I think its ok for this to be a new post. It could be an interesting discussion on how to find a good vet... things like what to look out for, how we can go about finding out and what experiences people have had.

As far as your specific questions, as i'm not from the area i can't comment specifically on any of the vets however i can give you some advice:

Call up all the vet clinics you are interested in and ask them if you can come in for a chat (not for any specific reason just to meet them). Ask them when they are least busy and pop in to say hi (you might have to wait around a bit if they have a customer, but it is worth it to get n idea of what kind of vet they are without actually having an emergency).

While you are there, you can explain any concerns you have with a new vet and ask them for their credentials (i think most vets should have them displayed for all to see).

Finally if you have friends with pets in the area, ask them which vets they visit and what experiences they have had. This can help you judge how vets work (this is similar to asking on a forum but more localized). I'm sure some people on here will have experience with some of the vets you have mentioned so hopefully you get some clues here.

At the end of the day, the best thing is to actually visit the vet yourself, you can usually tell how interested they actually are in their job by meeting them. Also some vets are great with cats but terrible with dogs and vice-versa, so some opinions people have can be slightly misleading due to the animals they have in relation to that vet's area of expertise.

Good luck in your vet hunt. I know it is tough looking for a new vet to look after your pet.

Oh yes, i can second the recommendation for Dr Edmund. He is fantastic. He did a really great job for an amputation on a rescue a friend of mine adopted. He is also the vet who got my Peanut through her recent puppy delivering complications, my puppies (and probably Peanut) literally owe him their lives... lol.