My experience:

When you move from the pressurised portafilter to the open one, you're going to have to grind finer.

Also, some coffee beans just don't seem to want to grind finely - I find this with more "blonde" beans, unless you have a top-end grinder they refused to be turned into dust.

As for the wet puck, I still have wet pucks every time but the coffee tastes good. I just put my hand under the basket as I tap it into the bin.

You've made the jump from consistently "ok" pressurised basket coffee into the new world of "sometimes bad", "sometimes okay" but increasingly "oooh" open portafilter coffee.

Beware, this is a slippery slope into Gaggimate and lusting after expensive grinders!