best stick so far

[68DevilM]

just got  my new stick, and i must say im impressed




cant  wait for the new video card tommorow

[Karnak]

I'm sorry you got that stick.


I used to have one of those as a quickie backup stick.  It was OK if you separate the stick and throttle, but I'd not want to use it long term.

[68DevilM]

why not?

[JB73]

go x52 at least....


all CH if you can afford it, thrustmaster if you won the lottery

[Happy1]

Had "NO" probs w/my TM Afterburner until it was broken .. was/is my favorite stick.  Presently using CH Fighterstick  

Happy1  

[RTGorkle]

All you need is a $15 Thrustmaster, CH Mach-II, Toe-switches and a GorkleBox. It's the way of the future. You know you want to.

http://home.swiftdsl.com.au/~pchance/squidgear/index.html
http://home.swiftdsl.com.au/~pchance/gorklebox/index.html

[jetb123]

All you need is a saitek St90 15$ enough said.

[plank]

Originally posted by JB73
go x52 at least....


all CH if you can afford it, thrustmaster if you won the lottery

I have a thrustmaster and, frankly, it's worth the money when you consider how much you have to replace other sticks. All I've ever needed was a new Pot and that was free.

[Widewing]

If this is the standard Thrustmaster Top Gun stick, it's a reasonably good package. I've owned three of them. I tried the Force Feedback model, and it would never allow full deflection of control surfaces. I kept it for a few weeks and took it back and exchanged it for another X45.

Use the Allen wrench provided to separate the throttle from the joystick. Don't use the twist stick option, learn to use the rocker on the throttle. There's a selector switch on the front of the joystick base. Using the twist stick is bad because you will find yourself inadvertantly carrying rudder displacement. With some practice, the rocker can work as well as pedals, but it will take time to develop a good feel for it.

Weaknesses:

Hat switch will last 6 months, at the most. If you don't wear out hat switches, you're not looking around enough.

Pots are inferior to those used on the X45. After a few months of use, I found that I had to recalibrate several times a night.

If you bought it at CompUSA or Best Buy, invest a few dollars in the warranty exchange. When the hat switch craps out, or a pot becomes unstable, just return it for a new one, pay the fee again and you'll never pay more than $10-$12 for a joystick. I haven't paid more than $11 for a new stick in three years. I have returned sticks at least 7 times. In fact, I just exchanged my X45 for a new one yesterday because the hat and trigger switches started to go off. Just keep the box and all packing. This is far better than waiting for new parts from the maker and having to disassemble and repair the damn thing yourself.

I won't buy the new X52 because they did not carry over the rudder rocker of the X45, and its $60 more to boot.

My regards,

Widewing

[TequilaChaser]

I have never really understood how people go thru sticks so fast?

I started out with a regular wingman stick ( not 3d, not xtreme, not pro plain wingman) it lasted lil close to a year, then I went CH, then CH combat stick when it came out ( the Janes CH combatstick one ), still got it, still works.
in 1997 I bought new CH hotas setup and am still using it, it is closing on its 8th year of use, a switch here, pot there, etc......maybe add a rubber band or 2 to the worn out springs, but all in all it has held up pretty well........only part is it is all analog.........

some must get really mad and slam their sticks or really YANK and BANK them ham fisted like to tear them up so fast........

I tryed a friends MS sidewinder when they first came out and hated the feel and the grip, I bought a CH FX fighterstick, and it was the only CH stick I never really liked did not care for the force feed back stuff much, I gave it away ( read never got paid for it, but was to a friend so don't matter :-)

from the first time I ever spoke to Ack-Ack on the phone back in 95 or so when he was tech support for CH... I have always stayed with them and the support when needed has always been top notch!

thats my thoughts, YMMV

[Sp4de]

Originally posted by jetb123
All you need is a saitek St90 15$ enough said.

had it for 1 year!:lol

[zabe]

I started out with a regular wingman stick ( not 3d, not xtreme, not pro plain wingman) it lasted lil close to a year, then I went CH, then CH combat stick when it came out ( the Janes CH combatstick one ), still got it,

Mine lasted 3 weeks

I have used a x45 for 2 years since and the hats are just going now.


ZABE

[Scrap]

That TG afterburner is a great setup.  It's what I bought off of Ebay about a year ago.  Only problem I've had was the stick breaking away from the base (prolly got it off of one of you abusive punks).  Nothing a little Gorilla Glue couldn't fix.


..btw that rocker on the throttle is a great way to go if you can't afford pedals.

[Jackal1]

Originally posted by TequilaChaser

from the first time I ever spoke to Ack-Ack on the phone back in 95 or so when he was tech support for CH... I have always stayed with them and the support when needed has always been top notch!

thats my thoughts, YMMV

  Now that was some real tech support.
  He would actualy confront the problem you were having and address it instead of giving you some of the "canned" replies that does you no good that seems to be the norm nowadays.

[streetstang]

Its too bad Microblow doesnt make the Sidewinder Prec 2 anymore. It was the best stick ever created.