I have the Thrustmaster 16000M HOTAS and find it's decent. It splits the difference between the entry-level pieces of junk that no one wants and the exorbitantly expensive pro models that my wife would crucify me if I bought.
It's not perfect by any means. It's mostly plastic but still feels fairly durable. The stick is definitely prone to z-axis drift; mine got unbearable at about 500 hours of use. However, the fix is not difficult and since I did it (just followed a how-to on YouTube), it's been rock-solid. I like the functionality of the throttle, plenty of buttons, knobs and switches. The throttle downside to me, though, is the glide mechanism. The throttle slides on two horizontal metal rails inside. The resistance can be adjusted via a tension screw on the bottom and by lubricating the rails. I have found that finding and maintaining the sweet spot can be a bit of a hassle. To get the throttle sliding at my desired "smoothness" required heavy lubrication (WD-40 White Lithium grease) and a significant decrease on the tension screw. However, as the resistance decreases, the throttle grips the rails less firmly, making it extremely prone to "grabbiness". I can't think of a better term for it. If you keep the throttle moving perfectly along the plane of the horizontal rails, it's smooth as silk. If you get too far off-axis, it will "grab" and you'll lift the entire throttle up off the table or desk it's on. I find that even more aggravating than too much tension. So I've had to settle for a resistance level that is slightly too firm for my taste in order to minimize the grabbiness.
I found an open-box at Best Buy that included the rudder pedals, which I didn't want to use so I sold them. Between the open-box discount and the money from selling the pedals, I think my net cost was about $100. So at that price, I feel like I'm getting great value for my money.
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