Perfectly logical questions, John.
I can see where you might comment on the Biamp/Phonic look, but it's really not that bad. I found the Midas Venice I just sold a lot more "offensive" to look at than this thing. I think a lot of it has to do with the neutral color they picked for the chassis and the majority of the desk.
The build quality is SOLID. There is relatively no chassis flex whatsoever, and keep in mind we were moving it with no case. As you may be able to see in Bennett's photo, the channel cards are set up very well.
As mentioned, the desk does have a built in tone generator and a built in TB mic. It's good for times when your TB mic might be prone to theft (ie: installations), but I'm fine with my own mic externally.
The dual jacks for headphones on the front plus an add'l 1/4" on the back is helpful.
I was told that the faders are Panasonic faders (self-cleaning?) and are very smooth.
If I think of anything else I missed, I'll post it here.