[{HVY-E}Jinxx]

I know that you're looking to save $$$, but ask yourself, do you want to spend a bunch of money on a piece of plastic with inferior quality or wait a bit more, save your money and get something that will last for years.

Saitek is KNOWN for it's substandard quality. Especially with respect to the wires. Most people who've owned them for a while (had mine for 2 days only), will tell you that the wires will develop internal breaks. That will mean you will suddenly loose control over a button or axis.

I've had my Cougar for about 10yrs now and have only just recently (last month) had to replace the gimbals (took me all of 8 min). Now of course there are other upgrades for the Cougar as well, and those can get spendy, but after you're done, you'll have a stick that will last a lifetime.

The next best stick/throttle combo, IMO, would be the CH Pro set. Again, a little bit more than the Saitek stuff, but FAR superior in quaility and craftsmanship.

Bottom line, don't waste your money on garbage unless you absolutely need a stick right this second. Deffinitely don't buy a used Saitek from anywhere. They are most likely already at the end of their short life cycle and will fail on you within a year if not months or days.