My 6" Dobsonian is great for looking at the moon and planets. Its been a while since I researched optics. I have the 2x Barlow lens and two different lenses. 10 mm and 25mm I think.

Venus and Mars just look like a bright disk, without any kind of variation on the planet visible. Jupiter on the other hand is stunning to look at as the 3 or 4 moons are typically visible as pinpoints of light in a line. Haven't managed to spot Saturn yet, though its on my wish list.

I'm the amateur of amateurs and just point and shoot whenever I start noticing the planets hanging in the skies at convenient hours and temperatures. That's the real reason I haven't managed to grab Saturn yet. One day when life settles down, I can tell this will be a hobby to occupy much time. At that point I will probably trade in for a larger scope.

I'd be curious to hear more about the pros and cons of reflector scopes vs refractor scopes, since you have owned both.