First of all my experience with HOTAS and flightsticks in general is limited to a Cyborg Evo (something) I've had years ago (which died to the wear on the centering disk).
After that I've went on flight sim vacation and just recently felt the urge to get a HOTAS.
After going over a lot of reviews I still went for the Rhino.
The contenders were (Dollar to Swiss Francs is approximately 1:1 currently):
CH Pro Throttle + CH Fighterstick (350.- CHF incl. shipping)
CH Pro Throttle + T.16000M (250.- CHF incl. shipping)
Saitek X55 (230.- CHF incl. shipping)
Saitek X52 Pro (220.- CHF incl. shipping)
I'm currently mostly playing E
, Evochron and some War Thunder and X3 on the side so having plenty of buttons/switches does come in handy.
The Fighterstick lacks a twist function which would result in me needing to buy some rudder pedals as well. CH gear is pretty expensive here (I could almost get a Warthog for that price).
And of course there's always the return option in case I don't like the Rhino.
While the reviews on the X52 were mostly good the throttle just felt off to my taste. I can't really put a finger on it but that and the "lack" of buttons ruled it out.
After a few days of playing E
here's my preliminary review:
Overall
Both the throttle and stick bodies feel solid enough for the price. The rubberized coating gives them a nice feel. The stick does feel a bit flimsier (guess the plastic used is a bit thinner).
The bases are pretty big, both in height and in width/length. My desk is big enough and I was able to place my K70 between the throttle and stick with the mouse on the right side, if you lack space or have a wide keyboard this could be a problem. The size of the bases help with the stability though.
I really do like the look of the the HOTAS, I'm not a big fan of CH's 1980s look but that's personal preference. I also don't like the sci-fi look of the X52.
The biggest "letdown" was probably the cheap look of some of the plastics. I'm totally not against using plastics in things but you can definitely make them look better than some of the buttons Saitek made here.
To the QA issues, I'm not sure about the play of the buttons/switches if that's "intended" or a QA issue but so far I haven't seen anything wrong that justified a RMA. The lubrication issue with the throttle seems fixable with some DIY and I really wouldn't want to go through the hassle of returning if I can fix it myself.
I'm also using it on 2 USB 3.0 ports and I haven't had any issues with ghosting or malfunctions so far.
Throttle
- It does stick, even on the loosest setting you can feel the excess amount of lubricant hindering the movement. I haven't yet cracked it open due to my girlfriend being paranoid about me opening up brand new things to tinker (gotta do it stealthy
).
- I'm pretty happy with the resistance though, it has a somewhat "hydraulic" feel to it and I haven't had any issues during travel or combat, if I died it wasn't due to me being too slow on the throttle.
- The top is in my opinion a bit too big, it's a bit high up to press comfortably.
- The metal switch-buttons (buttons not switches keep in mind) do have a bit of sideways play which could've been fixed by using a bit higher quality switches.
- The rotaries look really cheap, another thing that a different finish on the plastic could've solved.
- Really happy so far with the throttle, the only thing I'd would've wanted is a detent at 100% throttle because according to the label it goes above that, would've been great to have a button press at the end of the throttle for the boost in E
for example.
Stick
- I'll start with the worst. The hat switches have way too much play, especially the grey one. This one also sticks out quite far making it quite hard to reach the upper one without accidentally pressing it.
- The hat switches also look pretty cheap (again, other buttons show that you can make it look more decent)
- The stick isn't made for small hands/fingers. If you're looking to buy one make sure you can either send it back or try it first in a shop. I got pretty large hands (at least I'm being told) and I'm fine with the size apart from the upper hat switch basically being out of reach when I need to keep my hand in the "combat position"
- Accuracy of the stick is good as far as I can tell. Definitely a step up from the old Cyborg (ignoring the step effect it had due to wear). I'm not an expert here though.
- It gets shipped with 4 different springs to adjust it to your liking. This is definitely a big plus as it means you're not stuck with a stick that's either too hard or too loose to move precisely.
- It has a twist function. While some might say this isn't "realistic" or even an abomination it's a compromise. A decent set of pedals costs around 100 to 150.- and while I'm definitely a fan of pedals my budget doesn't allow it currently and having a digital solution for yaw like a hat switch is even worse than having to twist the stick so I'd rather have a twisty stick than have to tap a button or hat switch especially for those finer adjustments.
Conclusion
For me personally it's worth the bucks I've spent on it. According to the reviews if you like the X52's design and can do with less buttons I think it might be the better product.
The other thing is the price tag. The Warthog or a decent CH combo clocks in at 400-500.- and the cheaper Thrustmaster HOTAS isn't "serious" enough for me. The 200-ish pricetag for the X55 hits pretty much my sweetspot for that category of gear. While you can argue that the build quality could be better for that price tag there simply isn't much on the market in this region.
I'll update this post in case I break anything. Next on my to-do list is changing the lube on the throttle and have a look at those wires since they seem a bit oddly placed for me.
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