Matt,
There's nothing wrong with the Hitec Flash 5X, I used to have one. I now fly mostly with a Futaba 6 XAS (similar to the EAX but with a couple more mixes.)

Keep in mind, everyone has an opinion, and some people take their own opinions much more seriously than others, but if I were making a choice I'd go with the 6EXA. An extra channel, easy to program....

That's MY opinion.
Dennis-