What I think about THIS controller.
At first it seemed a bit light in my hands but after trying some older controllers from the 16 bit era I had forgotten how light they were originally. Don't expect to use it on games that require the C stick either as it lacks one. One of the main things to note is that the z button is centered and rectangular unlike its Hori counterpart. This may or may not be an issue for you, it wasn't for me personally. Also the directional pad is cylindrical not the standard cross shape that many people like. The controller has some slightly raised grips on the sides that fit the curving middle fingers quite well. I found the controller to be thicker than standard 16 bit controllers but this was not really a problem. I played Chaos Field and Ikaruga both were smooth as silk and easier to play with this older style controller.
What they did well:
-The buttons are where they should be with the questionable exception of the z button.
-The dpad is very responsive especially for being a circular dpad.
-The raised edges on the sides fit my hands nicely
-6 foot cord
-5 year warranty
-console protection guarantee
What could have been done better:
-The buttons don't have a crisp push they can feel very slightly gummy at times. This is a minor complaint, they respond well but you don't feel them clicking against the contacts like older controllers.
-Lack of the c-stick (this is very minor as it was made for the gameboy player) On a further note they might have used a smaller toggle button to make the dpad act as the cstick temporarily.
Honestly, it is a blatant ripoff of a Hori pad but for the price it's worth considering. As much as I respect Hori I've only found one online for 40 dollars not including shipping.
As I have said this review is for this controller, I can not comment on he Hori. If it is better (for the price it should be) I would still be happy to play with this 9.99 USD version. It was worth the 20 minute trip across town. It is also nice to note that it does come with a 5 year warranty.