Thrustmaster Hotas Warthog: to buy or not buy, info wanted pls

[Rocky_53 1,579]

Thanks for your comments Robert and Rockliffe

 

I think a lot of flight sim players will benefit from posts like this, because when it comes down to picking the right flight control stick, money and other experienced pilots thoughts really helps people like me.

 

I am reading stuff about the t.h.warthogs joystick that it has some kind of sticking problems and bumps as you move it and the grease needs to be replaced, someone told me the sticks parts in the base unit are made of plastic and it snapped so i was warned about these 2 issues.

 

Well, it may well be that was pertinent to early models, I don't know. All I can say is that mine (touch wood) has worked flawlessly, every day since I got it, about a year ago.

[Robert McDonald 167]

Well, it may well be that was pertinent to early models, I don't know. All I can say is that mine (touch wood) has worked flawlessly, every day since I got it, about a year ago.

 

I agree with Howard. I too read about "striction problems" but I can tell you the throttle and joystick are both rock solid over one year later... and they get a LOT of use. I -do- cover them when not in use to prevent dust from getting inside the units. Other than the VRinsight hardware I bought, the TM Warthog is the most enjoyable bit of kit I own. Someone on Avsim told me to buy it and never look back - that was great advice, and you can tell there a lot of TM Warthog fans answering your inquiry. Naturally any manufactured good can have a flaw (look at automobiles!), but it appears that TM has decent quality control. Thank God they released something of this quality level - it has saved me from having to pay truly ridiculous amounts for the full size yoke and heavy-metal throttle quadrants that are on the market. $400 USD is way ahead of $1500 or $2000, yeah?

 

Once you left those dual throttle levers UP to come back past the stop-detent and engage your reversers upon landing - well, it's an amazing experience - far beyond just flipping a toggle switch or pushing a round button to engage the reverse thrusters - I can tell you that!

 

And yes, Howard is right about the controversy of the stick versus the yoke. In a perfect world, I imagine PMDG would release an AIRBUS and we'd all be happy with the joystick (as that is what AIRBUS uses in their fly-by-wire design), but I won't give up my beloved NGX, and thus, like Howard, I wrestled between joystick and yoke. You can read Word Not Allowed's experiences with the table-mounted PFC Yoke, and the custom mods that he had the manufacturer put in, plus the engineering job Word Not Allowed himself did to enhance the yoke he purchased. I admire Word Not Allowed - he is creative and ingenious. Me? Not so much! For an off-the-shelf purchase, I think the Warthog is money well spent. All those switches and buttons are very much of a bonus as well - even for other aircraft - as your most-frequent tasks can be assigned as I previously mentioned. This helps to improve your flow during actual flight.

[adn 0]

I've had this stick for just under a year now and I can say, as Luc has already mentioned, it is a no brainer. This is simply an awesome controller. I had a Saitek X52 pro and it was OK, but compared to the Hotas Warthog it's not even in the same ballpark! The stick comes with a disc and software but I just ditched that and use LINDA for the buttons and FSUIPC for all the slider controls, it works like a dream. Here is a short vid which I made earlier this year to show guys the amount of possibilities when assigninbg buttons. It truly is a superb bit of kit...

 

http://youtu.be/P-4SKr41mLM

 

Howard,

excellent video and awesome work done in setting up your "working environment". I am wondering if you will be willing to share your Warthog profile with me? I am switching between Saitek and TM permanently as I have never been able to set my TM for NGX on the level you did.

Cheers,

[JRMurray 214]

After reading through this thread and after watching Howard's video, I'm seriously tempted to get a Warthog--or perhaps a PFC yoke/throttle combo. The PFC is somewhat expensive, so I don't think that I can justify almost twice the cost of what I'm considering with the Warthog. However, Christmas is coming, and with my birthday being just 4 days afterward, the Warthog would make an excellent combo Christmas/birthday present.

 

I currently have a Logitech G940 setup, which I've been happy with for the most part. However, I'm not entirely satisfied with certain aspects of the G940: build quality, some button programming issues, force feedback issues, and so on.

 

The only question I have about the Warthog concerns how much force is needed to move the joystick. I've read about the springs (and how some people have replaced them). Howard and other owners of the Warthog, how much force do you need? Does your arm get tired when flying helicopters, light GA, etc?

[Rocky_53 1,579]

Does your arm get tired when flying helicopters, light GA, etc?

Hiya, sure, well I think there could be a distinct possibility of that, but for me as soon as I tried it I thought, mmmm, nah, I'll change the springs. Don't let that put you off though, it's a very easy process.

[TOX 0]

yes i have seen videos of the spring being changed but on this video the guy just took out the big spring all together, it seems to have made it a bit too sloppy.

what's the best way to do this job? and is it really necessary to replace the spring inside?

there is also 4 small springs what are they for? any ideas?

