Wow, just wow!
So, after my Thrustmaster TFRP pedals gave up the ghost (details here) I needed a replacement and decided to buy the VKB Mark IV rudders pedals. I felt they were the best bang for the buck.
I shipped them through FedEx to save a few dollars, so they took a bit extra to get here. I ordered them on the 7th of January for $256 and they arrived on the 16th... As I was heading out of town for a week of work, so I didn't get to test them until last night, when I got home.
I initially was a little underwhelmed by the size of the box... It's so small. After opening it, I was really happy with the pedals themselves, they are all metal and built like a tank! While they're small in size, they fit very nicely under the desk, they still are wider than the TFRP as your feet can just rest anywhere on the pedals.
After doing the calibration and adding them in as the yaw axis in game I flew my T10 back to the station and hopped in my Phantom to go pick up my Keelback to do some deep core mining. The initial flying felt a little odd as the pedals don't slide back and forth but rock up and down.
When I deep core mine, I don't use collection limpets and instead I manually scoop up the fragments. This means I can get about 72 tons of whatever I'm mining, which is a decent payday. With the old pedals it was a lot of effort to roll around the asteroids to target the next spot, but it was a lot of fun. As I got used to the action of the VKB pedals, it became quite apparent that the VKB pedals made it much easier to keep the nose pointed where I wanted it to go. With the TFRP pedals it seemed like it was a lot of work, like I was having to brute force the ship into position, it was very hard to get the nose pointing to where I wanted it to go. With the VKB pedals, it soon became a smooth dance, it was a sheer blast to maneuver around the rocks to the spot! It was very fluid; scooping was much easier as well. I just can't believe the difference in the pedals and the way the ship now moves. It is just night and day.
After selling off the contents of my hold, I jumped in my Phantom and flew down to the surface to test out the SRV with a little surface prospecting. I use the rudder pedals to steer the SRV and again, what a difference! The SRV is just more fun to drive as the VKB pedals control the SRV much better.
After that, it was off to a couple of Res zones to try some combat in the Phantom. Again, the difference was stark. At no time did I have any issue keeping the ships guns pointed at an enemy. Flying in combat is a real joy.
All in all, I can say that the VKB pedals have put the fun back in flying and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to anyone. It took mining one asteroid to get fully acclimated to the difference between a slide motion and the VKBs up and down motion. Flying feels much more fluid and effortless.
The only concern I have is the lightness of the spring tension makes centering a little less positive than I like, but in reality, you very quickly adjust the position almost subconsciously, just like you would in a real aircraft. I do have the option of setting the spring tension higher and maybe this will give a more positive feel for the center position.
PROS
1. Small footprint. Fits easily under the deck and can be moved to one side to give my feet plenty of room when I'm working.
2. The up and down movement means they don't slide across the floor.
3. Movement is very accurate and precise. I don't have to think about where I'm moving my feet to, it is almost subconscious in the way it works.
4. Very long, high quality cables are included in the box.
5. Cables are not molded into the unit or the "black box". This means you likely won't have to replace the pedals or black box because of a bad molded in connection.
6. Absolutely built like a tank.
7. Calibrating and setup was very quick and easy... Even a caveman could do it!
CONS
1. Up and down action may be distracting for those who prize something that is as close to real life as say, the Thrustmaster TPR Pendular Rudder pedals. In reality, it took less than 10 minutes of flying to get used to the motion. And, at half the cost, I'll take these.
2. No toe brakes. I fly mostly space sims so this isn't an issue. I do have MFS 2020 and if I do need toe brakes, I have a HOTAS with a lot of unused buttons, I'll figure it out.
3. Cost. These are twice as expensive as the TFRP pedals, but comparing them is like comparing a Yogo to a Porsch... So, expect to pay more for high quality components and better accuracy.
Bottom line, who would benefit from purchasing these? Anyone wanting to upgrade from the cheap, plasticky, toy pedals sold by other companies. Others who use a stick twist axis may also consider these. Flying is much more immersive than using a twist axis and you will very likely have a much longer throw to the axis, which means greater accuracy. In short, if you are considering buying pedals for the first time or upgrading your existing pedals and can't afford the MFG Crosswinds the TPR pedals, do it, get off the fence and do it, these are great pedals and I believe they will outlast any of the toy pedals out there.
