Reply to The Classic Battle Royale: Best MIDI Keyboard Controller

Hey Guys,

So I thought, for my first post, I'd discuss (or rather start the discussion on) a topic that everyone is probably sick of by now - MIDI Controllers.
If you haven't guessed by now I'm new to this, but I have played Guitar for 4 years and I have extensive knowledge of music theory, as well as recording and editing audio.
Anyways, I've read up on a lot of MIDI Controllers (I'm considering Axiom/Axiom Pro 500, Roland (rebranded Cakewalk, I believe) a-500 pro, and the Edirol PCR 500. I'm also interested in the new Novation Impulse but I've heard it's parts are not very high quality. Price isn't a huge issue, but extra $ is always nice, especially if I decide to go the Pro Studio or Live route (most of the controllers above come with some sort of free software.)
Finally, I'm not really interested in how many bells/whistles it has. I'm more concerned about action (Keys, Drumpads, sliders, etc.) layout, etc. And in responses, if it's not too much trouble, can you tell me exactly why you like it, rather than being really vague.

Thanks (and sorry for the long post.)