Anyone know if Saitek build quality has improved under Logitech?

[DOOK] Droogie

[DOOK] Droogie
Just wondering if anyone has any experience buying Saitek since the Logitech acquisition. I had a few from before, and they all lasted less than a year before having major issues. They were pretty notorious for being poorly built.

I have a full CH setup, and I'm happy with it, but I'm just curious if Logitech put their typical quality into the Saitek brand
 

GraphiteGB

GraphiteGB
To save you searching from reading this forum the Chinese factory building got worse under Logitech budget limits... not better... QC got slacker and products that got rejected before get released now as QC checking is lower so its way more a lottery on the build you get being a bad build....
Extra = USB power issue is present on all builds no matter who owned the company... Powered USB hub can be required..
 

[DOOK] Droogie

[DOOK] Droogie
That's sad. I use all Logitech products for other peripherals and I've always loved them.

I like my ch set up a lot, but I've had it for 7 years. Had the itch to make a change. However, I would never buy a hotas without an analog thumb stick on the throttle. I can't give that up.
 

commander splat

commander splat
Afternoon cmdrs, So I just bought a new Saitek X52 Pro from Ebuyer for £155 to replace my old Logitech X52 Pro which finally broke after 5 years and the new model arrived.
Sadly the throttle was broken. I did inspect the differences and they look the same but the build quality seemed cheaper. I sent it back and got a full refund then went out and bought the Thrustmaster 1600 plus Throttle from currys at £129. The new Joystick and Throttle are great. If that helps.
 

William J Smith

William J Smith
Strange
Bought an logitech X-56 a couple of years ago.... been next to no problem with it aprt from an overused switch on the throttle loosing its spring(no real gaming issue with that though) and the expected ghosting issue.. solved by a powered USB hub, and plugging the throttle straight into the PC rather than the hub.
Apart from that , its been pretty solid.
I suspect the quality issue came from the madcatz era where it was shove everything out the door without testing and hope for the best

Bill

Or I've been very very lucky
 

Crank Larson

Crank Larson
Based on my Logitech X-56 (which replaced a Saitek X-56 which replaced a X-52), the Logitech ones are much improved when it comes to the wiring and buttons. They still use cheap components, though, and cheap plastic. I don't think I'll buy another one - I wish I'd spent a bit more last time on one of the better brands (VKB most likely - Virpil looks nice, but overpriced).

I've extended the life of my current X-56 stick with this: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4986606 :)
 

rootsrat

Volunteer Moderator
rootsrat
So I currently have 3 X-52 Pro HOTASES, 2 of which are couple of years old and both have broken parts - either buttons or switches, just random little things that stopped working. The other one is still working, but the buttons on the stick are becoming a bit ddodgy. Granted I use it a lot, but still, I only got this one in October last year. It's only been 4 months!

I just had a chat with Amazon and they do not process replacements anymore, but after pointed out there is a 2-year free warranty, they offered me a refund, so I can buy a new one.

Also, and this is really good news, I was told that they have already reached out to Logitech about the low quality of these products, because they are apparently getting A LOT of complaints, refund and replacement requests. So even Amazon has now officially noticed there is a serious issue with these HOTAS's. Hopefully this will lead to some internal investigation in Logitech and subsequently better quality in some time.

Processes like that take time, so I'm not expecting any improvements until maybe next year, but we'll see. At least Amazon has officially complained to Logi about this.
 

Pville_Piper

Pville_Piper
I just recently faced the need to replace a TFRP pedals after a run of 6 years. I finally decided that I didn't want to play the lottery and bought VKBs rudder pedals.
 

Jack Winter

Jack Winter
William J Smith said:
Strange
Bought an logitech X-56 a couple of years ago.... been next to no problem with it aprt from an overused switch on the throttle loosing its spring(no real gaming issue with that though) and the expected ghosting issue.. solved by a powered USB hub, and plugging the throttle straight into the PC rather than the hub.
Apart from that , its been pretty solid.
I suspect the quality issue came from the madcatz era where it was shove everything out the door without testing and hope for the best

Bill

Or I've been very very lucky
Click to expand...
FWIW, when I bought my X52 (logitech) a few years ago the first had a problem with the cone formed hat, it didn't click when moved downwards. Sent it back for a replacement, the replacement had exactly the same problem. I did fix it somewhat myself and got a good discount from Amazon. Apart from that it held up well for the use I gave it, but like I said Virpil is something completely different.
 

hems303

hems303
Dumped their latest 'best'est item... crap build fell apart in my hands but got a refund from Amazon and the honor of throwing it in the bin. NOW totally happy back with my old Microsoft SideWinder Force-Feedback 2 stick. So much so I went out and bought another NOS MS SW FF2 as a 'spare'.... BUT you really don't need one as the build quality is SO good that it saw the end of MS offering the stick under their hardware logo... it was just TOO good (and apparently too expensive to continue making). Coupled with a CH Pro USB Throttle it does everything needed for a good, solid and reliable EDQ hotas setup... and more besides... SOOOOooo good to the touch...HEAVY monkey....and bloody accurate too. Try and find yourself a used or NOS item! o7
Capture.JPG
 
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Rat Catcher

Rat Catcher
BDelacroix said:
Considering saving for a Virpl myself. Bank gets over excited, though if I spend money outside the country.
I guess I've been lucky with my x52. Bought before logi. The twist sticks sometimes, though.
Click to expand...
In which country do you live?
If the USA, Virpil now have a USA 'branch' to buy from.
 

