I think It's definitely a bit more sensitive than the regular 64 controllers for tilts and such, or rather, the anolog stick feels lighter, or less stiff than a mint reg controller. The stick is shorter though, with a wider thumb pad which makes slipping off less likely.
The Joystick doesn't seem to deteriorate physically like a regular 64 controller would, which is a huge plus, but for me, after a lot of use my inputs would stop being registered, and eventually the controller became unplayable, despite the stick still feeling like it should work superbly. I'm not sure if this was a defect in my hori or if it's something all of them might be likely to experience.
I've ordered a few old ones and this is my first new one. You can't fully be sure of the condition of the used ones in my experience as the people rating them have different systems for judging the items, and there is usually a language barrier as they are likely shipping from japan. But you may get lucky, and they are definitely more reasonably priced than the new ones, but like I said before regarding the new ones- BUTTER.
tl:dr - easy taunt cancels make these pads worth any price