The switches and construction of the Warthog grip are far superior to the Cougar overall - an the Paddle actually is shaped like a RL Paddle. The switches are also much more like milspec - if not actual - so it just plain feels more like a “real” grip.
And all the better if your base will let you actually use the CMS->dwn button. Because that is not an actual Viper HOTAS switch, it makes a perfect shift key - you can use CMS->dwn as shift without wandering away from standard Viper HOTAS assignments.