personal observations beyond the
"normal"observations. Enjoyable.

I am in the process of looking for a 18" and the Starmaster is highest
on the list thus far... ;-)

By the way...you have discovered the joys of binocs...except for the
neck crunch and problem with hand holding them. I used to use a tripod
mount...but early in the year I got a Sky Window. The binocs mount
similar to a microscope setup and the image is viewed off of a front
surface mirror. Extremely convenient to use and no problem with the
shakes. You don't need a tripod...just set it on a small table, hood
of a car, etc. Using my 16x70 Fujis with this setup is wonderful.
Highly recommended!

Bob Berta