Saitek X-52/55 Alternatives?
- Thread starter TheNameIsJambo
- Start date
I am a very happy owner of the Saitek X55. The Zaxis on the stick makes some noise but works very well. I am having no build quality issues but i could be just lucky.
The thrustmaster warthog was my only alternative but the lack of stick-twist eliminated it for me. I allready got pedals of my racing wheel under my desk.
The Cheap hotas solutions are functional but don't play in the same ballpark.
If you are scared of poor build quality by saitek you pretty much only have two possibilities:
1. CH fighterstick + throttle + pedals. Would've been my number 1 if it had more buttons. As oculus rift user i really need the absurd number of hats and buttons the X-55 offers.
2. Warthog + Pedals
I don't own any of these but from what i read the CH products look cheap as hell but actually are quite the opposite. You can't kill those things. They might be worth a look. They aren't fancy but they are well proven and just work.
The thrustmaster warthog was my only alternative but the lack of stick-twist eliminated it for me. I allready got pedals of my racing wheel under my desk.
The Cheap hotas solutions are functional but don't play in the same ballpark.
If you are scared of poor build quality by saitek you pretty much only have two possibilities:
1. CH fighterstick + throttle + pedals. Would've been my number 1 if it had more buttons. As oculus rift user i really need the absurd number of hats and buttons the X-55 offers.
2. Warthog + Pedals
I don't own any of these but from what i read the CH products look cheap as hell but actually are quite the opposite. You can't kill those things. They might be worth a look. They aren't fancy but they are well proven and just work.
Yep and yep.
http://www.alzashop.com/defender-cobra-m5-d354042.htm
Got mine from there. It's Russian style stick so you tend to need to import, above is from Czech, you're Finland but postage to UK was £7.90 only so not much and it arrived in an utterly ridiculous 4 days!
Thanks and thanks! I will probably sell the T16000m on and buy one of these for the extra buttons.
Jeez.. I've done some amount of deliberating and procrastinating today!
I was actually considering two of the T.16000m sticks - It's interesting to read above you've got a Logi and want the T.16000m as your secondary. I can't imagine there being any issues with that, and surely better than having just one stick overall - Plus, it means you'll have two big-boy triggers for your primary and secondary fire groups!
In the end - I did go for the CH Throttle and the T.16000m. I know it's a bit of a budget/rubbish stick, but hey, there's not a lot of options out there where you can just buy a commercially available 3-axis joystick. Damn! I just discovered the Cobra after I'd put my orders in [from CCL and Scan]. Now, the joystick has been dispatched! Doh! I might see how CCL feels about returns over Xmas. The Cobra M5 looks like a slightly higher quality stick with better buttons. It will be good to hear how @lackofsth gets on with his if/when he orders one and might be worth selling mine on; or just returning it!
If CH made a 3-way joystick, I'm sure they'd have to buy snow shovels to get them onto trucks quick enough.
I really did want the X55, but I just couldn't pull the trigger. The QC issues were just a little too much. I'd rather have a £30-odd Thrustmaster joystick that's a bit rubbish and fails when it's out of warranty than near-£200 worth of kit beginning to fail. This quote was one that got me - also he's had all of the setups:
I agree with the green light. I'll be in there with a pair of snips myself. I hate unnecessary LEDs. They're just distracting. My neighbour over there has a lot of unnecessary Christmas LEDs on his house - that seem to be on their most extreme epileptic flicker setting - and they cause havok with my peripheral vision!
In regards to the X55 comments - A bloke from work has had very similar issues; others I have spoken to have had issues with the X52 too, and it's completely thrown me off. The fact that a stranger on the internet and guys at work have similar QC issues, it's just the kind of thing that's terrible to hear.. Really puts you off - It's not just isolated incidents, it's widespread! That can really damage a company's reputation; when it's already shaky-at-best.
I think a lot of people have been in the same boat as me - They wanted the CH Pro Throttle, but couldn't find an adequate 3-axis stick and have had to 'settle' for something that they're not 100% on. It's like being between a rock and a hard place because the joystick market these days is.. Well, a bit stale! You've really only got a few choices for a 3-axis HOTAS and that's X52, X52 Pro, X55 and TM's HOTAS X. Oh, and where the hell is Microsoft?! I distinctly remember they used to manufacture joysticks. There are other singular joysticks out there which may be good alternatives: Cyborg FLY5, Cyborg V1.. But again, look who manufacture those! The only other one I'd really think about is the Logitech 4D Super Extreme Pro, but after using the T.16000m with it's Hall Sensors, I doubt I could change to anything less responsive.
It's a shame really. I wish other companies would step in to fill the gap between low/middle-end and very-high-end gear. I think there's a fairly sizeable gap in the market right now and someone stands to make a lot of money...
Who has a 3D Printer? I have a business proposal!
I was hovering over the buy button on the X52 Pro and X55 a couple of times. They just look really awesome, they really do, and I still want one! But then I gave myself a shake and reminded myself why I'm looking for an alternative. I then promptly emptied the basket and put the CH Throttle back in there. I don't know, I've just read such great things about the throttle - The sheer functionality of it just seems so excellent and the design has fared so well over time that it has never changed. It does look like a very ugly 90s Ghostbuster gadget though and I'll probably hide it under a tea towel or tell people that it's a device that I found in the loft, but quality stamps out mediocrity, every time.
I just get the feeling I'm going to feel a bit stupid gaming with a £100 throttle and £31 stick! If I am dissatisfied in any way with the mish-mash HOTAS setup, I'll probably drop the money for the Saitek setup; or a Fighterstick and somehow get the yaw to work. The X55 just looks the business and I'm sure I'll be happy with it anyway.. Even if something was wrong, I'd just keep punting it back until I got a sample I was happy with. I might wait until it's back in stock with Amazon, OcUK or eBuyer. I've done returns with these guys and their customer service has always been top-class.
