[bdery]

Interesting to hear about your 20-35 experience, it goes against the general consensus that led me to believe this could be "the" wide angle to rule them all. Anyway, I won't be getting one very soon now

I know! Many people love it. To me the images looked bland, some PF, sharp but no pop. I felt like I was documenting what I saw, not creating pictures.

Now my widest lens on K mount is the DFA 28-105, and that's fine. I now use Pentax more often with primes (43, 77, 100 macro WR) and with the 60-250 (modified for FF) often coupled with the 17x AF TC.

If that FA*24 gives satisfaction it could be my wide for years to come!

I think the 24 has personality and character, so you should enjoy it indeed.

[VictorDA]

Alright, lens received today!
Looks like there was no real catch, apparently I just got lucky.
The hood and both original caps were included, glass is clean, the lens is functional and in correct condition, save for a few minor issues: 1) obviously comes from a smoking environment (smells and sticks); 2) a little "dust party" is going on in the rear group; 3) the silver plate surrounding the focus scale window is loose/unglued on one side; and 4) the focus ring in "manual mode" is tricky (it seems when I turn right, it always move towards infinity as intended, but turning left, if I don't squeeze it enough with my hand, it will not move the focus scale at all; is that a known/common issue?)
All these are not preventing me from using the lens comfortably in AF mode
There is wear on the paint but less than in many other units I saw being sold at higher prices.

Other design choices that annoy me already: the color, obviously (but why, Pentax, why???); the hood attaching mechanism that is much more complex than usual (sometimes less is more, Pentax!); the "FA-style" 67mm front cap that is really hard to remove without detaching the hood (itself not easy to manoeuver....); the AF/MF mechanism (tbh I would have preferred the "basic FA style" where you simply disengage the AF on the body, again, less can be more).

On the positive side, the size and weight make for a nice balance with my K-1, the all-metal body feels sturdy and durable; AF is quick (not sure about reliability yet); F2 is nice indoor and bokeh looks pretty.
I can't comment yet on image quality, I'll need more time to get familiar with it and probably post a comparison with the A 24!

So, all in all, I think I'll survive