I tried an Area 51 wah not long ago... very very nice... I wakkawakka want one!
How does it compare to the Wilson?
Hmm... it's a bit difficult to say, as the Wilson has a ton of added control functions: sweep control, gain control, bass control, 6 position Q-switch. So it doesn't have a single characteristic sound. My Area 51 is just a straight ahead wah.
They're both excellent. I'd describe the Area 51 as much like a vintage
stack-o-dimes Crybaby but with a longer sweep and slightly more growl. For me that's just about perfect. I can almost tune in that same sound on the Wilson, and it offers a huge range of other wah sounds as well.
In general I prefer a simple, vintage-style wah. I happened to get the Wilson as part of a deal, didn't seek it out. It's been a lot of fun exploring its many possibilities. I've had correspondence with both builders - both seem like good folks who'll build you pretty much whatever sort of wah you want.