My experience with the A&K M249 has been much more positive than Stealth's.
It should be noted its a direct clone of the CA M249, which itself was a copy of the TOP M249 with the PGC aftermarket mechbox (rather than the stock TOP bellows system).
- Looks-wise, it was very similar to the CA.
- I had no problem with the pistol grip (although the storage compartment door is flappy.
- Trigger switch was fine when running a normal battery like it was designed for.
- The box mag is the size of a normal 200 round box. CA 100 round nutsacks fit fine. One nice feature of the A&K boxmag is the sound activated winding (so you pretty much never have to hit the wind button).
- The gun dimensions and layout are accurate to the real gun, so any ergonomic issues will be encountered on ANY brand; faulting the A&K for this is ridiculous.
other Cons I found:
- The bipod is junk. Doesn't stow properly, easily damaged.
- Like the CA, the mechbox needs a bit tuning if you want good performance from it.
other Pros:
- Quick change spring is awesome.
- Compatibility with CA and many G&P parts (external).
- I found it to be extremely reliable.