Need help to purchase a stick

hello guys i am trying to give my friend a gift for this bday. He and i we are both into SFIV. I use the tournament edition but he uses the 360 dpad. So i want to give him a fightstick. I am debating between the hori ex2 i can get one for 45 bucks or should i get him the madcatz SF IV standard edition stick? which one would you recommend?

Thanks in advance.

The SE stick is a lot easier to mod than the EX2. You get what you pay for. Those EX2’s look/feel cheap and lightweight.

SE stick requires you to open it up and glue the metal washer down, though. Or else the joystick is going to die FAST.

Just keep that in mind.

Well, does your friend have big hands? I ask this because the Hori stick is pretty small. I have small hands, but the unit just wouldn’t stay in place on my lap. It felt good, but felt a little bit weak.

The SE stick has more weight and didn’t move around much if at all while I used it. Also, it’s much easier to upgrade that parts than the hori (no soldering) so if your friend gets more into it he can mod it. It does have the metal washer issue though, and the buttons honestly felt worse than the hori stock buttons to me.

Buy.com has the SE for the 360 for $40+shipping+tax(if applicable). Not sure how long the deal will last but here’s the link:

http://www.buy.com/prod/official-street-fighter-iv-arcade-fightstick-joystick-for-xbox-360/q/loc/108/210674146.html

The Hori EX2 is more compact and lightweight which can be a good or bad thing. In the short term the Hori EX2 is likely to have less issues out the box for the first 6 months. But the buttons eventually die. Replacing parts is a pain because it requires tools like a dremel or round file and a soldering iron and wire crimping/cutting tools. The PCBs have been known to die as well.

The SE on the other hand the buttons might die literally in the first month, and the joystick may too, but getting sawna or seimitsu replacement parts is easy if you can operate a screwdriver. It is a better long run choice with a lower long run cost.

not on the new ones.