[Rocky_53 1,579]

Sure, the idea is to remove the big spring, then you are left with four smaller springs around each of the guide pillars. However, you are right, by using just these it becomes too sloppy, so I bought a box of mixed springs off Ebay, in the hope that there would be four springs that would do the job. I was lucky there were. However, and this is important, if you replace the four springs with four that are thicker when compressed you well not get the correct amount of 'travel' in the stick. So effectively what you need are some springs that are the same size and thickness but just stiffer. I hope that makes sense...

[TOX 0]

i get what you are saying Howard, so if i buy the warthog i might have to remove and replace the springs inside, Do i have to take out the big spring too?

 

What about the greasing matter, some users are saying the original grease inside the stick unit is also to thick in texture so they have wiped off clean and re-greased with special plastic to plastic grease.

Did you guy have to do that as well?

 

What i am trying to work out here is that, if i do buy the t.h.warthog what i have to do To it before i take off...

 

thanks again.

[Robert McDonald 167]

i get what you are saying Howard, so if i buy the warthog i might have to remove and replace the springs inside, Do i have to take out the big spring too?

 

What about the greasing matter, some users are saying the original grease inside the stick unit is also to thick in texture so they have wiped off clean and re-greased with special plastic to plastic grease.

Did you guy have to do that as well?

 

What i am trying to work out here is that, if i do buy the t.h.warthog what i have to do To it before i take off...

 

thanks again.

 

I would recommend you try flying it right out of the box - and see how it feels to you...

 

Just a thought...

[Rocky_53 1,579]

I agree with Robert, everyone is different and so forth. So sure, try it straight out of the box and then see if you want it to be a little lighter or not. As for the grease, nope, I had no problem with that at all. There is some grease in my Warty, but it was fairly light.

[Alec 370]

Just be careful when removing the big Spring! I did that with mine, and ended up "eating" one of the big screw that holds the top part which keeps spring in place, because the spring keeps a tremendous tension all the time, when it's time to remove the last screw, you have to push hard to keep the screw from damaging.

 

I like my TM Warthog better without the Spring, but now I can't open it up to try to get 4 small springs a little harder than the current one, the joystick is wonderful, but feels too easy to move.

[Koosh 0]

Say TM decides to stop producing the Warthogs and you have been searching for months but can't get your hands on a second-hand set.

 

What would your next choice be?

 

I'm looking at the Saitek X52 Pro. What do you think?

 

Sent from my BlackBerry 9780 using Tapatalk!

[Rocky_53 1,579]

Just be careful when removing the big Spring! I did that with mine, and ended up "eating" one of the big screw that holds the top part which keeps spring in place, because the spring keeps a tremendous tension all the time, when it's time to remove the last screw, you have to push hard to keep the screw from damaging.

 

Sure, good point Alexis, worth mentioning...

 

What would your next choice be?

I'm looking at the Saitek X52 Pro. What do you think?

 

Mmm, good stick, but IMO mainly because of the many different profile options it offers. I have owned it and to be honest, it's OK but a million miles from a Warty. It is VERY sloppy. As a second place to the Warty I think there are a couple of other possibles that may be more similar and less like the plastic X52 pro. Can't offer anything on that score, so someone else will have to advise...

[TOX 0]

i was thinking about the x52 pro due to the double price difference with the t.h.warty but after reading and getting great advice on my thread here from fellow users and the web in general. Now I have started to think more of the warty than the x52 pro.

 

so really, i say "save your cash and buy the warty instead of the x52pro" thats what i'll be doing soon, i hope i wont regret it in the end :rolleyes:

 

so, all this time when i was asking questions is really helping me get to my Target To Buy The "T.Hotas warthog",

I am not a pro flyer i use a saitek cyborg 3D Force feedback at the moment but i want to get into the flying hobby more seriously so i want a stick that will serve all my flying purposes being FSX, PMDG, A10, Haws and others too. I don't want to keep buying joysticks till i find the right one, I want to buy the perfect one NOW not years later.

 

 

 

[Rocky_53 1,579]

i was thinking about the x52 pro due to the double price difference with the t.h.warty but after reading and getting great advice on my thread here from fellow users and the web in general. Now I have started to think more of the warty than the x52 pro.

 

so really, i say "save your cash and buy the warty instead of the x52pro" thats what i'll be doing soon, i hope i wont regret it in the end :rolleyes:

 

so, all this time when i was asking questions is really helping me get to my Target To Buy The "T.Hotas warthog",

I am not a pro flyer i use a saitek cyborg 3D Force feedback at the moment but i want to get into the flying hobby more seriously so i want a stick that will serve all my flying purposes being FSX, PMDG, A10, Haws and others too. I don't want to keep buying joysticks till i find the right one, I want to buy the perfect one NOW not years later.

 

 

Sure, I understand Tox. I am always careful when giving advice and try to do so only when I'm 100% certain about things. I can promise you one thing, when you do get the Warty and you open the box for the first time, you will know immediately that it was the right decision :biggrin: