[quote name='tcleary']just have to chime in with my opinion. I tried playing some games with this stick. to me it's just not as comfortable as the TE sticks. the TE have a contour at the bottom that fits my wrists perfectly, it feels great. and I also like the extra weight. I have 2 of these and am selling/trading them for more TEs. to me the TE style is pretty much perfect, i have yet to try a stick that feels better. so I would recommend a TE over these sticks but don't get me wrong. for $100 they are not bad.
I also hate square gate, so swap octagonal in any stick I get. that's the only mod worthwhile in my opinion. i'm an old school gamer though, grew up playing SF2 and MK in the arcades.[/QUOTE]
Have you tried any of the Hori V3-SA series sticks? They have a contoured area as well & IMO, it feels much better than a TE after an extended duration of usage due to the more angled wrist rest area (contoured area). A Hori SC5 stick weigh 6.4-pounds while a TE weighs 6.25-pounds so they weigh the same basically. Perhaps the weight difference you're feeling is the different weight distribution? Don't get me wrong, I think TE's are nice but I prefer Hori V3-SA sticks because it just feels that much more comfy for me. Although I love the translucent cases of some of the TE's (TE-S Chun-Li & SC5).
At 1st (years ago), I wasn't feeling the square gates also but it's true what they say (well, for me anyway), once you learn how to not ride the corners then a square feels much better & has better accuracy/precision but (again) perhaps that's just me.
I'm an old school gamer too (playing MK & SF at the local 7-11's growing up) so everytime I play MK on a console, even though I know Sanwa/Seimitsu parts (in a plastic or metal case) are more accurate & responsive, I prefer Happ/iL parts (in a wooden case) since it feels better especially with the concave buttons & bat-top sticks for MK although for SF it's the oppposite. PM me your asking price (shipped) for 1 of these Hori SC5 sticks, I might be interested in having a 2nd stick.
BTW, today's the last day to use the $60 off promo code for a SC5 TE stick on Madcatz's website if anyone wants it. So it brings it down to $100 + shipping (~$12 on average depending on where you live) and possibly tax.