The stick is literally $30 on Amazon. It's a great starting place for modding (it has quick disconnects and plexis available). Drop some Sanwa/Seimitsu buttons + stick in there and you've got a RAP/TE stick for half the price.
In my opinion everything is pretty much equal with pad and stick except for two things:
1) Movement is easier on pad
2) Slide inputs (agA) are easier on stick
Other than that everything is just about the same, for Soul Calibur at the least.
Anyone have one on hand? There used to be one at tek-innovations; however, the link appears to be dead and I can't download it.
If someone could provide it I would be very grateful, as I'm needing it for a stick I'm modding.
My only serious criticism is trying to do this before patch. If there's a patch coming up in the near future that may nullify these changes it makes this whole discussion senseless.
Maybe Bandai Namco will give us a playable Devil Jin character model to use as a universal standard, perhaps...