Saitek X52 Flight Control System Reviews Wanted

[sky25]

Just about to order a new Saitek X52 Flight Control System on Ebay to replace my aging Thrustmaster TM1600. Is this a good move. I was impressed by all of the bells and whistles on the X52. What do you guys like or dislike about this joystick? I have been through three different types of joysticks in the last year and a half. I like to GV and want something that is smooth when lining up the zoomed in crosshairs of a tank gun. Some of the others I purchased were jumpy and jerky (Not the best way to explain it I guess) this isnt good when your lining up that one shot kill before he kills you..  I think you will know what I mean.
IT IS GOOD TO LOOK AT IN PHOTOS, BUT IS IT UP TO THE TASK IN ACES HIGH...

Thanks

[Jayhawk]

You will hear great things and terrible things.

I had mine for about two years, got tired of tinkering with it to keep it in calibration.  It works great when it works though.  I ended up just purchasing a different joystick and I continue to use the X52 throttle.

[Boxman]

Get the Pro model......I love mine....bought it used off Amazon and it's been perfect.

[ebfd11]

I agree with boxman, I had the X-52 standard, loved for the feel and the controls....

But and this is a big detraction..when it goes south..it goes quick.

I had mine for qlmost 3 years and when it went..it wenty quick and no signs of going either.

If you are going to be spending that much change go with the CH Fighterstick, only problem is you need pedals for this.

IMHO the X-52 is probably a 3.25 stars out of 5.

[Viperius]

Problem with the normal X52 is that it looses its calibration alot when not plugged into a powered usb hub.

[Mace2004]

I've had several X52's and now an X52 pro.  Both have good and bad points.  When new, it's great, especially the pro since it has a metal cup in place of the standard X52's plastic cup and it has a dual spring mechanism that creates a more linear resistance. The cup is at the bottom of the spring that acts as a bearing surface for the resistance mechanism.  In the standard X52 that cup begins to wear at the point of contact with the base and will eventually begin to "stick" which makes it hard to smoothly control things.  This doesn't happen with the Pro but there is still wear between the cup and the steel shaft.  As this loosens up the stick gets sloppy.  I can move the top of my stick almost an inch back and forth in any direction without creating any control inputs which is way too much slop and I'm looking to replace mine now.

Also, another friend of mine and I have had the detent mechanism for the throttle break in the same way on our Pros.  You lose the idle and afterburner detent but the throttle still works fine.  This is unfortunate because I used to have mine set up so that the forward detent activated WEP and the idle detent worked as the engine on/off control.

Overall, it's a nice stick but, because of durability issues, it will not last very long.  Maybe a year or two.

[Ghosth]

Well I don't have an x52, but I've been here for a long time, and heard every problem there is to hear for most every stick.

A If you get an X52 spend a few dollars more and get a "good" externally powered USB hub to plug it into.

X52's are power hogs, with all the leds' and displays they tend to run out of power right in the middle of a fight, when your computer is at its highest load. That will cause it to lose calibration, and repeated enough times will cause further problems. Turn off the bells and whistles, and use a "Good" externally powered USB hub from the start. (From what I've heard Belkin is probably best)

B Any stick from Saitek is going to be more sensitive than one from CH. That's just the nature of the beast.
It should be no worse than a MS Sidewinder, should be better than a Logitech. But you will have to scale it while your relearning how to fly. Coming from a TM to a Saitek this may be the issue that you will have the biggest problem with. Its mostly a matter of learning how to set it up correctly. Saitek sticks seem to be designed for geeks that weigh 135lbs unlike TM which tends to "power steering by Armstrong" school of thought.
Stock X52's won't have a lot of resistance. However esp x52 pro's can be stiffened up by adding a shim.

C CH makes very good sticks, but they are even more pricey than the X52's.
So if your ham handed, or rough on gear, spend the money now for CH and save yourself money and pain later.

D Buy the X52 now, fly it till it dies, then buy a CH stick, and use it with the X-52 throttle. (seems to be a winning combo)

[1Wolf]

What does it look like when an X52 comes out of calibration?  Is it really obvious like suddenly you just can't fly the aircraft?  Or is it really subtle because combat trim accounts for it and you might only 'catch' it if you'd been playing AH for a while?

I've got my X52 stick & rudder pedals plugged right into the USB ports on my PC.  I've never "noticed" them go out of calibration before, but I've only been in AH a couple months so maybe I'm not experienced enough to recognize it if I saw it.

[RTHolmes]

almost 3yr on my X52 Pro.

* no calibration problems at all (Pro uses beefier sensors which work great),
* trim wheel input kept dropping off to nothing (annoying as I use it for rpms) but new PC sorted that (the dreaded X52 USB power draw again I suspect),
* detents on throttle kind of broken - dont latch properly but theres still just enough of a detent to make Mace's WEP/Throttle/Engine off settings work ()

compared to the logitech 3D pro I had before (lasted just 6 months btw), stick is muuuch smoother and more accurate. I like it

[Ghosth]

Ever see the led's blink or flicker when you didn't do anything?

If you have a newer computer with a hefty Power supply you might never have it happen to you.
On the other hand if you don't a 15$ powered hub is a cheap insurance policy.


As far as losing calibration, if it happens you'll know it.

