Thanks so much guys for all the info on the yokes.  I do not want to spent $550 for a yoke, only to have to take it apart in order to get it working right. 

 

Does anyone have any other yoke recommendations? 

 

I really need a bit more info before I'm going to be able to decide on a yoke (Saitek, CH, GoFlight, or something else).  Perhaps I would be better off just getting a top-end joystick/throttle, since I spend nearly half my time flying helicopters.  Are the new Thrustmaster HOTAS any good?

 

I'm about ready to order the Crosswinds, but I'm just waiting to hear back from the company, as I had some questions/concerns about a couple of things.

I was torn between the VRinsight yoke and the Goflight one. I bought the Goflight one during their Black Friday sale so it was about 450 after everything. I agree its sort of a pain, but its honestly 4 screws and thats it. Really simple. I would give the GoFlight yoke a 4/5 stars overall.

 

I have the Thrustmaster Warthog and its an amazing HOTAS. I recommend it fully.

 

And if you are looking for an inexpensive throttle setup, look at www.fsxthrottle.com  I just ordered their quattro and I am very impressed. He allows you to customize it so you only pay for what you want.  It has a lifetime warranty which is nice. The product itself is made out of MDF and wood. I was slightly concerned at first but after using it I am very impressed. It seems very durable and and I like the features that it has.

 

 

Perhaps I would be better off just getting a top-end joystick/throttle, since I spend nearly half my time flying helicopters. Are the new Thrustmaster HOTAS any good?

 

This.  The TM Warthog is an excellent, solid stick and dual-throttle setup...heavy, precise, and sturdy.  It uses Hall Effect sensors in both the X-Y joystick axes and the throttle axes, so the problems of noisy, spiking pots are gone.

 

The unfortunate reality is that there is very little in the way of options between the cheap underwhelming plastic yokes (Saitek, CH) and the high-end, high-dollar ones (PFC, ACE, etc).  The Warthog HOTAS plus a set of all-metal PFC rudder pedals would fall into that ~$1000 total range, and give you an excellent, long-lasting setup that's actually more versatile than a yoke.

 

Regards

On 2/23/2017 at 0:10 PM, w6kd said:

This.  The TM Warthog is an excellent, solid stick and dual-throttle setup...heavy, precise, and sturdy.  It uses Hall Effect sensors in both the X-Y joystick axes and the throttle axes, so the problems of noisy, spiking pots are gone.

The unfortunate reality is that there is very little in the way of options between the cheap underwhelming plastic yokes (Saitek, CH) and the high-end, high-dollar ones (PFC, ACE, etc).  The Warthog HOTAS plus a set of all-metal PFC rudder pedals would fall into that ~$1000 total range, and give you an excellent, long-lasting setup that's actually more versatile than a yoke.

Thanks Bob, for your feedback on this!  I just need to figure out which is the best way to move forward.  Initially I had my heart set on getting a yoke, but finding a really good on in the $500-600 range is really proving to be difficult, as everyone I've considered seems to have some shortcomings.

After looking more at the TM Warthog, I do have a couple of concerns.  The first is that it's bring spring will make it hard for me to use.  The other is related: I place my Saitek in my lap, which is the way that I have the most control. But the TM doesn't look like it would be at all comfortable in my lap.  Also, do you know if the Warthog the newest/best HOTAS from TM?

I'm going to first get some good pedals, mostly likely the Crosswinds.  I'm just waiting to hear back from the manufacturer, about a couple of questions that I have.

The Crosswind pedals look like they are really good and at a reasonable price.  Yoko the Yoke is apparently fantastic.  Other than that, there is a guy selling a very high end Yoke in the Bargain Hunters forum.  I think he is in Florida and you may be able to get a good deal.

1 hour ago, Arwen said:

After looking more at the TM Warthog, I do have a couple of concerns.  The first is that it's bring spring will make it hard for me to use.  The other is related: I place my Saitek in my lap, which is the way that I have the most control. But the TM doesn't look like it would be at all comfortable in my lap.  Also, do you know if the Warthog the newest/best HOTAS from TM?

