cardioid 831b vs omni 803b (Ty vs. DSE) + 829, 830, et. al.
 

Ty and DSE discuss the relative merits of audio technica omni 803b vs 831b cardioid here:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...221#post424221

My questions are:

(thanks in advance for informing me that answers are subjective and relative)

1) are cardioids generally categorically better than omnis in terms of audio sound? (obviously cardioids are inferior in terms of ease-of-use)

2) what are the pitfalls of using a cardioid like the 831b, relative to using an omni? how frequent and severe are the cardioid-specific unwanted noise problems in comparison to omnis?

3) AT seems to sell Pro 88W kits with 829mW or 830mW mics for good prices. Are these mics (829mW and 830mW) of categorically different quality? What about value?