Circuit City X45 $40

[Eagler]

well sort of:

on sale for $70 this week

you get the replacement policy for $10

$80 total for two X45's =  $40 each

should keep you in joysticks for about 24 months

that's $1.66 a month for a HOTAS - beat that Cougar

[TheBug]

Eagler you've peeked my curiosity

Just have a question about the Replacement Policy.  Am I reading the policy right(from Circuit City's website), just call the 1-800 number tell them j'stick not working right and they cut you a check??  No need to return old one??  Not sure if you have the answer or not, just seems to good to be true.

Thanks

[Eagler]

Originally posted by TheBug
Eagler you've peeked my curiosity

Just have a question about the Replacement Policy.  Am I reading the policy right(from Circuit City's website), just call the 1-800 number tell them j'stick not working right and they cut you a check??  No need to return old one??  Not sure if you have the answer or not, just seems to good to be true.

Thanks

Best Buy policy was that you called a 800 number
read them the service plan number and item number, you need to hang on to receipt and service plan paperwork
they send you a voucher (about two weeks) for the total including tax & an UPS sticker to send the busted stick back
You can then use the voucher against any purchase in the store
Have done this twice (one X36, one X45)

I picked up my latest X45 from CompUSA & got their in-store replacement
You walk in with your busted stick and walk out with a brand new one

I'm sure Circuit City is similiar to one of the two plans

my stick "fails" at the end of the warranty period whether it has or not - usually it's a hat view gone screwy:)

[Eagler]

Originally posted by TheBug
Eagler you've peeked my curiosity

Just have a question about the Replacement Policy.  Am I reading the policy right(from Circuit City's website), just call the 1-800 number tell them j'stick not working right and they cut you a check??  No need to return old one??  Not sure if you have the answer or not, just seems to good to be true.

Thanks

Replacement UPdate!!!

My X45, the one I bought in June (4 months ago) just started acting flaky on the trigger - I had to squeeze and hold trigger a second to for it to fire). Confirmed problem in control panel/game controller in Win98. So I packed up the stick and ran it down to CompUSA with receipt. They didn't even ask what was wrong. Walked over, grabbed another off the shelf and was ready to go.

Here's the kicker, for another $10.45 I got a NEW 1-year replacement plan for the replacement!  Could have gotten a 2year for $15 but my X45's don't last that long. The way I see it for $10 I can have have a new X45 for life

Got home, plugged it in and away it went. No software change required.

[Bolt45]

whatever you guys do, don't go for cheap thrills & buy a Logitech Wingman 3D , they are a major POS , either the HAT views or the
Rudder twist is the first to go in less than 2 yrs , I've bought 2 .
Looks like I'll give MS2 Sidewinder a look..

[2Slow]

Originally posted by Bolt45
whatever you guys do, don't go for cheap thrills & buy a Logitech Wingman 3D , they are a major POS , either the HAT views or the
Rudder twist is the first to go in less than 2 yrs , I've bought 2 .
Looks like I'll give MS2 Sidewinder a look..

Rudder went out on both of mine.  Now use a FF Sidewinder.  Do miss the extra buttons on the jstick head of the Wingman.

[moot]

 Flaky Saitek trigger and hat etc © (2-hit combo)
+Inconsistent Win2k+ compatibility support
+Huge deadzone
+Hard deadzone-livezone transition

= waste of money.

[Eagler]

Originally posted by moot

 Flaky Saitek trigger and hat etc © (2-hit combo)
+Inconsistent Win2k+ compatibility support
+Huge deadzone
+Hard deadzone-livezone transition

= waste of money. [/B]

and your hotas ?? cost??

for $10.45 I'll stick with my X45 for as long as CompUSA lets me

[moot]

The X45 would be great if it didn't have those problems, getting it for half the price is no doubt worth it, but what I meant to stab is the uselessness (sp) of something both heavy and imprecise in feel when you have one chance only and just a fraction of second to make a tiny correction..
Using it to hold one's aim at just the right spot without a hurry is no problem at all.

I'm using this X45 for a while now and have countered these problems by: strapping it down for the matter of the too-light base piece, growing some muscles not really needed since this isn't a real plane but a piece of plastic interface, and adjusting the button mappings to make up for not having the X45 throttle modes that I used to do the stick setting switching.

The rudder I don't use the throttle rocker, I havent even mentionned it so far for a reason: it's worth forgetting, i use a racing sim pedals instead which are better for the task.

Ideally the X45 mode selection on the throttle would work, the rotaries could be programmed, the deadzone of the joystick could have less friction to break out of, (the 'launch' flap cover you may as well remove altogether), and use both pedals and maybe replace the main joystick with another (even something homemade can't be hard to surpass this thing in craftsmanship) that has a twist axis for large and precise rudder movements respectively.

voilà.
I paid 80 US dollars for it.

[Eagler]

rgr
the peds moot,USB CH pro peds here <- they have lasted through all 5 saiteks and a CH HOTAS setup, I use the  throttle rocker for aileron trim - works well for that.
I use the thumb rotor for elevator trim and front rotor for rudder trim. alittle tricky but works well.

don't have any problems with the stick other than the views and now the trigger going out but as stated with CompUSA's replacement policy, for $10.45 a stick - I'll put up with it and replace it every 4 to 6 months with a new one. The fact they just built/opened a CompUSA less than 3 miles from the house helps too

[Easyscor]

You must have meant CompUSA in the original post.

You might want to edit in a correction.

[Eagler]

Originally posted by Easyscor
You must have meant CompUSA in the original post.

You might want to edit in a correction.

sorry, figured they would considering CompUSA and BestBuy do.

forget CC and BB and go with CompUSA & it's replacement policy for the reason stated above