I have the hurst "billet plus," I think, and I am very happy with it. It uses the stock shift knob and boot. The handle that came with it was too short and didn't kick back far enough. In first gear my knuckles would hit the dash. I got some aluminum bushings from Steeda and used the stock shifter handle. This combo works really well. The bias springs are extremely strong and puls it into position for a hard 3rd gear upshift perfectly. It doesn't rattle or click, and feels very solid and precise.
I've driven a friend's '96 T45 Cobra with a Pro 5.0 shifter and I didn't like it at all. The shifts were so short throw that it sort of took the fun out of driving a manual, and it made a lot of noise. I've also driven another friend's '91 with a steeda and had to lean forward to catch 5th gear. This is a problem if you're tall and drive with the seat far back.
If I had to do it again I would probably go with the MGW, but I'm happy enough that I'll keep the Hurst until I have a real reason to switch. If you don't like your Hurst, make sure it has the right bias springs. Mine came with two sets, a high-force and low force pair. They are both installed together, but some people pull out the high force springs which makes it feel almost as bad as the stock shifter.