Saitek 65F vs CH Figherstick vs Thrustmaster Warthog

[Butcher]

I've been trying to compare the three joysticks, lately reading up on all three of these new sticks has given me a headache in terms of trying to evaluate them. I was wondering if anyone who has these sticks can jot down some of their knowledge on their personal usage for aces high.

I tried a Saitek a while back - my biggest key issue is - I want something with durability, I flew with a thrustmaster cougar for quite a few years, finally it crapped out and went with a logitech 3d pro (cheap I know), I now know why it is so cheap, after 2 months the first one died and for the last 2 months I had a second one - which is finally going out.

I love the sensitivity of the Logitech though, I did buy a Saitek a while back and it was so sensitive a pinky could move it, something I couldn't quite handle.

Any thoughts?

[MK-84]

I've heard over and over that CH is the way to go.  No twisty handle though FYI

That being said I'm still using a microsoft sidewinder precision pro that I bought in I believe 98'  it's getting  a little loose particularly on the twisty handle, but it's still going strong.  I bet you could score one of those slightly used for super cheap.

I also do not have anything to compare it with unfortunatly since It's the only stick I've ever bought.  But that in itself has to mean something.

[Butcher]

I've heard over and over that CH is the way to go.  No twisty handle though FYI

That being said I'm still using a microsoft sidewinder precision pro that I bought in I believe 98'  it's getting  a little loose particularly on the twisty handle, but it's still going strong.  I bet you could score one of those slightly used for super cheap.

I also do not have anything to compare it with unfortunatly since It's the only stick I've ever bought.  But that in itself has to mean something.

Well just a thought, I am not going to buy just the stick, throttle but also the pedals. I would say the logitech stick would probably pretty great if I could disable the twist part and have pedals (just an idea).

[DaCoon]

I have a Saitek x65f.  It's a pressure sensing stick.  I'm still getting it adapted to me and vice versa.  I might have 15 flying hrs or so on it.  My hands aren't the biggest so I had to make some slight modifications to it so it fits my hand better.  It is a "twisty stick", but keep in mind it doesn't move at all.   It senses how much pressure you apply.  The software has options to set the sensitivity and dead band before you go in game.


I think I paid $310 for mine on amazon.  Hope this helps steer you in the right direction.        

[james]

Loved my x65 until it broke. That tends to happen when the axis sensors are soldered to the steel stick that holds the grip and then electrical taped in place. I will never spend money on any saitek stick again. I have a ch fighterstick and though I like it, the trigger is more of a button than a trigger. It is very precise and seems well made.It's a back up stick now. I now use a cougar hotas. Simply an awsome stick, but the roll axis is wearing out. I'll be shelving this stick after christmas and getting a warthog. Tried a friends warthog and wow it makes the cougar look bad in a few ways. The lower pinky button is more extended for a less cramped feel in the lower hand. The smoothness and precision was great as well. The stick can be used as a center stick easier than the others out there. The throttle is just as well made and has alot of extra buttons on it. Hope this helps.

[The Fugitive]

I've used a Thrusmaster, a Saitek, tho only an "Aviator", and my CH. Along the way I've also used a sidewinder, a Suncom, and a logitec.

1. Sidewinder, was a used stick. didn't have a lot of buttons and the spring tension in the stick was very lite. I didn't like it much

2. Suncom, built basicly like the CH fighter stick by with a couple less hat switches. Was connected to the throttle with another cable and was a "keyboard emulator" type of stick. (button presses mimicked key board strokes) pluses were you could change the programming on the fly, and it hah a big handle with a strong spring. Most favor stick for "feel".

3. Logitec. Worst stick I ever bought. lasted a few months and then started getting sloppy. Worst think to try and program at the time and had a weak spring.

4. Thrusmaster, great stick lasted a couple years. handle was on the small size for me, but spring tension was strong. over all, good stick.

5. Saitek. Like I mentioned, I only had the aviator. was a on the small side but tension was good. Decent number of buttons and never gave me any trouble. Used it when I was traveling so it took a beating, but worked well.

6. CH fighter stick. I've owned two of them. The only reason I bought the second one was the first used keyboard emulation and once USB came along computers were not giving enough "juice" to the DIM plug any more because they were using it in the USB circuits. SO it would go into a low voltage condition now and then and needed to be reset. I used the analog one for a couple years (was used and never had trouble other than the power issue), switched over to the USB set-up and had a hat switch button go bad after a few years (swapped one out of the old analog stick into the USB stick, been ok for over a 2 years.).

Personally I have big hands



I like to "feel" the stick in my hand so I like one with a strong spring. I want to feel my hand "pushing" against something. The Suncom (no longer made) and the CH sticks are my favorites. Both fit my hand well and had good tension in them. The CH has more buttons and now that I have TracIR I have even more. The Thrusmaster and the Saitek were both "ok" sticks, but knowing what I know, I'd go with the CH. Logitec, well I think we'd all be better off if someone just blew up there joystick division. To this day I still shy away from anything Logitec.

[MK-84]

Well just a thought, I am not going to buy just the stick, throttle but also the pedals. I would say the logitech stick would probably pretty great if I could disable the twist part and have pedals (just an idea).

