09.12.2008, 21:46
The two top dogs on the block for sticks are the CH Products Fighterstick and Throttle and the Thrustmaster HOTAS Cougar. Stay away from Saitek unless you like substandard quality and durability. The software that Saitek uses also has numberous problems with different games/hardware.
The most durable, Bar none, is the Cougar. The most reliable, out of the box is the CH Products. The major difference between the two is price and durability. The CH Products is almost all plastic and feels like you're moving a wet noodle around. The Cougar is ALL metal, weighs in a over 8.5lbs/stick and throttle (almost 19lbs total weight). The Cougar, stock, still uses pots and they will need to be cleaned/replaces from time to time, but for a nominal fee, you can purchase Cubby's Hall Effect Sensor Kit and never use pots again. They never go out of allignment, never spike and never need to be re-calibrated. Unfortunately, this kit makes the Cougar a wee bit pricey.
Bottom line: If you're worried about cost, get the CH Products. If you want the absolute best sticks out there and don't want to ever buy another set, get the Cougar and Mod it.
My Cougar has been modded with the HS mod and the NXT Gimbal set. Total cost of everything was about $600.00. Now some will say that I'm nuts, but I'll never have to buy another stick as long as I live. I also have not had to re-calibrate them since the upgrade, (2yrs ago).
I've owned my Cougar for about 8yrs now. How many sticks do you go thru in 8yrs?
The most durable, Bar none, is the Cougar. The most reliable, out of the box is the CH Products. The major difference between the two is price and durability. The CH Products is almost all plastic and feels like you're moving a wet noodle around. The Cougar is ALL metal, weighs in a over 8.5lbs/stick and throttle (almost 19lbs total weight). The Cougar, stock, still uses pots and they will need to be cleaned/replaces from time to time, but for a nominal fee, you can purchase Cubby's Hall Effect Sensor Kit and never use pots again. They never go out of allignment, never spike and never need to be re-calibrated. Unfortunately, this kit makes the Cougar a wee bit pricey.
Bottom line: If you're worried about cost, get the CH Products. If you want the absolute best sticks out there and don't want to ever buy another set, get the Cougar and Mod it.
My Cougar has been modded with the HS mod and the NXT Gimbal set. Total cost of everything was about $600.00. Now some will say that I'm nuts, but I'll never have to buy another stick as long as I live. I also have not had to re-calibrate them since the upgrade, (2yrs ago).
I've owned my Cougar for about 8yrs now. How many sticks do you go thru in 8yrs?