Yes, the 6-inch f/6 Newtonian in my opinion, just might be the perfect telescope for the dedicated visual observer. It’s both compact and lightweight, and even with an equatorial mount is easily manageable, and has twice the light gathering power of a 4-inch refractor.

I had a 6-inch Criterion RV-6 almost 50 years ago, but life got busy and sold it. However, I always regretted selling that telescope. So, in 2018, I bought another 6-inch, but this time with an f/6 focal ratio. The Criterion RV-6 was an f/8. I like the f/6 much better as the optical tube is not as long, and the shorter focal length allows for wider field of view. When emplying a 2x Barlow, the f/6 becomes an f/12 focal ratio.

I also have a 4.5-inch f/8 Newtonian that was given to me last year (March 2025) by a friend. I like this telescope as when using, reminds me of my 4.25-inch f/10 EQ Edmund reflector. This was my first “very own” telescope, which opened the world of (serious) amateur astronomy to me in the spring of 1977.

After being a serious “visual” observer for at least 40 years and having had more than 10 telescopes, I’ve come to the conclusion:  A 6-inch f/6 Newtonian just might just be the perfect amateur telescope by offering enough aperture to see thousands of deep-sky objects and with reasonable portability.