Stealthie

Stealthie
Trouble is, regardless of QC on individual products, there's two fundamental issues with Saitek/Logitech sticks which are unlikely to change any time soon... or ever.

1) the USB controller firmware.
2) the software.

You can encounter problems as a result of inadequate power from a USB port but that can be avoided either by using a USB3 port or using a powered USB hub.
The biggest issue is that the USB controller firmware inside the stick is a bit flaky and it's always going to be flaky regardless of power.
Logitech could update the USB controller chip inside the stick but that'd be a significant revision and I suspect their accountants might question whether or not such a change was worthwhile.

The Software/Drivers are still Saitek-era, rebranded with Logitech logos and, at a guess, I'd say they're getting on for ten years old now.
With a bit of effort it might be possible to get the software to communicate better with the sticks' USB controllers, thus solving a lot of the "ghost input" problems the X52/X56 have but, again, that'd be a significant expense when they can just keep flogging the same old tat with no extra effort.

I know there's people who've created home-brew software for the X52/X56 but, after downloading a couple of examples, I've always found there's some useful feature or another missing (the software won't control the mode selector, won't accept macros, won't control the X52 LCD etc) so I always ended up going back to the OEM software... and, crucially, I've got no idea if any of the home-brew software actually helps with the USB controller problems so, unless you just flat-out dislike the OEM software, there's not much reason to use anything else.
 

[DOOK] Droogie

[DOOK] Droogie
GroG79 said:
That is funny. You use the word Logitech and Quality in one sentence...
I have a feeling all those Logitech mouses have a kill switch. Around warranty buttons always start to fail.
Click to expand...
I've been using nothing but Logitech for years. I've had my mouse for 10 years, and it's still going great. Love my TKL keyboard, too. Agai, years without issues.

The only "gaming" peripherals I've ever had issues with are Razer products. Their quality fell off a cliff.
 

Stealthie

Stealthie
[DOOK] Droogie said:
I've been using nothing but Logitech for years. I've had my mouse for 10 years, and it's still going great. Love my TKL keyboard, too. Agai, years without issues.

The only "gaming" peripherals I've ever had issues with are Razer products. Their quality fell off a cliff.
Click to expand...

To digress slightly, I just killed my Logitech G19 keyboard, which I've been happy with for 10 years, so I immediately went out and treated myself to a G915 keyboard to replace it.

My first sign that something was awry was when I realised that a bunch of keys weren't working.
It wasn't just one or two. It was every 4th or 5th key.
Google for known issues and find you MUST install the Logitech software to get it to work reliably... which is fair enough, I guess, although it's slightly concerning that it means the keyboard can't reliably be used while installing an OS or twiddling with BIOS stuff.
I install the software and I find that all the keys which weren't working are now working but, for those keys, there's no delay before they repeat.
So, for example, the "E" key previously wasn't working but now when I type a word like "when" I get "wheeeeen".
Great.
So, I google for known issues (again) and find this is a common issue too and you need to go into the Windows keyboard settings and twiddle the delay and repeat sliders (something I've never had to do before to get any keyboard working) to solve this problem.
Only trouble is, I now find that, although the "iffy" keys are okay, I have to press all the other keys for slightly longer before they register... which might not seem like a big deal but it makes touch-typing almost impossible.

Faff factor has reached critical mass.
Back in the box it goes, for a refund, and that's me done with Logitech keyboards, unfortunately.

Still got my G502 mouse, that I bought at the same time as my G19, and still perfectly happy with it but I'm afraid I won't be touching another Logitech keyboard.
Why would I buy a keyboard that might have problems when there are so many alternatives out there that are, apparently, completely reliable?

Now the happy owner of an Asus ROG Strix Flare II Animate keyboard which is great... except for the name. :confused:
 

Terekhov

Terekhov
I purchased an x-52 pro mid 2020 when HOTASs were very scarce (possibly the last unit on retail sale in the UK at that time, so no choice). It was Logitech branded, sealed box (not returns) and was poor from the outset.

I had a whole host of issues. Stick free play (Stick loose in the collar it slides in): Excessive free play (Hall sensors/magnets too weak), Wire broke inside stck a few months in, several buttons became bouncy over period of a year or so, Driver/configuraation software poor. The free play is exceptionally bad for me as on some fuel cases I have to accurately line up on a beacon hundreds of thousands of light seconds, or even fractions of a light year away, and expect to stay on target as I fly there whilst the client is logged out.

As there was nothing on the market to replace it with (and likely any service request would leave me without a stick for a long time) I had to try to cope with the issues.I fitted some stronger magnets and managed to improve the free play issues slightly (but they were still poor), and the switches deteriorated to the point that the stick was difficult to use at all.

18 months ago I shelved tthe x-52 and purgased a pair of VKB Gunfighter III Kosmosima SCG sticks and a throttle unit (logitech) I've not looked back, Granted the VKB setup was 2.5x the cost of the x-52pro was but the difference is night and day.

Since then I have purchased a 2nd set of VKB sticks for my second older PC. This time the NXT SCG premiums, and a VKB thq throttle unit. They too are brilliant, and whilst more expensive than an x-52 pro would be, much cheaper than the GF III sticks
 
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