There's a review of the X52 Pro vs CH HOTAS and it just hits all of the main points on the head:
[video=youtube;ceOdOytgT64]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceOdOytgT64[/video]
He's very neutral in terms to going over each positive and negative. The one thing he actually shows ingame is the CH Throttle's mini-stick. That is the thing that sealed the deal though.. That thing just looks bloody incredible for lateral/vertical thrust!
Again - Thanks for the input guys! I'm going to keep my eye on that Cobra M5. It's had great reviews. If I'm dissatisfied with the Thrustmaster offering, I'll chuck it back to CCL and grab one of those in-stead
I hope others find this thread useful as well - It would be good to know how long you guys have had your controls for as well, and how they've faired over the days/weeks/months/years! Oh and Scan didn't have any joysticks for sale except the expensive CH gear.. Damn you Elite Dangerous and Star Citizen fans!
I was actually considering two of the T.16000m sticks - It's interesting to read above you've got a Logi and want the T.16000m as your secondary. I can't imagine there being any issues with that, and surely better than having just one stick overall - Plus, it means you'll have two big-boy triggers for your primary and secondary fire groups!
In the end - I did go for the CH Throttle and the T.16000m. I know it's a bit of a budget/rubbish stick, but hey, there's not a lot of options out there where you can just buy a commercially available 3-axis joystick. Damn! I just discovered the Cobra after I'd put my orders in [from CCL and Scan]. Now, the joystick has been dispatched! Doh! I might see how CCL feels about returns over Xmas. The Cobra M5 looks like a slightly higher quality stick with better buttons. It will be good to hear how @lackofsth gets on with his if/when he orders one and might be worth selling mine on; or just returning it!
If CH made a 3-way joystick, I'm sure they'd have to buy snow shovels to get them onto trucks quick enough.
I really did want the X55, but I just couldn't pull the trigger. The QC issues were just a little too much. I'd rather have a £30-odd Thrustmaster joystick that's a bit rubbish and fails when it's out of warranty than near-£200 worth of kit beginning to fail. This quote was one that got me - also he's had all of the setups:
lackofsth said:
I agree with the green light. I'll be in there with a pair of snips myself. I hate unnecessary LEDs. They're just distracting. My neighbour over there has a lot of unnecessary Christmas LEDs on his house - that seem to be on their most extreme epileptic flicker setting - and they cause havok with my peripheral vision!
In regards to the X55 comments - A bloke from work has had very similar issues; others I have spoken to have had issues with the X52 too, and it's completely thrown me off. The fact that a stranger on the internet and guys at work have similar QC issues, it's just the kind of thing that's terrible to hear.. Really puts you off - It's not just isolated incidents, it's widespread! That can really damage a company's reputation; when it's already shaky-at-best.
I think a lot of people have been in the same boat as me - They wanted the CH Pro Throttle, but couldn't find an adequate 3-axis stick and have had to 'settle' for something that they're not 100% on. It's like being between a rock and a hard place because the joystick market these days is.. Well, a bit stale! You've really only got a few choices for a 3-axis HOTAS and that's X52, X52 Pro, X55 and TM's HOTAS X. Oh, and where the hell is Microsoft?! I distinctly remember they used to manufacture joysticks. There are other singular joysticks out there which may be good alternatives: Cyborg FLY5, Cyborg V1.. But again, look who manufacture those!
The only other one I'd really think about is the Logitech 4D Super Extreme Pro, but after using the T.16000m with it's Hall Sensors, I doubt I could change to anything less responsive.It's a shame really. I wish other companies would step in to fill the gap between low/middle-end and very-high-end gear. I think there's a fairly sizeable gap in the market right now and someone stands to make a lot of money...
Who has a 3D Printer?
I have a business proposal!I was hovering over the buy button on the X52 Pro and X55 a couple of times. They just look really awesome, they really do, and I still want one! But then I gave myself a shake and reminded myself why I'm looking for an alternative. I then promptly emptied the basket and put the CH Throttle back in there. I don't know, I've just read such great things about the throttle - The sheer functionality of it just seems so excellent and the design has fared so well over time that it has never changed. It does look like a very ugly 90s Ghostbuster gadget though and I'll probably hide it under a tea towel or tell people that it's a device that I found in the loft, but quality stamps out mediocrity, every time.
I just get the feeling I'm going to feel a bit stupid gaming with a £100 throttle and £31 stick!
If I am dissatisfied in any way with the mish-mash HOTAS setup, I'll probably drop the money for the Saitek setup; or a Fighterstick and somehow get the yaw to work. The X55 just looks the business and I'm sure I'll be happy with it anyway.. Even if something was wrong, I'd just keep punting it back until I got a sample I was happy with. I might wait until it's back in stock with Amazon, OcUK or eBuyer. I've done returns with these guys and their customer service has always been top-class.There's a review of the X52 Pro vs CH HOTAS and it just hits all of the main points on the head:
[video=youtube;ceOdOytgT64]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceOdOytgT64[/video]
He's very neutral in terms to going over each positive and negative. The one thing he actually shows ingame is the CH Throttle's mini-stick. That is the thing that sealed the deal though.. That thing just looks bloody incredible for lateral/vertical thrust!
Again - Thanks for the input guys! I'm going to keep my eye on that Cobra M5. It's had great reviews. If I'm dissatisfied with the Thrustmaster offering, I'll chuck it back to CCL and grab one of those in-stead
I hope others find this thread useful as well - It would be good to know how long you guys have had your controls for as well, and how they've faired over the days/weeks/months/years!
Oh and Scan didn't have any joysticks for sale except the expensive CH gear.. Damn you Elite Dangerous and Star Citizen fans!
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