I have been using my trusty M$ Sidewinder Pro for many years and recently wondered about getting a replacement controller.....it must be about time....
Anyway, I was thinking about a yoke and rudder pedal set as 'Crimble' is fast approaching and would like something more realistic for rudder than 'twisting' the stick but naturally, I do not want to make any rash decisions without asking the 'masses' on here first.
There appear to be 2 main contenders...Saitek or CH.. .....does anyone have any experience of either of these?
Looked on YouTube at some in use but not easy to see and of course impossible to establish the realism, build quality etc...
Any pointers gratefully acknowledged plus tips on the best places to purchase said items.
I find the Saitek stuff well made, but far to light. You could blow the stick from side to side, so I sent it back and stick with my Sidewinder. No Idea what the CH stuff is like, but its supposed to be good, albeit geared towards flight sim, so not much good for anything else, but if all your going to use it for is flightsim....
TBH I reckon the Sidewinder was the best all rounder in terms of price / space / build / function.
I've had the basic CH Yoke & pedals for nearly six years and like them very much.
They are sturdy and nice to use. Just need a small amount of cleaning every so often to keep them working smooth.
They have quite a nice sprung action and they have retained the same feel as when they were new.
I was never keen on the software that comes with them though, but they work fine without any of it installed.
I did have to give them a bit of an overhaul just recently, some dead buttons in the yoke due to wire breakage.
The gauge of wire internally is a little on the thin side and a couple or three went where they bend off the steering column (?).
But my yoke has had rowdy toddlers slamming it from side to side!
The pedal toe brake controls had got a bit sloppy too, registering a fair amount of brake use all the time on one side.
These were harder to sort and I ended up rotating the pots a bit, but annoyingly lost a lot of brake power because FS wouldn't keep the calibration properly. But it now works perfect using a registered copy of FSUIPC, which gives reliable calibration.
Fair dos though, well over five years service and then I've managed to fix them up to be working good as new.
I'd recommend them.
I've no idea about the equivalent Saitek stuff. My Dad had a couple of Saitek sticks though and neither worked properly for long.
I have the Saitek yoke and like it a lot although I do spend more time using my Saitek X52 HOTAS. I have the X52 mounted to a wooden TV table that I place in front of my desk and I am ready to fly in seconds. With the yoke I have to get it out of the pillow case I keep it in to keep the dust off it and then fix it to the desk and the same with the throttle.
I do find the yoke gives more realism when flying yoke equipped aircraft and it is very smooth and has enough buttons to get by with. The throttle unit is also very smooth and well made and has a much larger 'throw' than the CH ones giving more control IMHO.
Very little experience with Saitek I'm afraid. I bought one of their sticks and sold it on immediately.. adding that it was NOT one of their extensive range
I have a CH Pro Yoke and Pedals and they're pretty much bullet proof. I also have a CH Throttle Quad but found controlling multi engined aircraft so hit and miss, I gave up. It's simple to sync all engines with one throttle and a lot more difficult with a quadrant! If you're one that likes to fiddle.. you can set up different profiles but I CBA Like DM, I've never used the Yoke/Pedal software.. there is no requirement to do so as flightsim will (pretty much) allocate all the available buttons and for those you don't like.. it's a simple function to reallocate them again from within flightsim.
The CH stuff might be falling behind in eye candy but it's well built and built to last.
Well thanks for the inputs.....I will have to make a decision on which one to go for...
Not wanting to blow £200 or so on rubbish so will actively peruse the net for reviews etc as well......coming down on the CH side at the moment....
I will need to use multi engined throttles on occasions too so may look for a quadrant like you have Dave....if they are not too exhorbitant that is....
Another suggestion would be to pop allong to Purple World and actually try some out. I think they have a limited selection of the CH and Siatek ones on display for you to have a play with. Might give you some ideas
I have used the CH devices for about 5 years now and have had no problems.They can be calibrated with FSUIPC.I have one lever for reverse thrust.I would echo DB's comments.I periodically lubricate the yoke shaft with a PTFE spray.I guess the choice of CH/Saitek would come down to personal preference.ATB EricT
Now at the age where I know I like girls but can't remember why!
I've had the Saitek Yoke and quadrant setup for nearly two years now and am pleased with it.
The yoke has a nice 'chunky' feel to it and I particularly like the little up/down switch on the left hand top which I use for trim up/down. I got an additional quadrant so can set it up for a proper twin throttle/prop/mixture or use it for four engines which leaves two levers for flaps/spoilers. The quadrant levers each have a detent switch below the 0% lever position when calibrated for throttles which is handy for reverse, just pull the levers back until you feel them hit the 'soft stop' at 0% and then pull them back further to activate the switch which you prog for reverse. A very 'natural' feel. The righthand side of the quadrant has a button to the front (not visible on pic) which I have for ap disconnect. Not used it to its full extent yet (as in profiles etc) as it works well out of the box. I had a working CH yoke before this and still have it as a back-up but have not used it since getting the Saitek Yoke.
The quadrants I have fitted to the second drawer down on my desk which puts them at a nice height and I leave them fitted there all the time. When I need the deskspace I can take the yoke off my desk but I usually work around it - I bought a small mini keyboard (plugs into USB hub on yoke) which sits nicely on top of the main part of the yoke assembly with some of that non-slip matting stuff you can buy on a roll which stops it moving about.
A bit pricey but I'd look for another if this one broke.
.....does anyone have any experience of either of these?
Like DM, I've never used the Yoke/Pedal software.. there is no requirement to do so as flightsim will (pretty much) allocate all the available buttons and for those you don't like.. it's a simple function to reallocate them again from within flightsim. 