Sitting in your lap is probably not an option with the Warthog...it comes with a flat plate mount on the bottom.  I use it with a shelf that I made that goes across in front of me between me and the front edge of the table the monitor is on.

The Warthog's spring isn't an issue for me when flying flight sim planes--it would probably be a bit too stiff for playing shoot-em-up games that require a lot of fast action.  There is another, much cheaper Thrustmaster stick, the T-16000M, which is plastic, fairly light, but still uses Hall sensors in the X-Y axes.  I see they are now making a new companion throttle unit for it, but I have not handled one of those.  The T-16000M is also ambidextrous, with reversible contour pads to switch the grip between left and right, which makes it a uniquely good choice when a left-handed stick is needed, e.g. for a left-seat Scarebus simulation.  I keep several of the T-16000Ms around for gaming and for the aforementioned left-hand stick.  The T-16000M also incorporates a twist-grip axis that is intended for rudder (it's awful to use a twist grip for this IMHO, but the axis is very handy for nosewheel steering).

Regards

 

6 hours ago, w6kd said:

Sitting in your lap is probably not an option with the Warthog...it comes with a flat plate mount on the bottom.  I use it with a shelf that I made that goes across in front of me between me and the front edge of the table the monitor is on.

The Warthog's spring isn't an issue for me when flying flight sim planes--it would probably be a bit too stiff for playing shoot-em-up games that require a lot of fast action.  There is another, much cheaper Thrustmaster stick, the T-16000M, which is plastic, fairly light, but still uses Hall sensors in the X-Y axes.  I see they are now making a new companion throttle unit for it, but I have not handled one of those.  The T-16000M is also ambidextrous, with reversible contour pads to switch the grip between left and right, which makes it a uniquely good choice when a left-handed stick is needed, e.g. for a left-seat Scarebus simulation.  I keep several of the T-16000Ms around for gaming and for the aforementioned left-hand stick.  The T-16000M also incorporates a twist-grip axis that is intended for rudder (it's awful to use a twist grip for this IMHO, but the axis is very handy for nosewheel steering).

Thanks Bob for your answers!  If I end up replacing my Saitek X52, I think that I would much rather get a TM Warthog HOTAS, than something lighter and less durable.  Everything that I have heard about the Warthog, is that it is the best HOTAS to get. I'm ready to spend a bit more to get what will work the best for me, and I'm concerned that anything else (as far as joysticks) wouldn't be much of an upgrade from my X52 (which is still working fine, so I'll still be able to use it for the more arcade games).

With the Warthog, I'm guessing that I will have to find a way to clamp it down to my desk in order to use it.  The problem is that trying to use my X52 on my desk is not comfortable, which throws my flying controls way off (which is why I fly with my X52 down in my lap).

Arwen, it's worth thinking ahead a little. If you bought a yoke, you'd have to mount it to your desktop so would it really be a lot different to having your joystick there? Also, once you get the pedals, having the joystick on your lap will be a much less practical proposition. If you're paying a premium for a high precision controller, it seems a waste to have it sitting on a soft surface.

One thing I would say is don't buy a budget yoke. Although there are many who seem happy with them, they are too much of a compromise and take some time to adapt to their limitations. I briefly had a Saitek Cessna Pro Flight yoke (one of the better budget models) but sent it back. Quite well-made but badly designed. I now use a Microsoft Force Feedback 2 - best joystick I've owned and well worth the effort of trying to find a good one.

11 hours ago, vortex681 said:

Arwen, it's worth thinking ahead a little. If you bought a yoke, you'd have to mount it to your desktop so would it really be a lot different to having your joystick there? Also, once you get the pedals, having the joystick on your lap will be a much less practical proposition. If you're paying a premium for a high precision controller, it seems a waste to have it sitting on a soft surface.

One thing I would say is don't buy a budget yoke. Although there are many who seem happy with them, they are too much of a compromise and take some time to adapt to their limitations. I briefly had a Saitek Cessna Pro Flight yoke (one of the better budget models) but sent it back. Quite well-made but badly designed. I now use a Microsoft Force Feedback 2 - best joystick I've owned and well worth the effort of trying to find a good one.

