I figured you were trying to quote the BG there since Morty was a Volus Adept.
I'm in the same boat - Paladin I vs. Carnifex 8. But both are gathering cobwebs thanks to my Arc Pistol and Scorpion anyway so I guess it's ultimately moot. (I'm really happy for you and imma let you finish, but Arc Pistol is the greatest sidearm of all time, all time.)
Honestly? I badly wanted the Phoenix classes before I got them... but after getting them I'm pretty underwhelmed. The Slayer outclasses the Phoenix Vanguard in just about every way, and the vanilla human Adept can put out much more damage than his Phoenix counterpart.
I will say though that' it's really cool to watch a PV take on Dragoons, what with the biotic whips flashing everywhere. It's as cool as watching a Phantom and Shadow/Fury gracefully duking it out.