Refractor telescope vs Reflector telescope

Refractors use lenses, reflectors use mirrors. The choice changes cost per aperture, maintenance and what you see best.

	Refractor telescope	Reflector telescope
Light gathering	Lens at front	Curved primary mirror
Cost per aperture	High (quality glass is expensive)	Low (mirrors are cheaper to make)
Maintenance	Sealed tube — essentially none	Periodic collimation, mirror cleaning
Chromatic aberration	Visible in cheap models; corrected in apochromats	None
Central obstruction	No	Yes (secondary mirror)
Image contrast (planets)	Excellent	Slightly lower
Image brightness (deep sky)	Limited by smaller aperture	Higher (larger apertures affordable)
Cool-down time	Fast — sealed tube	Slow — mirror needs to equilibrate
Best for	Moon, planets, double stars, astrophotography of bright objects	Faint galaxies, nebulae, deep-sky observing

Verdict

Refractors win on contrast and convenience at small apertures (60-100 mm). Reflectors win on faint-object visibility per dollar — a 200 mm Dobsonian costs less than a 100 mm refractor and shows more deep-sky objects.