I am considering the following grinders but I've basically made up my mind and just wanted to check here before committing to purchase

Mahlkonig K30
Mythos Basic
Mahlkonig EK43
Mahlkonig Peak
Compak E/F 8
Compak K10PB

The list is basically in order of my interest and as you can see this is heavily leaned towards Flat burrs. I previously used a HGOne and don't think the conicals matched my palate but could be wrong. For instance, all of my best shots have been with the Baratza Vario, however, the HG One was much more consistent and held a setting better. I only make 2 to 3 shots a day.

My areas of importance are as follows
1. Good distribution/Less need for RDT/WDT and just simple. I don't want to spend a lot of effort anymore so hand grinders are out.

2. Low Grind Retention. I don't mind tossing out a few grams every morning but nothing too crazy.

3. Minimal Wandering Settings/easy to dial in coffees (I understand when changing coffees but day to day using the same coffee). This was really the shining spot for the HGOne. Basically just consistency.

I would be willing to put a few shots worth at a time in the hopper to start and just add a set amount every morning if this means the grinder would run better as evidenced by requirement '1.'. I'm not for a full hopper though. Seems silly to leave beans to the open air with our obsession finding the best air tight/vacuum storage options.

The price/value for the k30 just seems fantastic. The mythos would need to blow my socks off to best the k30. Sorry for flooding the board with another k30 topic. I've been studying the other topics but didn't want to derail them.

Also, when was the latest version of the k30 released so I can avoid buying older stock? And is the price pretty much set among sellers (feel free to PM about this)?

I doubt you'll notice the different between a Mythos and K30 unless you are doing very high load.. I can't notice the difference in straight shots from a Mythos and a Major at the same cafe.. I see no purpose in buying a monster of a grinder that you won't see all of the benefits from.. nevertheless, us Home Baristas know what going over the top is, and I'd rather get something over qualified than under. I would go with the K30 or the Compak K10.. though Conical grinders seem to be more disliked these days in favor of large flats.. hmm.

Another item I'd like to check is whether the K30 produces a shot that blondes sooner or later than a shot on a large conical. I have read both during my searches.

I'm biding my time until LynWeber finally lets on to what kind of new grinder they're releasing.

I am thinking of upgrading a grinder too, its not that i am not satisfied with major, far from that, its great, but i have converted doser model and i could really use something more friendly and with electronics.

I would probably consider K10 or Peak, i love ek43 but its simply too gianormous..

I just went through such and upgrade.

Chose the k30. No regrets. Love the grinder and switch better singles and doubles on a daily basis.

The air is not really needed for home use. I received the air as a free upgrade. I disabled the fan by disconnecting the wire. It definitely is a great option to have. The whirring noise though in an otherwise quiet kitchen was not needed.

I don't see a Ceado on your list. I have an E37s for two years now and have been very happy with it. Check it out, it is well worth a look.

I haven't heard much about it but I'm curious as to how it distributes into the basket/retention/whether you need beans in the hopper for it to work well and any mods. The price is a bonus! as I doubt I'll ever settle on one grinder. I am curious which would have less chances of channeling (read: me screwing it up )

Although, I just learned that Mahlkonig has a new grinder up their sleeve to announce next month. I would hate to buy a K30 only for them to improve it (unless I buy used).

I should also mention that sound is very important as both my SO and I are very noise sensitive.

Retention is 6-8 grams and I can provide a link, http://www.bellabarista.co.uk/pdf/Ceado ... ewv1.5.pdf
Once broken in the distribution is great, I do not use WDT as none is needed. I run mine with the big hopper and the mazzer mini hopper does fit it. It can be single dosed and member fotondrv has a nice topic on doing so. Likewise, davec has tested and praised the E37s. I have been very happy with mine and I hope this helps.

EDIT: Noise is minimal. One of the quietest grinders I have owned.