Currently flying in FSX with my PS3 controller emulated as a 360 game pad which is, well less then optimal. I'm looking for a throttle and a yoke/joystickDon't really like whats on the market so far --X52/X52PRO -- heard of a lot of issues with the internal spring, and also easy wear and tear.CH yokes/joysticks/throttles -- plastic, looks cheap, and heard of a 'stickiness' issue, I'll gladly pay more for something made out of metal.Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog -- looks beautiful, heard it performs extremely well but it can also die on you if you don't ground yourself (??!!). Expensive and its specifically tailored for the AC-10 game.There are all these other companies like VRInsight that are bringing out professional flight sim gear but they are expensive (>$600.00), budget is around ~300.00 so they are out of the question.Any of these companies bringing out a new throttle, yoke/joystick which looks professionally made (metal!) and affordable anytime in the near future?

Hey man,There's no perfect controllers. Each one has some issues. The more complex the controllers, the more potential for snags. Check out the Logitech G940. If you want the best construction quality you gotta pay hundreds of dollars.I have the Thrustmaster T Flight HOTAS X. It's very sturdy and trouble free. I urn the VRInsight M panel with it , soIi can control NAV/COM, various AP functions+ DME/course settings, gear and flaps.So it depends on your expectations. Quality costs, but there are good inexpensive controllers like what I have.Good luck and Merry Xmas.Eytan

I believe the saying is, "you get what you pay for."Here's my rundown of the different companies offerings.CH Products:I'll admit that I'm biased towards them. Although the controllers are made of plastic, so is the Boeing 787. The plastics that the CH controllers are made with is not the plastic you will find making up your PS3 controller, it is actually very sturdy and solid. It's not metal, but I'll take a sturdy synthetic polymer or aluminum any day!Eclipse Yoke - Great yoke, no center detent allowing for smooth elevator operations, and plenty of buttons to get the job done. 3 additional axes for Throttle, Prop Pitch, Mixture or whatever else you may want. Many complain that the elevator axis sticks, and it does, but is easily relieved by applying a silicone lubricant to the shaft (I apply it every 6 months or so). There are also rudder paddles to control the rudder axis, however mine is beginning to spike at the high end, forcing me to ignore the axis. Aside form the rudder axis spiking, it has served me faithfully for a year and a half.Fighterstick - Great stick. Range of movement is great and the centering force is not too stiff (Saitek X-52 and Thrustmaster Cougar) or too weak (Logitech joysticks). Plenty of buttons (16) and an additional axis for throttle control or whatever else you may want. I found mine at a Goodwill 2 years ago for $7.99 (you can't beat 95% off the MSRP) and there still is nothing wrong with it.Pro Throttle - Different. The throttle axis is flat, not curved like many HOTAS throttles, something that takes some getting used to. Plenty of buttons (16) and a micro-stick with an X and Y axis for controlling anything you can think of (such as the mouse). However, the microstick tends to not center, requiring a large deadzone (approximately 5% of travel) needing to be set to avoid a drifting axis. Like the Eclipse Yoke and Fighterstick, built solidly and can take plenty of abuse. Mine is working great after using it for about a year.Throttle Quadrant - Simple and effective. 6 axes to control whatever you can think of, throttle, prop pitch, mixture, flaps, gear, trim, etc. Also 6 switches on the front of the panel that go both ways for a combined effect of 12 buttons. The axes also have a detent before being fully lowered, allowing for easy and effective use of jet-engine reversers. I've read of people having problems with the axes over time as dust will settle inside and cause bad potentiometer readings, and also the pots are in series so if one goes, the rest go with it. Mine is still working great after 6 months of use.Rudder Pedals - Solidly built and very effective. Some users have noted that the internal wires running from the toe-brake pot to the internal control board have become severed due to them coming loose from the guides that keep them away from the internal rollers, this effectively removed the effected toe-brake axis. I have not had this problem however, and they are as smooth and precise as the day that I started using them about two years ago.Logitech:Force 3D - Do not buy this, not worth it in my opinion. The travel of the joystick is small, and the "force-feedback" is negligable. I used mine for 3 days before returning it.Extreme 3D Pro - Great for those wanting to spend very little but still enjoy using a joystick. The cons of this joystick, again in my opinion, are the weak centering force, the small amount of travel available along both axes, and the fact that the twist of the joystick cannot be mechanically stopped. For me, whenever I move the joystick left or right I tend to also twist the stick, causing me to either unassign the rudder from the twist function or put up with it.G940 - Have not owned, but would love to try it out. I was going to pick this up during one of Logitech's VIP sales for 40% off the 299.99 MSRP, but decided against it due to the amount of negative reviews that I have read of it overheating and spiking along both axes. I really miss my old Sidewinder FFB2 and would love it if this was a suitable replacement. If anyone can comment on theirs and the durability especially, I would be very excited to hear what your experience is.Saitek:X-52 - My favorite things about the X-52 are the adjustability of the stick and the plethora of buttons and axes. I have small hands so the ability to tailor it to my liking was great! Also, the amount of buttons and axes on both the stick and throttle left me searching for uses for them (I primarily fly low and slow GA so I have no need for all the AP and heavy-specific commands). The major con of the joystick and throttle for me was the spring tension. Due to the strong centering force, it was very difficult for me to fly helicopters or use it for precision flying where I had to keep the noise pointed a certain direction (IL2, DCS A-10, Blackshark). There is a fix for this where you use tie-wraps around portions of the spring to lessen tension, but it wouldn't do the trick for me so I ended up abandoning it.Yoke and Throttle - I cannot comment as I have never owned one, but I can comment on why I chose the CH Yoke over the Saitek. The reason I chose the CH over the Saitek is because of the mechanical center detent on the elevator axis. This makes smooth operation of the elevator axis nearly impossible from what others have said. Other than that, you will find many users of it that give praise of it over the CH yokes. To each his own.PFC and VRinsight Yokes:I have never owned any of these so cannot comment, but from your OP you have already written one of these off the list.I hope this can help sum up some of the available flight controllers, and although I tend to lean heavily towards CH, what I like and what you prefer are perhaps two entirely different things. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Thanks for your informative replies! Very educational. I still have not decided on a stick/yoke but the m panel mentioned sounds like a steal for its functionality