Disabling the twist would be fairly easy, In AH you just map it to a different source.  In terms of modding the stick to be rigid, I would think that would rate a 1 or 2 on a 10 scale in terms of difficulty.  Maybe a little JB Weld?

[Baumer]

I've had a Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog for 9 months now and I absolutely love it!


Serial # 00034 

For the prior three years I had been using a Saitek x52 Pro witch held up very well (somewhat uncommon from the forum feedback), especially once I started to mod it. It had great hall effect sensors and provided it had plenty of USB power it worked without any issues.

[SAJ73]

Is this Hotas a twisty Baumer? I was thinking about getting me one of those, but if it needs the pedals along with it I will have to adjust my budget slightly.. 

[Noir]

the X65 is too sensitive for Aces high 2, can't aim anything with it. Having to apply strengh on it at all times is pretty tiring too...mine sits under my desk. The CH fighterstick is not tense enough to my liking, you need to be very soft with it, and the buttons are too distant from each other. It also sits under my desk, but has seen use for months.
 
I found the T16000 to be perfect for me, it is pretty hard, very precise, and if it breaks I can get a new one without killing my credit card. 

[Infidelz]

the X65 is too sensitive for Aces high 2, can't aim anything with it. Having to apply strengh on it at all times is pretty tiring too...mine sits under my desk. The CH fighterstick is not tense enough to my liking, you need to be very soft with it, and the buttons are too distant from each other. It also sits under my desk, but has seen use for months.
 
I found the T16000 to be perfect for me, it is pretty hard, very precise, and if it breaks I can get a new one without killing my credit card. 

You could have tried using the radials to trim the aircraft which would minimize the need to mess with the stick. Arguably it is more difficult to aim and takes some getting used too. Important that you stabilize your elbow.

Infidelz.

[Ruah]

I am looking at the CH stick seriously after I build a new system - but if I had the money - i would get the warthog.  Its expensive though. . .

[Vinkman]

I've been trying to compare the three joysticks, lately reading up on all three of these new sticks has given me a headache in terms of trying to evaluate them. I was wondering if anyone who has these sticks can jot down some of their knowledge on their personal usage for aces high.

I tried a Saitek a while back - my biggest key issue is - I want something with durability, I flew with a thrustmaster cougar for quite a few years, finally it crapped out and went with a logitech 3d pro (cheap I know), I now know why it is so cheap, after 2 months the first one died and for the last 2 months I had a second one - which is finally going out.

I love the sensitivity of the Logitech though, I did buy a Saitek a while back and it was so sensitive a pinky could move it, something I couldn't quite handle.

Any thoughts?

Saitek Throttles have too many analog rotary knobs and sliders in lieu of switches. AH doesn't have a lot of use for analog controls beyond throttle you end up with some switches you can't very effectively. It adds switches on the base of the throttle, but then why not just use the keyboard, since you're no long "hands on"? The throttle does had a detent which can be set up to work as the WEP function. The CH doesn't have a detent. The CH throttle as a very useful analog thumb loystick. This can be set up to contol the views with an smooth analog motion, like TrackIR (rotation only). So if you don't have a track IR, this is nicer than the fixed snap views.

The range of motion is also very different. The CH sticks have a large range of motion which I prefer.


Lots of opinions about durability, but I have had my CH set up for 2.5 years without a single issue. They work like new.

[hyzer]

I've got rudder and aileron trim on the rotary wheels on my x52 throttle, and zoom view on the slider.  It seems to work pretty well.

[Gman]

I have the Warthog, a Tm Cougar umoded, a full CH setup (combatstick not the fighterstick as it was out of stock and I didn't want to wait at the time - tough to find in Canada a couple  years ago), a Saitek X45, and a saitek x52 Pro as well.  I've had the CH Pro Peds, but I'm using the Saitek combat peds now that are mostly metal construction.

As far as pedals go, the Saitek Combat peds completely BLOW any and all others out of the water in my opinion.  The quality, precision, and just cool factor are tough to beat, and I got mine for 180$ from amazon.ca during a sale.  The Warthog is what I'm using mainly right now.  It is slightly better than the CH setup I have, again, in my opinion, and boasts much newer technology than the CH stuff.  That said, it is probably 150-200 more for the Warthog setup than getting a Ch Fighterstick/Pro Throttle combo.  The CH for the money is arguably the better bang for the buck, and even with the old pots type system, it is UBER precise, and I can't think of anybody who would be disappointed with a CH setup unless they had the Warthog already.   The TM Cougar is CRAP for Aces High IMO due to the amount of wiggle room around the center where nothing happens when you move it, then BAM all of a sudden your nose takes off...far to imprecise for WW2 gunnery.  The X45 was good for its time, and the X52 isn't a horrible deal if you are too cheap to buy rudder pedals, as it is around the same price as a CH setup without the peds.  IMO you would be crazy not to spend 100 bux on CH pedals and go with the CH setup over the X52.

The X65 is the only HOTAS I think I've never laid my hands on to try, and it's really interesting to me for some reason.  I wouldn't mind getting it just for flying BMS Falcon 4 to simulate the sidestick in the Falcon.  I know Shawk uses one, and he flies and kills pretty well in the MA with it, so it MUST be configurable for precise movements, or just a matter of getting "used" to how it feels.  I'd like to hear more from x65 users here on how it stacks up to the other HOTAS systems they've tried.

-Tundra