Thank you for saying this. Logical arguments, especially around fuzzy notions like the feel of a controller, are useful for prioritizing the hypotheses we test. But not for deciding on them.
Given 15 different controller designs, use logic to figure out what order you test them/build them. But at the end, it comes down to the feel.
This[1] CH joystick was my bread-and-butter for gaming. I used one one-handed with a joystick in the other for FPS; I used one with the spring switch off on a Y-adapter as a throttle. it's only downside was not enough buttons for fighting games. Also they wear out after about 2-4 years of hard use (or a decade of light use).
I'm down to my last one that works perfectly, and considering building a USB one since all of the joystick parts are still manufactured and available from CH.
http://ec3.images-amazon.com/images/P/B000IBRN7O.01-ABT3ZC4T...
There's just no way to judge a controller without physically holding it and walking an FPS mile with it as your shoes.
I spent the early 90's going from one giant, gaudy "flight stick" to the next, never knowing that what I really wanted was a pair of miniature thumb-sticks. My mind is wide open to stuff like this.