Thanks to ecc (who has the patience of a saint), I spent this past week testing the Pharos against a Mazzer Robur, Nuova Simonelli Mythos prototype, Compak K10 Pro and Macap M7.
All in all, I'm extremely impressed by the engineering and function of the Pharos. Its grind quality equals that of the Robur & K10. The Mythos and M7, being big flats, produce slightly different profiles, but no better or worse. If I held grind quality as the ONLY requirement, then the Pharos would get my wholehearted recommendation as the best value of ANY grinder, bar none.
Unfortunately, there are other considerations. Ergonomics and grind retention are sore points in my book. I realize that OE supports the modding community and encourages any hacks/additions/tweaks, and am sure that someone out there is upping the ante by adding their own spin to it. That's all good and fine, but it's not a user-friendly out of the box experience. I'll be packing it up this week and sending it on to its home in Indy.
Testing this thing has been a good time, and I'm grateful to have had a part in this version of the travelling road show.