Unpopular opinion: I find the AK pattern to be superior to the SKS in regards to ergonomics, at least when it comes to fitting my frame.
but the stock is too short, front too heavy, sights suck, heavy, weird "safety" that harkens back to the middle ages...don't get me wrong, AK's are highly reliable, but then so are SKS rifles.
The standard AK stock is indeed too short for many people, but fits smaller people like me perfectly.
Maybe it's just me, and my girlfriend, and my friends, and my mother, and my mothers boyfriend, but all of us find my SKS significantly more front-heavy than my AK. Of course, my SKS still has the bayonet on it, which contributes to its balance issues.
Any complaint that can be said of the sights can just as easily be said of the SKS, since they both use the same type of sights. The only thing the SKS has going for it over the AK is sight radius, which is not unimportant, but saying the "sights suck" implies that the sighting style of the SKS is significantly different.
The SKS just as heavy as the standard AKM pattern rifle, and even more so if the rifle is a Yugoslavian variant.
I will concede that the safety on the SKS is far superior in regards to manipulation to the AK.
My opinion on the matter is that the best one for civilian use is the one that you are most comfortable with. IMO, there are not enough significant differences between them to make one the clear winner over the other, and it mostly comes down to personal preference.