Hori's Hayabusa stick

[NFG]

Ever since I saw Hori created their own mechanism, the Hayabusa (Falcon, 隼), I've wanted to get one and try it.  I like Hori stuff as a rule, so I trusted them to make a nice device.

I finally picked one up in a recent trip to Japan, and it's every bit as good as I hoped.  Medium length throw, great feel, plays perfectly.  The buttons are similarly awesome, with a nice texture and excellent feel.

I really wish I'd picked up a few of the mechs when Hori was still selling them.  Buying old sticks to harvest 'em is an expensive way to go.

Anyway, some observations:

In this stick at least (a RAP4, non-silent) it's mounted using a plate that matches a Seimitsu base (SE), and has an integral, non-adjustable non-removable gate that looks like it was cast from a Sanwa mold. 

Perhaps because of their minimal-friction cam design, it has a remarkable and unerring willingness to return to dead center, and does not resist or hesitate to move from that point when asked.It feels amazing, though I do wonder how much of that is by design, or because it's brand new still.

The buttons are similarly brilliant.  They have a textured surface and feel amazing, and there's a very subtle, hard to define but very satisfying response when pressed.  They seem to activate early and return to default position as eagerly as the stick, without feeling like they're resisting with stronger springs.