Does pitch operation stick, at all?  My Saitek is terrible in this regard which over the past 10y has trained me to use electric trim to land airliners with as yoke pitch control is too crude.  I know Fulcrum One and Yoko make quality yokes for a small fortune, but if HC Alpha solves this problem it might be the right choice for me.  

Thanks!

I have the Alpha and I love it - no sticking and I find it does a nice job of gradual trimming, no abrupt drops.

Thanks Mario this sounds like the best solution.  The spendy Fulcrum and Yoko shortchange their value, especially at their price point, by not including more robust switch/button offerings, and HC Alpha looks better in this regard at less than half the cost.  I will wait for just a few more testimonies to be sure before purchasing.

2 hours ago, Noel said:

Thanks Mario this sounds like the best solution.  The spendy Fulcrum and Yoko shortchange their value, especially at their price point, by not including more robust switch/button offerings, and HC Alpha looks better in this regard at less than half the cost.  I will wait for just a few more testimonies to be sure before purchasing.

It is easy to fall for the yoke with the most switches but I chose the Fulcrum and have never regretted it. I did purchase the Honeycomb Bravo throttle quadrant and while I still like it for the trim wheel and gear lever I am not using the rocker switches since there is always one that is set wrong. I guess I like flipping the virtual switches in the cockpit better.

The Fulcrum will last probably never wear out, but within 2 years I already had problems with the mounts of my Honeycomb Bravo. Luckily I was able to bypass that problem since Honeycomb doesn not ship spare parts to Europe so my alternative would be to purchase a new quadrant.

If you are worried about pitch control, the Fulcrum has almost twice the range of the Honeycomb yoke which allows for great control of pitch. At the extreme ends of the pitch range the Fulcrum is quite heavy, meaning you need to push or pull with some force, but most of the time gentle inputs are required and the Fulcrum is very precise.

When trimming with the trim switch on the yoke I automatically relax the force on the yoke which feels as if the trim is taking away the pressure. It's all in the mind off course but it feels quite natural.

Just my 2 cents.

Thanks for your insights.  I'm tempted somewhat for Fulcrum but the lack of button controls does matter to me, primarily because of 10y of habit w/ Saitek.  I understand because of its far higher resolution will offer the best in roll and pitch control but again because of all these years of wretched control I've learned to use other tools for pitch including fine attention to speed and use of trim.  IOW, I'm not sure just how much I will appreciate the Fulcrum for its high cost.  But yes, a one-time purchase for sure!  It would outlast me easily!  I have contacted them re their TQ which looks appealing for sure.  Bravo TQ will be hard to setup on my desk but it's still on the short list.

Again, still puzzled why Fulcrum makes such a solid basic yoke, then leaves off so many buttons--it would be a giant no-brainer for me if this area were better.  What do you use for brake activation on your Fulcrum?  I use the left trigger-area button on the Saitek...

Edited August 28, 20223 yr by Noel

On 8/28/2022 at 9:26 PM, Noel said:

What do you use for brake activation on your Fulcrum?  I use the left trigger-area button on the Saitek...

I have rudder pedals so I don't need a button for brakes. I understand your need for more buttons though*.

If you are on a limited budget, the Honeycomb yoke is still better than your current yoke. If you have a bit extra to spend, the Fulcrum yoke is the best yoke below $1000, and it doesn't cost even half that. Combine it with a Honeycomb Bravo TQ and you have a few extra buttons, the best of both worlds IMO (It is what I have)

If you still don't have enough buttons, a Stream Deck XL will sit nicely on top of the Fulcrum yoke and gives you 32 physical (and limitless virtual) buttons.

*in MSFS you can combine buttons, effectively doubling the amount; e.g. I use the red button on the yoke as a PushtoTalk button, but combined with a button on the right side it also functions as an autopilot master button.

Edited August 29, 20223 yr by orchestra_nl
MSFS button combinations added

Thanks orchestra_nl I am going to go w/ their soon to be released Fulcrum 737 Yoke--same as the GA one except they moved two buttons from the top of each grip to the trigger position, and I think it can be swapped in to their GA yoke.   So I can use that for brakes which is great!  I'm also going to go w/ their TQ which looks fabulous but is months out still from what they tell me--it is presently between prototype and start of production.  The HC Bravo is attractive for what it offers but is a bit big for this setting and the Fulcrum TQ is more compact, has 6 2-way rocker switches, 6 axes w/ reversers, and magnetic sensors so should be amazing.