I love my Krait Phantom

In my opinion, the Krait Phantom is the most underappreciated exploration ship in the game. In fact, I might even say it's the best exploration ship one can buy, being second only to the Anaconda. It even has an engineered jump range that is comparable to the Anaconda, which can get above 80ly jump range, but there are builds of the Phantom where it beats 70. Not to mention that this ship is only a fraction of the cost of an Anaconda.

The Phantom gets shat on a lot for being a stripped-back version of the MKII, but in my opinion, that's kind of exactly what makes it such a great explorer. Even though it has fewer internals than its sister ship, it still has pretty much everything you need to explore. I have absolutely no issue fitting what I need in there, and I even have room for an SRV. It's also a pretty decent combat ship. There have been several times when I've been interdicted and was able to stand my ground and destroyed the pirate without even losing my shields.

And, oh my god, this thing is fucking fun to fly. Something about the way the engine kicks in, the way it sounds when you fly it, and how it turns, all just feel so unique to me. I just haven't flown a ship with so much personality. I really value explorers that are fun to fly. It makes the long, boring journeys into the black just a bit more bearable, and there is no ship that does it better than the Phantom.

If you want to get the most out of this ship, make it your baby. Pimp it out as much as you can. If you like to do a lot of exploring, you will 100% not regret it. I upgraded to the phantom after months of jumping around in the AspX, and I don't think I'll ever go back. Keep a Python if you need a multipurpose ship to handle your non-exploration stuff like trading or mining, but when it comes to long adventures into the black, it's hard to find a ship that does it better than the Phantom.