dfk41 Because I can read, I can ask, I can try units belonging to others, and I can reason
Decent first: plenty of owners in walking distance and I know three. Additionally, there is a roughly two hundred page Decent thread at H-B, and of course right here we have Jake and others. Note, I did not say this machine is the sole choice, but for what the OP has stated it is really a no-brainer. I do not own one only because I am really enjoying levers. If that ever changes a Decent will replace them and this is something I’ve mentioned to both Jake and Dave in the past. Read the HB thread; you may learn something.
Philos: Jim Schulman’s reviews of machines from Mazzer, Zerno, and Option O and the follow-on discussion threads are evidence enough, however again there is a smaller but lucid and enthusiastic thread right here. You should read it.
As to why the Philos, I’'d say it has none of the potential mild downsides I perceive with Option O and Zerno, but my perception might not be shared by all. However in the USA Option O 64 is $1,600; the Zerno is$ 1,500, and the Mazzer is $1,000. Assuming one found them all equal in all other regards, price alone makes the Philos a clear recommendation.
By the way I’ve never flown a plane but I know enough to travel by jet not biplane, and I’ve never owned a Ferrari but I’ve had a few wonderful rides in one. I’ve never had cancer but if diagnosed I’d know which medical facility to go to. Data, experience, induction, deduction; the Western thought-model since Descartes. It works.