Ultimate medium-pad mining ship?

[Speedcuffs]

Yep, it's a runner.
Hardpoints.
Plenty roomy.
Decent shields.
'Run away! Run away!'
Yep, fast enough.

 

[Stealthie]

Is it still Python?

Having given both a fair crack, I'd say (unfortunately)... it depends.

If I was just doing deep-core mining, I think I'd go for the Krait.
It's superior speed, agility and cockpit-view make the task easier and faster, as you zip from one roid to the next until you find a suitable roid and then manoeuvre around it, placing charges and shooting at deposits.

If you're more chilled-out about your mining (which I am), the Python is a better ship.
The extra slot means more limpets and that speeds up collecting fragments generated by laser-mining.
The fact that I am laser-mining means I spend less time d/c mining which, in turn, means I don't miss the Krait's superior agility as much.

Ironically, I spent a week mining in the Krait before concluding that things would definitely go faster (mining Painite) in a Python and transferred all my kit across to the Python.
... and then the bottom fell out of the Painite market in Colonia so I decided to go d/c mining for VOs instead and realised that the Krait would have been a better ship for that.

le sigh