I think I might be able to offer some perspective here. I have owned both. As a person who leans towards Pros usually, I feel the difference is usually not worth the price discrepancy. I recently sold my pro however and picked up a premium (both lightly used). I love the game. So much so in fact, that I thought it was worth upgrading to get the full monty Premium, or at least the half monty (I am certainly not an LE type).

So, my thoughts.

Pro. The art is better on the pro. I like the more generalized art of the series there. I mean, the dinosaur and the megalodon are great in the game, but damn it, I want the machine to have a stylized DP on the side. It's also a better value.

Premium. There is a fundamental difference to how the game plays. Yes, it is the orbit diverter, but there is more. The drops cushion side to side shots. There is much less danger. With nearly the same exact setup, I have put up consistently higher scores on the premium. Its all relative, so scores don't matter, but you may find, like me, that this also makes it more enjoyable. Disco ball is great, although those are available aftermarket. The figures look 10x better than the plastics. The truck. The color wire form/habitrail. It...just looks better, at least on the playfield.

If it were me, and you love the game, go ahead and treat yourself if you can and get the premium. Especially in a bank of multiple games. If you have a short attention span, and this is just scratching a temporary itch, and/or you want to maximize your bang for the buck in exchange for a couple of significant gameplay differences then grab the pro. Either way, its a great game, especially when setup right (it's more sensitive than most, with the bank shot multiplier up the ramp and the cross ramp).

I will say this, for what its worth. I took the Stern tour last Week. You know what I saw the most of being built? The merc with the mouth. Munsters were almost entirely absent and I saw a few BM66 Catwoman Ed. A lot of Black Knights were being churned out and Deadpools were EVERYWHERE. You, err we, aren't alone in wanting one apparently.

Best of luck with your decision.

Ok. Didn't know that. Put another slash in the premium column then.