Hi all.I was wondering whether someone might be able to recommend a reliable joy stick.I've just about had a gut full of purchasing crap hardware. I've gone through four joy sticks, one of which was only out of warrenty by a few months. Top Gun Fox 2 Pro USB: throttle and rudder stopped working;Top Gun Fox 2 Pro Shock: can't remember, but eventually unusable;Logitech something or other: rudder stopped working;Saitek Cyborg Evo Force: throttle stopped working.Now, I'm not 16 so I don't give these things a hard time. They mostly are used to 'slew' around in FS for the purpose of designing scenery.The tech guy at the shop where I purchsed the last stick claims the Saitek Cyborg Evo Force works fine. Crap!! There's no intermitent fault. The throttle will not fully open or fully close. I've tried reinstalling the driver and installing an updated driver. No good.All of these sicks worked fine on purchase, but eventually failed in about six to 12 months.God give some hardware that works properly for a few years!Can anyone suggest a decent joysticK?Cheers,Matthew.

Hi Matthew,Sorry to hear you're having such problems. I wish I could help you but I think that someone else might have to recommend a good one. I can say that I have been using a 'Microsoft Force Feedback 2' for years with no problem. The thing is, I don't think they're for sale anymore. I thought it was so dependable, even with giving it a hard time when I play Battlefield 1942/Battelfield 2, that when I heard MS was going to quit making them I purchased another one as a backup(in case my current one does give out!). And it sits in it's box unopened.So.. that may not be of much help to you, unless you can find one for sale! It's possible you might be able to find a used one for sale at a reasonable price. I just did a search on google. There are two listed for sale on Amazon. The person who has a brand new one wants $300! Even the person who has one that is 'like new' wants $190. On E-Bay I see one listed as 'barely used mint' for $51.42. If your interested in an MS FFB2 then you might check it out. You may not be interested in one but I thought I'd mention it because it seems like a very dependable joystick although I believe most MSFS simmers wouldn't consider it to be a 'hardcore flight sim' type of joystick/controller.Hope that helps,OneTinSoldier

I also own the same FF2, and darn, am I satisfied with it. Add to it FSForce addon and it's simming heaven. Only thing that would be better is FF yoke, but 1) I don't know any 2) that would be completely out of my budget.I paid 100 euro for my FF2 back then, I have never regretted it.So, if you can find one that is in good condition, you might consider getting it. $300 is definitely too much.And, I've heard Saitek joysticks are very good. X52 and X45.EDIT:http://cgi.ebay.at/Microsoft-Sidewinder-Fo...1QQcmdZViewItem==>> USED

I have the Saitek X52 and it is a decent joystick. The only thing that is bothering me is that you have to load your joystick profile for every game manually and also after a reboot. Other than that, it has tons of features for the price and I am very happy with it.

Thanks fellas.

I just bought a CH Fighterstick USB to replace my many years old failing CH Combatstick. These are superior, but don't have the twist axis rudder. Here is a review from Max3D:CH Fighterstick USBProduct name: Fighterstick USBManufacturer: CH ProductsWebsite: www.chproducts.comPrice: $149--available for $106 . . . Serious GamersThe FighterStick USB represents the pinnacle of CH