Ordered one of the new VKB Gladiator-K sticks

[crnook]

My Gladiator-K got delivered yesterday. Very nice stick. I did not opt for the "Premium" grip with the ministick instead of the thumb button.

The programming software is really not intuitive and there is a steep learning curve that I have yet to climb. I did figure out how to get all the buttons on the base of the stick to work in ED. It seems ED (and other games) only recognize 32 buttons max on a controller. The solution can be found here:

Issues with Gladiator-K - VKB-SIM

forum.vkb-sim.pro

In the second post there is a screenshot showing 2 settings you have to change. Basically you are telling ED that you have 2 controllers instead of just one (one physical controller and one virtual controller).

After that was figured out everything fell into place. The one thing I am disappointed in is the stick has 3 hat switches but none of them are 8 way. They are all 4 way hats and are gated so you cant activate 2 switches at the same time by going diagonal. While this doesnt bother me in Elite so much it does bother me in DCS. I guess the Premium grip has 2 4 way hats and an 8 way as well as the thumb ministick. I wish I had gone that route.

All the axis' are very smooth and so far require no deadzone in Elite. Buttons are firm and crisp. The pinky button is a bit stiff but I'll get used to it.

Overall its a fantastic stick. After going through 5 T16000m's (all had the RZ axis go out within weeks of each warranty replacement) I look forward to having a reliable stick for a while.

 

[Lyvan Kitaen]

My Gladiator-K got delivered yesterday. Very nice stick. I did not opt for the "Premium" grip with the ministick instead of the thumb button.

The programming software is really not intuitive and there is a steep learning curve that I have yet to climb. I did figure out how to get all the buttons on the base of the stick to work in ED. It seems ED (and other games) only recognize 32 buttons max on a controller. The solution can be found here:

Issues with Gladiator-K - VKB-SIM

forum.vkb-sim.pro

In the second post there is a screenshot showing 2 settings you have to change. Basically you are telling ED that you have 2 controllers instead of just one (one physical controller and one virtual controller).

After that was figured out everything fell into place. The one thing I am disappointed in is the stick has 3 hat switches but none of them are 8 way. They are all 4 way hats and are gated so you cant activate 2 switches at the same time by going diagonal. While this doesnt bother me in Elite so much it does bother me in DCS. I guess the Premium grip has 2 4 way hats and an 8 way as well as the thumb ministick. I wish I had gone that route.

All the axis' are very smooth and so far require no deadzone in Elite. Buttons are firm and crisp. The pinky button is a bit stiff but I'll get used to it.

Overall its a fantastic stick. After going through 5 T16000m's (all had the RZ axis go out within weeks of each warranty replacement) I look forward to having a reliable stick for a while.

Like you, I bought the standard grip and it does exactly what I need it to do since I'm using it as my left hand stick. Between my rt hand stick, throttle, and now the Gladiator-K, I've got more hats, switches and axes than I know what to do with. If I was going to use one as my right hand stick or only stick, I'd most likely spring for the premium version though.

 

[Para Handy]

I assume that the base supplied is the one with the plastic gimbals - is there no way to get this with the pro base, the one with the metal gimbals?

One other question - what it the height to the top of the stick - the dimensions I can see on the product page sugest it might be 28cm - is that correct?

Thanks.

 

[Riverside]

Just measured mine & it's just under 26cm high.

I believe the metal gladiator base is NLA, ime the plastic one doesn't feel inferior for being plastic. All the issues I've had have been with the grip & the accessory springs in the base, the plastic mouldings are very good quality.

 

[Lyvan Kitaen]

I assume that the base supplied is the one with the plastic gimbals - is there no way to get this with the pro base, the one with the metal gimbals?

One other question - what it the height to the top of the stick - the dimensions I can see on the product page sugest it might be 28cm - is that correct?

Thanks.

