Tho' I wasn't asked
allow me to remark that I, too, have tried it out when it came out. Since I didn't buy it, just test it, I can't say anything about its reliability, but I can comment on its ergonomics, its "feel": I didn't like it, not at all. It somehow feels... "wrong", you know.
TM's replicas like the current HOTAS Cougar as well as its predecessors were modelled after the "real deal", and to develop this design had cost the USAF quite some time and money. Small wonder (if at all) that TM's replicas are unequalled in terms of ergonomics, still: you just let your hands fall on the controllers, and it feels as if they were a natural part of your body: every button and switch and axis is exactly where it needs to be, the controllers have no edges but everything's round and ergonomical and feels just great.
CH's controllers feel good, too, but not as good, tho': they don't have edges, either, but they're just not as naturally rounded as the "real deal"s replicas - you always know you're holding controllers in your hands. But every button and axis is where it needs to be, too.
Both sticks are just of the right size - and if you hear someone complain about them being "too big", then the one complaining simply missed the fact that the real deal's meant to be used like this: to access all controls except the upper coolie and button, you use the "low grip" with your hand resting on the base-plate of the stick; to use the upper coolie and button, you raise your hand into the "high grip". That's no design-flaw but done on purpose!
The Saiteks, however, are much smaller than the TMs and CHs - but this results in their buttons and switches and axes appearing to be in the "wrong" places, like that rudder-switch or the rotaries. Everything's somewhat "squeezed" together to allow for a smaller size - but this 'philosophy' simply completely misses the point of the professional HOTAS-design with its idea of a "high grip" and a "low grip". I for one don't like it a bit.
Like I said, that's just my personal opinion on its design WRT ergonomics - but to me for one, that's an important consideration.
I didn't like the feeling of it (that's true for the current model's predecessors just as well), I didn't like its centering-system, I didn't like the whole feeling of its controls - and since it doesn't feature any true programmability (just the usual mappability), either, it didn't find its way into my home.
