They dont make Mk3's anymore. I just settled with Mk2's and they've done me fine, but if you've got another 100 quid to throw in you might as well get the Mk5's because they'll probably be the last set of decks you'll need to buy... Personally I was very tempted to go for STANTON ST8-150's but decided technics last minute as figured once you know how to abuse technics, you'll be fairly comfortable playing out on them. The only thing I think technics have left to offer is the build design and the fact they somehow remain industry standard (and having an industry standard is quite important). Apart from that, they are quite outdated in terms of features - however that said, they still have the lowest Wow & Flutter around (00.1%). I was quite attracted to those stanton ones because they have key correction and it seems to work quite well - i.e. you can play something at 8+ but it dosnt affect the key of the record so vocals dont sound 'chipmonk'. Also, 4.5kg of torque (compared to technics 1.6kg) is really nice to mix on, esp if you like a bit of turntable wizardry...