So, after my Thrustmaster TFRP pedals gave up the ghost (details here) I needed a replacement and decided to buy the VKB Mark IV rudders pedals. I felt they were the best bang for the buck.
I shipped them through FedEx to save a few dollars, so they took a bit extra to get here. I ordered them on the 7th of January for $256 and they arrived on the 16th... As I was heading out of town for a week of work, so I didn't get to test them until last night, when I got home.
I initially was a little underwhelmed by the size of the box... It's so small. After opening it, I was really happy with the pedals themselves, they are all metal and built like a tank! While they're small in size, they fit very nicely under the desk, they still are wider than the TFRP as your feet can just rest anywhere on the pedals.
After doing the calibration and adding them in as the yaw axis in game I flew my T10 back to the station and hopped in my Phantom to go pick up my Keelback to do some deep core mining. The initial flying felt a little odd as the pedals don't slide back and forth but rock up and down.
When I deep core mine, I don't use collection limpets and instead I manually scoop up the fragments. This means I can get about 72 tons of whatever I'm mining, which is a decent payday. With the old pedals it was a lot of effort to roll around the asteroids to target the next spot, but it was a lot of fun. As I got used to the action of the VKB pedals, it became quite apparent that the VKB pedals made it much easier to keep the nose pointed where I wanted it to go. With the TFRP pedals it seemed like it was a lot of work, like I was having to brute force the ship into position, it was very hard to get the nose pointing to where I wanted it to go. With the VKB pedals, it soon became a smooth dance, it was a sheer blast to maneuver around the rocks to the spot! It was very fluid; scooping was much easier as well. I just can't believe the difference in the pedals and the way the ship now moves. It is just night and day.
After selling off the contents of my hold, I jumped in my Phantom and flew down to the surface to test out the SRV with a little surface prospecting. I use the rudder pedals to steer the SRV and again, what a difference! The SRV is just more fun to drive as the VKB pedals control the SRV much better.
After that, it was off to a couple of Res zones to try some combat in the Phantom. Again, the difference was stark. At no time did I have any issue keeping the ships guns pointed at an enemy. Flying in combat is a real joy.
All in all, I can say that the VKB pedals have put the fun back in flying and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to anyone. It took mining one asteroid to get fully acclimated to the difference between a slide motion and the VKBs up and down motion. Flying feels much more fluid and effortless.
The only concern I have is the lightness of the spring tension makes centering a little less positive than I like, but in reality, you very quickly adjust the position almost subconsciously, just like you would in a real aircraft. I do have the option of setting the spring tension higher and maybe this will give a more positive feel for the center position.
PROS
1. Small footprint. Fits easily under the deck and can be moved to one side to give my feet plenty of room when I'm working.
2. The up and down movement means they don't slide across the floor.
3. Movement is very accurate and precise. I don't have to think about where I'm moving my feet to, it is almost subconscious in the way it works.
4. Very long, high quality cables are included in the box.
5. Cables are not molded into the unit or the "black box". This means you likely won't have to replace the pedals or black box because of a bad molded in connection.
6. Absolutely built like a tank.
7. Calibrating and setup was very quick and easy... Even a caveman could do it!
CONS
1. Up and down action may be distracting for those who prize something that is as close to real life as say, the Thrustmaster TPR Pendular Rudder pedals. In reality, it took less than 10 minutes of flying to get used to the motion. And, at half the cost, I'll take these.
2. No toe brakes. I fly mostly space sims so this isn't an issue. I do have MFS 2020 and if I do need toe brakes, I have a HOTAS with a lot of unused buttons, I'll figure it out.
3. Cost. These are twice as expensive as the TFRP pedals, but comparing them is like comparing a Yogo to a Porsch... So, expect to pay more for high quality components and better accuracy.
Bottom line, who would benefit from purchasing these? Anyone wanting to upgrade from the cheap, plasticky, toy pedals sold by other companies. Others who use a stick twist axis may also consider these. Flying is much more immersive than using a twist axis and you will very likely have a much longer throw to the axis, which means greater accuracy. In short, if you are considering buying pedals for the first time or upgrading your existing pedals and can't afford the MFG Crosswinds the TPR pedals, do it, get off the fence and do it, these are great pedals and I believe they will outlast any of the toy pedals out there.