Well, I'm not really sure he'd be happy with CHs. It's not that he'd have any reason
not to be happy with 'em, mind - but since he seems to fancy the Cougar's design and dislike that of the Fighterstick, you can't argue with quality and support but have to stick to ergonomics. So let's talk about the design - and if you think that both are replicas of the real deal you're just almost right.
The HOTAS Cougar, just like its predecessors, is a 1:1 replica of the stick and an almost 1:1 replica of the throttle of the F-16 - the Fighterstick is just closely modelled after the stick but no true replica, and the Pro Throttle is no replica of anything I'd know of. The Cougar features everything the real deal's controllers feature, too, except the idle-safety of the throttle: the dual-stage trigger, all buttons and hats and switches, the rotaries. The Figterstick doesn't feature a dual-stage trigger, and the paddle-switch is missing, too; instead of the single coolie, 2 3-way switches and 2 rotaries of the original throttle, the Pro Throttle features neither rotaries nor the original 3-way switches but only the analog mini-stick, but it provides 3 single buttons plus a total of 4 coolie-hats instead. All of the Cougar's coolies can be used fully 8-way (or 4-way, with or without corners, depending on what you want or need to set up) - of the CHs, each controller only features a single 8-way coolie, the others are only 4-way. All of the Cougar's buttons and coolies and switches provide a rather long throw with the best feel I've ever experienced - they feel so much better than the usual short-throw plastic buttons it is hard to describe. The CHs' buttons and coolies have a clear travel, too, and feel like high quality just as well - but not as good as the stunning feel of the Cougar's buttons. The Cougar's rest-plate at the base of the stick is large enough and extends towards the user to allow for a truly comfortable position of your right hand - the Fighterstick's plate is much smaller and does not extent towards the user, so it is rather uncomfortable in comparison. Altogether the Cougar feels like a part of your body while the CHs are ergonomical, but controllers in your hands. In terms of ergonomics, the Cougar wins hands down, with the CHs getting a very good second place (still much better than any Saitek, for instance).
So yes, I can fully understand what the people love about "that metal feel" - that's more than just being a snob, it
is just great (mind, I'm only referring to the buttons, switches and coolies, not e.g. the gimbals)! The Cougar
feels sexy - the CHs are high-quality implements. If that's what he's after - sex appeal
- then he'll be lucky and easily satisfied with the Cougar, while the CHs may take some time to convince by quality.
Unfortunately, that quality does not extent on the innards, especially the gimbals: the stock gimbals of the Cougar come along with such great tolerances that an increasing center-play can be an issue. The stock springs are very, very stiff (to hald the metal grip, of course), and if you're not mainly into jet sims but prefer WWII you may hate them (and learn to detest them even more). Luckily, these issues can be solved - though this means the need to invest further money into the Cougar to get modded gimbals. If you expect your high-end HOTAS to be top notch straight out of the box, then the Cougar can be a disappointment - but if you're aware of its potential issues and woes and don't mind to spend some more money, then you can make it (almost) exactly the stick you want it to be. For WWII sims I'd recommend Ian's current gimbals, the Über2next, which requires Ernest's Hall-sensors - not cheap, exactly, but worth it if
you consider it worth it!
I hope this may help you a bit to make up your mind. If you should have further questions - let's say about the support (or the lack thereof) or the programming capabilities (in both cases it's a clear 1st place for the CHs, with the Cougar limping way behind) - just ask.
