Hardware & Technical Logitech Extreme 3D Pro Questions

[Twinn]

Hey CMDRS! I've been using these sticks since around 2003 and I just bought my 6th replacement (inevitable rudder/yaw failure). I took a bit of a hiatus from flight sims for the past few years but all these awesome space sims have sucked me back in... otherwise I'm sure I would have many more in the graveyard. Despite it's fatal flaw I was always amazed by how wonderfully it felt and performed when it was alive and well. With this recent copy I am now noticing a huge difference in the build quality overall. Can anyone who has purchased an Extreme 3D Pro recently confirm these things for me. I'm just trying to see if I might have gotten a bad copy or a knockoff or something.

1. Slighty gritty textured plastic on handle and a few sharp edges near the base. Irritating to the hand after extended use. (used to be completely smooth and felt like a dream.)
2. Small internal bump / hiccup when pitching. (feels like a click when pitching up or down, but has little noticeable effect on actual flight. Old version was smooth as butter and the action felt tighter and more responsive.

I know it's a $30 flight stick and manufacturing costs were probably cut over the years, but boy is it disappointing when you can compare the two side by side!

 

[Zieman]

I'm on my 3rd one now. 1st lasted for 5 or 6 years (well, last 6 months of it was struggling against increasing drift & spikes in handle twist axis, & one button worked only inermittenly, but otherwise good). The 2nd one I got replaced 2 weeks ago under warranty, twist axis went bad under 6 months.

The handle texture gives better grip imho.
But the handle halves aren't an exact match, so there's a ridge/bump in the middle. If I feel the handle with my fingers, the edge is noticeable, but under palm it's falls just below treshold for me.

None of my units have had this 'hiccup' you describe. It might be a wire in wrong place or some badly moulded part inside the stick. Back to retailer, get new one under warranty?

 

[Farran]

I think I see what you mean with the first one. Mine has a little sort of ridge at the base of the stick, but I generally do not notice it. The seams are a little bit uneven elsewhere, too, but not something I really noticed until attention was called to it.

Second thing, not so much. It is a little loose right at the center, so I had to set up a bit of a deadzone to compensate. If I am paying attention, it might feel like a bit of a bump when it crosses to the area with some resistance, but it is pretty small.

As a note, this is my first flight stick and I have only been using it since July or so, but I have put quite a few hours into the game with it (a few hundred, at least). I thought it would wear down more than it has, for the price I paid, so I would call that a win.

Have they really been making these the same way for over ten years? Man. Gotta be solid if they still have a market in it.