First of all, thanks for replying.  I probably don't say this enough, but I really appreciate all the help and advice that I've received in this (and other) thread. 

As far as clamping both to my desktop, there are some differences.  The main one is that you control a yoke mainly by moving your arms, while you control a joystick mainly by rotating and twisting your wrist. And the muscles in arms are much larger than the muscles in wrists. Also, you have to reach up a bit higher with a joystick. I've tried to fly with my Saitek on my desk and it just doesn't work well for me. 

But I may have found a solution. the only problem is that it is a bit pricey (in addition to the cost of a TM Warthog HOTAS), but this looks to be exactly what I need:

https://www.monstertech.de/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Monster_Tech_HOTAS_Table_Mount_Warthog_1.jpg

MonsterTech HOTAS Table Mounts

Thanks for the warning/advice, but I have already decided against getting a cheap yoke (or cheap pedals). I'd rather wait until I can afford to buy higher end gear, than to rush out and purchase something that I am not going to be happy with.

12 hours ago, Arwen said:

But I may have found a solution. the only problem is that it is a bit pricey (in addition to the cost of a TM Warthog HOTAS), but this looks to be exactly what I need:

https://www.monstertech.de/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Monster_Tech_HOTAS_Table_Mount_Warthog_1.jpg

MonsterTech HOTAS Table Mounts

Impressive engineering! Also worth looking at this:

http://wheelstandpro.com/products/wheel-stand-pro-for-thrustmaster-hotas-warthog--and-saitek-x-55-x52pro---deluxe-v2-

I think a few people in the forums use these, if I recall correctly.

Thia is how I mount my X52 with just a few electrical parts from Home Depot.

Thanks so much for all the help guys!

I placed my order in for some MFG Crosswinds on Saturday and just ordered the TM Warthog HOTAS and the MonsterTech Table Mounts.  The total was more than I had budgeted for, but I feel that this setup will work the best for me and give me much better control of the type of aircraft that I fly.  Besides, Saturday was my birthday, so this seems like the best time to get what I actually want, instead of settling for something that I may not be happy with.

I'd like to keep this thread open, as I'm likely going to need some help in configuring my new setup (especially since the Thrustmaster site is still down!),

I bought some MFG crosswinds last year and they are really outstanding.  I never had pedals before, but these are really well made and the calibration software is excellent.  The differential brakes are my favorite part, but the rudder travel is so smooth.

Just remember to add them to your controls in your sim menu, and set up the brakes for reverse axis.  Oh, and delete your rudder and brake configurations on the joystick.

Thanks for positive feedback and the advice on setting up the Crosswinds!  It will likely be at least another 4 to 6 weeks before my Crosswinds arrive, as I'm currently only on the waiting list.  But at least my order is now in.  Waiting is going to be hard!

I should have my new HOTAS by the end of this week, but will have to wait at least a couple of weeks for the Table Mounts to arrive.  Then I should be able to get the new joystick and throttles set up properly and be able to mount them in a comfortable position.

On 2/21/2017 at 7:36 AM, 19dcavscout said:

I just purchased a set of the MFG Crosswind pedals and a VantEdge yoke.  The pedals are incredible and cost about $300 depending on where you live. I HIGHLY recommend them!

 

The Yoke on the other is nice, but has had some issues. First the upper buttons of the hat switch did not work so it had to be sent in. I get it back and now the yoke is slightly rolling to the right. I live quite far so shipping is a pain with about 14 days in between shipping times so I haven't use it much. I will say it is incredibly smooth and precise and I like it. The QC could be better for a $500 yoke though.

.. my 9 years Saitek Yoke is about to go South, so a new one is on my list. The GOFLIGHT GF - VANTEDGE is within my budget, I wonder if you can post or PM your impression and experience with this Yoke.

For some reason I do not see any real reviews on this Yoke, I found one on youtube but it is not a really a serious review tha can be taken into consideration 

 

Happy landing

 

Yair    

Check this thread out!