In the Market for a new Stick

[TheBug]

Congrats Branch, enjoy! 

I love my CH stuff.

[branch37]

Ive always heard nothing but great things about CH products.  That was the main reason I was looking at them from the start.

Now just waiting on the mailman 

[guncrasher]

somethings about ch based on my expereice,   they're not as comfortable to use as let's say the x52.  and they dont last as long as they say.  I am on my second this year.  and they're not really as accurate as they claim to be.  they're not bad sticks, but they're not a wonder toy either.

semp

[TequilaChaser]

somethings about ch based on my expereice,   they're not as comfortable to use as let's say the x52.  and they dont last as long as they say.  I am on my second this year.  and they're not really as accurate as they claim to be.  they're not bad sticks, but they're not a wonder toy either.

semp

I guess each individual puts different amounts of wear and tear on their controllers, but I am well satisfied by the longevity of my CH hardware

my 1st CH Fighter/Prothrottle/Pdeals  lasted from 1996 as I finally made it the complete set ( had combat stick in 95 then got the Fighter Stick ) up until I donated it to another AH Player in mid summer 2008, and it still worked just as good as the day I received it, with only 1 pot change....... I had 2 other gameport HOTAS setups that were nearly as old and their are 2 AH Players still using them today since 2004 and 2005 when I gave them to them.......

my other couple of CH complete Hotas setups of Fighter stick/throttle/pedals ( regardless of USB or gameport ) all worked well with no problems , even though I had aquired several of them through the years from other AW or AH players who did not like them or had issues ( prob due to USB stuff like powered hubs and all )

I gave these away as well to different AH players who needed or wanted  CH Stuff

all the 9 to 10 different CH complete setups I have had ranged in age from 15 yrs to 4 yrs old and only 2 sets were nearly brand new that Rolex and Silat sent to me,

I have used Logitech before and during my first few yrs using CH products.... Logitech wearout fast,  I used/tried one Satiek, it had problems in less than 8 months, I handed these down to my nephews and neices.....  

I have a thrustmaster topgun fox 2 pro USB, that magellan???(I think it was him ) from AH sent me, I let my nephews/neices use it when they come to visit, it works without any problems and is quit old, is like the 1st or 2nd generation model of that build....... the 4th generation of that thrustmaster is on the market today......

joysticks can be like headphones(headsets)....... some people can make them last a lifetime while others can not make it past 3 months with either product

I have been able to keep headphons for 5 to 7 yrs without a problem...... as long as you take care of how you treat your hardware

YMMV

TC

[guncrasher]

my x52 lasted them for years, 1 ch fighterstick was doa out of the box that was before i bought the x52.  the second ch fighterstick i bought it and lasted me for 6 months, but it never actually work right.  the one I have now is a about 6 months old, but it still has the same problem as the other. 

semp

[Reschke]

As I have said CH is good material but just not for me at all. There are just little things like the throttle alignment and the feel of the stick itself that just never worked for me when I had them and I honestly can't stand the pedals they have since they are too close together. I am going to put my Saitek Pro Pedals up for sale soon and pick up a set of the Saitek Combat Pedals though as the replacement.

[branch37]

Ive heard from several people that the X-52s are nororious for not lasting very long.  Anywhere from a month to a year.  Mine lasted about 2 years with only minor hiccups in between.  I never really liked it though.  I never figured out how to use the programming software (probably because I never really tried to), and I just didnt like the overall feel of the stick.  Not to mention the wicked nose bounce that I was never able to get rid of.

[guncrasher]

I had no nose bounce because i had no dampening set on my stick.  just like i have none set on my ch fighterstick.  one more thing that will kill sticks is having no usb self powered hub.  ch/x52 whatever will last longer.

I had my x52 for 2 years never had a problem, actually gave it away to get my ch fighterstick.  big mistake.  but I have learned to live with it.  thinking of getting another set up, oh well someday.

semp

[james]

if you aren't going to run a powered hub then get a better power supply so the stick with the pretty lights doesn't take the juice from the computer

[gyrene81]

if you aren't going to run a powered hub then get a better power supply so the stick with the pretty lights doesn't take the juice from the computer

errrr...there is only so much voltage pushed through the embedded usb controllers, better power supply would only apply if it was underpowered for the peripherals to begin with. i believe the power standard for usb is 5 volts dc +/- .25 per bus, but that may have changed recently.

[james]

A stock off the shelf pc is usually around 350 watts at 5 volts. that was 4 years ago at my last pc purchase and after you plug in lets say, a stick, pedals, (possibly throttle), track ir, iphone charger/usb thingy, speakers, printer, a buttkicker set up with some surround sound and even a keyboard takes some power it does stack up and take some strength from the computer. That's why an external power supply is usually the cheap way around getting a new power supply. I have 3 power supplies that if I were to put in my current desktop the amount of peripherals I plug in would bring it to its knees. External power supplies really help out the x52's and pro's because the lights take more power to run them than say a ch fighterstick. Even my cougar hotas takes a bit of juice but my x65 took WAAAAY more power to run than any other stick i've owned or still own. Thing is an x52 or a pro if on it's own power supply will be less glitchy in the game because it will only draw from that one power source.  I have noticed a big difference after going from a 250 watt power supply to the 950 watt one I run now. All of this stuff had to be factored in when I started building my simpit.

[TequilaChaser]

a few years back in one of these threads discussing USB controllers, MB USB ports and using USB hubs ( powered/non powered ).....

I had asked a question wondering if certian Mother Board manufacturer's had better quality components and drivers USB controllers ( programming wise )

for the simple fact, is I have never used an USB hub powerd or unpowered......... and have always used the back I/O pnael of my MB for any controller I have ever used.......

I have yet had a gaming controller( stick/pedals/throttle etc.. ) go bad on me outside of just wearing out and becoming sloppy......

although, I do research which USB host controller is controlled by which bus & IRQ  and I also research and watch how many components are sharing the same IRQ at the same time.......

some said that it is a good possibility that certian MB's had better quality and their for might perform alot better and with less problems over other MB manufacturer's.......

of course this is all on personal views and opinions, which everyone has


TC