out of the box i would go with "really" tight as opposed to "painfully" tight. mythos will stretch as much as they need to and i really don't think there's any advantage to making them stretch more. (along the lines of what dbb said, "really" tight out of the box will likely be painful after a few pitches until they're broken in.)
i like grivel's tools but it looks like i'm in the minority. it came down to the top machines or quarks for me and i went with the top machines and love them. these are great for small hands!!!
wow, minx; that totally sucks! i am so paranoid about leaving my gear anywhere i can't see it. i don't know what i'd do if someone stole all of my climbing stuff. :-(
i like G, think he's pretty f'ing hardcore, and respect his opinions ... but i ordered some screamers anyway. and i will definitely be using them.
thank you to the contributors on this thread for your help!