[Yossarian]

I've got the X52 (not the Pro).  I've had it for a bit over two years now, and mostly love it.  After a few teething problems, which mostly went away after installing all the Saitek software (maybe the drivers too, can't remember) and getting a powered USB hub, I rarely have any problems with it.  Occasionally it will decalibrate in the middle of a fight, which is incredibly annoying, but if you really secure the connector cables in place, it shouldn't happen too much.  What I like the most about it are the buttons, and their layout.  The two-stage trigger, and hat switches are just perfect for me.  Of course if I got another stick (e.g. CH) I'm sure I could learn to love it too

[ePIC]

Best thing ever you wont be disappointed.

I have had one for 2 years no problems. Daily use of AH2 / IL2 / Falcon 4 / Lock on Modern air combats play time.

 

[Tigger29]

almost 3yr on my X52 Pro.

* no calibration problems at all (Pro uses beefier sensors which work great),
* trim wheel input kept dropping off to nothing (annoying as I use it for rpms) but new PC sorted that (the dreaded X52 USB power draw again I suspect),
* detents on throttle kind of broken - dont latch properly but theres still just enough of a detent to make Mace's WEP/Throttle/Engine off settings work ()

compared to the logitech 3D pro I had before (lasted just 6 months btw), stick is muuuch smoother and more accurate. I like it

Wrongo... the X52 and the X52 pro actually use the same exact hall effect sensors for X/Y, and the same pots for throttle, slider, and Z.  The difference between the two is the double spring, and the X52 pro has more metal.. and a more programmable multi-function display.  I'm not saying the X52 isn't inferior to the X52 pro, but they are not at all different as far as the internals go.

As for those with calibration/power issues.  Yes a powered hub is recommended.  This is NOT a big deal, and can be gotten online for less than $10, and in a store for less than $20.  If that is even too rich for your blood, then you can adjust all the LED's down (or even turn them all off) and the stick will use only a fraction of the amount of power.  Also the cable that connects the stick to the throttle (PS/2 cable IIRC) can become loose in the sockets and not want to stay in, especially if you unplug these often to put the equipment away.. or if you keep jamming the base of the cord against a wall/desk/leg.. who knows.  I personally had no problems at all with mine, but I can see how it could happen.

I'd be willing to bet that 99%+ of people with 'calibration' issues on these have it because of power issues, or a loose connection.  These are hall effect sensors with no moving parts... so for the most part it's either going to work or it's not.  If it's losing calibration it's power related.  Period.

Yes the spring is a little bit loose.  Some people like this.  I personally stiffened mine up a bit (X52 NON-pro) by cutting out the center portion of a CD, cutting a slit in it, and shoving it in between the top of the spring and its seat.  This stiffened it up at least 25%, but I ended up taking it back out because the stiffer spring was making the center 'catch' area more noticeable.

In the 3+ years I owned my X52, I never had one single problem except for one single occurance early on when the computer didn't see my stick.  I don't know what happened... I unplugged it.. rebooted.. plugged it in and then it was fine.  Shortly after I purchased a powered hub (for other reasons.. I wanted more accessible USB slots and getting a powered hub just made sense to me) and have been running the stick through it trouble free all this time.

I love the way it feels, and I love the positioning of the buttons.

OK now time for the bad.  I don't feel that the X52 is the most precise joystick out there.  I had to scale it to minimize fine-tuned controlling of the plane (such as gunning) and even then it just seemed like I was overcorrecting myself all of the time.  After about 3 years, it started to develop just a tiny bit of center shaft play.. not much.. but just enough to become annoying which doesn't help with this problem either.  Also, when transitioning through the 'center' position, you get a 'notchy' feel as the spring unloads and then reloads as you move it the other way.  You learn to overcome this by trimming the plane slightly left or right and then you are giving it a bit of left or right roll input to compensate... this way the spring is never 'centered' while you are dogfighting.

With that being said I recently replaced my X52 with a Logitech G940 (knowing good and well the negative aspects of this new stick, but I got it for a price I couldn't say no to).  While I feel the X52 was much more comfortable and easier to use, I can't get over how much more precise the G940 is, ESPECIALLY considering it's a Logitech product.  Its accuracy makes my X52 look like a child's toy, and this is with having scaling completely turned off.  If they end up fixing its FF and reversal bug issues with the next software revision, I will be ecstatic!  My fighter ability has improved AT LEAST 50-60% with this new stick.

So.. in general.. I would give the X52 3.5 out of 5 skuzzies.  I have no experience with Thrustmaster... and my only CH experience is with an old stick of theirs from 15 years ago and from a flight yoke of theirs about 10 years ago, and I was not impressed by either... but I cannot judge their products today as a lot can happen in that time... and I cannot compare the X52 to either of those.

[ink]

I've owned 3 X-52's they all were Ok at best, they brake easy dont last all that long.

get the CH fighter stick, what you put up now will make the difference in the long run
besides the fact that it's head and shoulder's above the X-52 in accuracy, it's gonna last you ten times as long.

do the math

[lyric1]

I've owned 3 X-52's they all were Ok at best, they brake easy dont last all that long.

get the CH fighter stick, what you put up now will make the difference in the long run
besides the fact that it's head and shoulder's above the X-52 in accuracy, it's gonna last you ten times as long.

do the math

Agreed almost 100%. I did not have any issues with my old X52 but the CH product is just better.