My first arcade stick, the Hori DoA5 Edition, arrived two days ago and the overall build quality really impressesd me, even though it's more of a low budget stick (96), I suppose. The case is sturdy and heavy and the sanwa buttons are very responsive. Maybe a bit too loud. The deadzone of the joystick is a bit big though. I also really like the artwork.
The surface however seems quite smooth and susceptible to scratches. I'll try my best to keep the stick clean but I reckon the parts where you place your wrists are going to look ugly after some usage.
There is just one little problem I have... the TRANSITION! Even though I started playing street fighter just a couple of weeks ago, I already felt relatively confident (whatever that means) about the gameplay. But now it's like starting completely from scratch again. Hell, I mean from the scratch of the scratch. It seems to be a long way to even get to the point where I was with pad.
3D fighters (DoA and SC) in turn are much easier to get into with the stick. It even seems that they will be a bit easier to control, as there's no longer a need for shortcuts. I'm really surprised of how much sense the controls now make to me with just the 3-4 buttons.
Anyway, this piece is so much fun to use, but currently also frustrating. Today, for a moment I had the urge to bite in my stick because of how I suck at it. Regardless, I already don't want to go back to pad again. Never. Again.