As plastic gimbals go, the Gladiator is pretty good. I had zero issues with my old Gladiator mkII and I don't foresee any with the -K. It's lightyears ahead of the one used in the 16000T. That said, it doesn't feel as nice as my Virpil Alpha's base but it's also less than half the price.

Height-wise, the Gladiator is better for desktop use than the Alpha which sits much higher. (see my pics earlier in the thread).

 

[ubermick]

Mine’s on the way, right hand premium to replace my X-52 which is giving up the ghost. The Warthog throttle arrived today... couldn’t believe the heft of it. Really makes the cheaper Logitech stuff I’ve been using feel exactly that.

 

[Crabnab]

1) It seems to be sturdy and well built.
2) The buttons on the stick have a good click and no wobble. The buttons on the base wobble a bit, but it's not enough to be an annoyance.
3) The plastic of the grip has a good non-slip texture. It's actually better than my Alpha in this regard which can get slippery with sweaty hands.
4) The way the grip attaches to the base is a bit fiddly to set up but it's not awful. You'll need a 2.5mm allen wrench (not included)
5) It's not nearly as tall as my Alpha and is more comfortable for desktop use.
6) Setup and calibration were easy with VKB's software. They have a method to calibrate it without the software, but I couldn't get it to work.
7) There doesn't seem to be any slop in the axes, I've not had to set any deadzones yet.
8) The center hat has fairly sharp edges that could use some smoothing for comfort.
9) The pinky switch can be hard to push due to it's placement and strong spring.
10) This stick is a good fit for small hands. Mine are on the bigger side and I'm probably at the upper end of the comfort range.

Mine arrived today and though mine is right-handed, I did have a few different notes I'd like to point out...

4) The way the grip attaches to the base is a bit fiddly to set up but it's not awful. You'll need a 2.5mm allen wrench (not included)

There are several videos that show how this assembly is done and I didn't find it fiddly at all. The two barrels are keyed meaning they can only go in two ways, one of which is wrong, and that's pretty self evident plus the video specifically calls out the wrong way. Also mine included a 2.5mm allen wrench in the small kit of parts.

6) Setup and calibration were easy with VKB's software. They have a method to calibrate it without the software, but I couldn't get it to work.

Also in the setup videos. In short, 10 seconds after plugging it into USB, simultaneously press EJECT + BOTH Flaps buttons until you see a flashing LED indicating calibration mode. Move all analog directions: pitch, roll, yaw, analog hats if you have them, and throttle lever. Press trigger to end calibration. Worked for me first try.

8) The center hat has fairly sharp edges that could use some smoothing for comfort.

Seems completely ordinary to me. I experienced no sharp / discomforting edges.

9) The pinky switch can be hard to push due to it's placement and strong spring.

100% Agree. This button is quite a bear.

---

I did have one question for other owners / recipients of this stick. It came with a bag of extra parts, one is to replace a hat and the other is a button. Which button is that intended to replace? Also there is another mystery part which looks a bit like a lever? I'm not sure what that's for, anybody know?

 

[Riverside]

I did have one question for other owners / recipients of this stick. It came with a bag of extra parts, one is to replace a hat and the other is a button. Which button is that intended to replace? Also there is another mystery part which looks a bit like a lever? I'm not sure what that's for, anybody know?

The small black 'lever' is to cover the hole left if you remove the secondary trigger on the front.

The grey button is a substitute for the grey thumb hat. The spare hat is to replace the top left analogue D-pad/Hat.

All three together convert the premium grip into basic spec.

 

[Crabnab]

The small black 'lever' is to cover the hole left if you remove the secondary trigger on the front.

The grey button is a substitute for the grey thumb hat. The spare hat is to replace the top left analogue D-pad/Hat.

All three convert the premium grip into basic spec.

!!! Thank you so much- That lever really puzzled me. Almost immediately after I wrote that post I figured out the thumb hat but ty anyway. Mystery solved.

 

[Lyvan Kitaen]

Mine arrived today and though mine is right-handed, I did have a few different notes I'd like to point out...


There are several videos that show how this assembly is done and I didn't find it fiddly at all. The two barrels are keyed meaning they can only go in two ways, one of which is wrong, and that's pretty self evident plus the video specifically calls out the wrong way. Also mine included a 2.5mm allen wrench in the small kit of parts.


Also in the setup videos. In short, 10 seconds after plugging it into USB, simultaneously press EJECT + BOTH Flaps buttons until you see a flashing LED indicating calibration mode. Move all analog directions: pitch, roll, yaw, analog hats if you have them, and throttle lever. Press trigger to end calibration. Worked for me first try.




Seems completely ordinary to me. I experienced no sharp / discomforting edges.


100% Agree. This button is quite a bear.

---

I did have one question for other owners / recipients of this stick. It came with a bag of extra parts, one is to replace a hat and the other is a button. Which button is that intended to replace? Also there is another mystery part which looks a bit like a lever? I'm not sure what that's for, anybody know?

I had the calibration video open on my computer and watched it more than once to see that I was doing it right. It just didn't want to work for me. Not sure why.

I think that the premium stick comes with a wrench and the standard one doesn't. It wasn't a big deal since I had the correct one already.

I believe the button is to replace the hat on the side of the stick if you'd rather use that. Doubt that many people would do that, but you never know. Basically those parts let you turn the premium stick into a standard one except for the flip trigger.

 

[Spruxxx]

Also mine included a 2.5mm allen wrench in the small kit of parts.

Strange, I got the right hand premium version a few weeks back and mine came with a screwdriver in the kit bag, but no allen key. Not a problem for me, but I guess there may have been some variations.

 

[crnook]

My Standard controller came with the allen wrench. SOmeone must be asleep on the packing line.

 

[Lyvan Kitaen]

My Standard controller came with the allen wrench. SOmeone must be asleep on the packing line.

Weird. I just rechecked the parts bags that came with mine and not a tool to be found. I guess their quality control is a bit lacking.

 

[ubermick]

It's a nice piece of kit, but having a hell of a time trying to get the buttons to work. I know ED has an issue with only recognizing X amount, but seems to be recognizing hardly any of mine. (And don't get me started trying to get it to work with a Warthog throttle!!!)

 

[crnook]

It's a nice piece of kit, but having a hell of a time trying to get the buttons to work. I know ED has an issue with only recognizing X amount, but seems to be recognizing hardly any of mine. (And don't get me started trying to get it to work with a Warthog throttle!!!)

The fix for that is in my post at the top of page 2. Post #21.

 

[Codger]

I bought the Gladiator MKII some time ago, and it's been a fantastic stick, much more solid than my previous T16000. It only has the one hat, but everything works nicely. It has a very smooth action and I can tell it will last quite a while.

Just chiming in. I think VKB makes good stuff.

 

[ubermick]

The fix for that is in my post at the top of page 2. Post #21.

Yep. My own stupidity, I was looking for a software package that they discontinued, and didn’t dive to deep into its replacement.

 

[Cunumdrum]

I use a Virpil Alpha and it's the best stick I have ever had. I been flying aviation sims for years such as DCS and this stick is brilliant and worth every cent.

 

[Lyvan Kitaen]

I use a Virpil Aplpha and it's the best stick I have ever had. I been flying aviation sims for years such as DCS and this stick is brilliant and worth every cent.

I have to agree that the Constellation Alpha is just about the best there is for space sim pilots. I own one. That being said, not everyone can afford to drop over $400 for a joystick. The Gladiator-K is a very good choice if you want something that's will fill the majority of your needs for half the price.

 

[MrVaad]

Also the gladiator K was so successull, It's already sold out everywhere. VKB though the stock was good for a few months and it was sold out in a few weeks.

It seems the last available ones are in a ferry in transit for europe. VKB stopped production for the time being, to take into account some remarks and then go for mass production !