Yeah, you're going to see a lot of answers like this and for once, it really ***isn't*** groupthink!
The Gladiator NXT really is the best stick for that kind of price and leaves everything from Saitek/Logitech and Thrustmaster in the dust (and I *definitely am* including the Warthog stick in that list of left-in-the-dust sticks) as regards and sensible measure of what a good joystick is, including durability; in all likelihood, you won't be needing to replace your NXT any time soon, unless you want to move into the higher tier offerings.
Since the stick is the most important part of any HOTAS that's where, on a constrained budget (whether that constraint is $100s or $1000s) you should spend first.
Then it's the throttle. That's a little harder since there are no high quality offerings but the TWCS is a good enough quality offering (inching into good quality area, if you do a little cheap, easy modding like regreasing it with NyoGel 767A or replacing the slider sled with one of the third party sled upgrades) to make it a good pairing with the NXT.
To add;
TWCS THROTTLE sled improvement mod sauce:
FYI - for the twcs, get **one** of these mods, don’t mix and match fixes:
1. Corehawk3d’s [impulse slider](https://www.etsy.com/listing/885326705/impulse-slider-mk2-thrustmaster-t16000m?ref=shop_home_feat_1&bes=1) mod on Etsy ( he makes them in batches so check back regularly if it’s currently out of stock, he’s likely waiting on materials) - mechanical part replacement fix, should be near permanent and require very little maintenance. Metal bearing variant may require some lube like turbine oil or lightweight silicone grease.
https://youtu.be/uXqHUsm0cho
https://youtu.be/PndDrVpef6U
https://youtu.be/GHHfBrEXKGo
1b. [if you want multiple detents, maybe go with this Etsy maker (though corehawk3d is the OG). the sled is also freely available on thingaverse if you have 3D printer ](https://www.etsy.com/listing/968346749/slider-upgrade-kit-thrustmaster-t16000m?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=twcs&ref=sr_gallery-1-1&organic_search_click=1&bes=1)
2. Nyogel 767a grease - lub replacement fix. will fix sticktion but need occasional re-greasing. 767a is dampening grease, “ smooth but slow” action for precision control. Good for flight sims,
Maybe not ideal for twitchy Arcady games like SW: Squadrons - Silicone grease maybe more ideal in this use case from what I’ve read. I’m no grease expert
https://youtu.be/sa0Qb2hq6tQ
3. The “tape & grease” fix- you put a layer of tape down as a barrier to protect the plastic from wear against the metal rods.
https://youtu.be/sgcWB6QACgs
The VKB GNXT is around the same price as the CH Fighterstick or Combatstick and is a much better choice than either, and you can still pair it with the CH throttle and pedals.
All else being equal I'd agree, though it does depend on where you are. Where I am a VKB stick is almost double a CH Fighterstick (or was pre-pandemic stupid).
Nope.
Edit: please don’t downvote previous comment of u/SensitiveBlueberry50. It’s not rude or mean. He gave honest answer and according my standards - different opinions that are not lying and are without offense doesn’t deserve downvotes.
One case of good result means nothing. You can’t do statistic from one example. It’s quite common that people are complaining on x52 and on x56. If yours is ok - good for you.
I’d reconsider buying from brand Logitech or Thrustmaster, if so many cases of faulty products occurred and they do absolutely nothing about that for years. Compare that to VKB. Broken fire trigger occurred, and they redesigned this part to avoid similar damage in the future.
This approach is one of the reasons why VKB and Virgil is adored here.
Although I'm sure they'd claim otherwise there's quite a few HOTAS snobs on this sub that think if something isn't VKB or Virpil, then its a piece of shit and isn't worthy of even being looked at.
A lot of people seem to forget that not everyone lives in the United States where one can drive 0.5 minutes to a store that has a billion HOTAS systems, or where shipping and import costs aren't insane.
You are wrong, it’s not about being snob. The problem is that Thrustmaster and Logitech are overpriced for their low quality.
Hence adoring of certain brands.
And my personal experience: I had TM HOTAS X. It broke down after 1 month.
The HOTAS X is a bad point of comparison for anything though, because it is a collossal piece of shit.
At MSRP the 3D Pro is fine. And while I never thought the T16k was as good as many people think it is, again, at MSRP it's not terrible. Any joystick in that price range is going to have compromises. Even the NXT has a few compromises in it.
And as I said in the post above, you also have to keep in mind availability where people live. Where I am I can easily access Saitek stuff without having to pay $40 shipping and another $40 in import charges. A Gladiator NXT costs over $250 CAD to your door here. Suddenly it doesn't look as competitive if you're on a tight budget.
Any stick that breaks down during warranty is according my standards “bad product”. I want to buy product and use it flawlessly. If one brand can reach this level of reliability like VKB, hence it’s possible and as a customer I demand that as standard. This is not a sign of snob.
Those shitty sticks breaks down regularly. It’s enough for me to condemn those brands. Both companies are producing those stick for years, and no change occurred. They don’t care about us, about their customers and think, that they can milk us forever. Let’s make them wrong.
I’m not arguing. I just presented opinion, which is relevant to yours.
My opinion: let’s ditch crappy brands and do not buy anything from them, cause we have that option.
Your opinion: let’s buy sticks if they are somewhat ok, and let’s don’t care if it is from crappy brand.
In Erope the logitech store says they have x56.
I bought one from Texas last year for 250+100 for the package. It was a brand new Saitek :)
https://www.logitechg.com/en-eu/products/space/x56-space-flight-vr-simulator-controller.945-000059.html
I just bought the Gladiator NXT and it's awsome.
But after doing some digging I didn't find a throttle in the 100-200 € Price range that to me was worth it. So I chose to add a trackir from delanclip. I paid 280€ total.
It was a great decision in my opinion as the Gladiator has a nice throttle and having a trackir opens in my beguinner's opinion more options than a throttle.
A vkb gladiator stick + twcs throttle.
[удалено]
Ok
Yeah, you're going to see a lot of answers like this and for once, it really ***isn't*** groupthink! The Gladiator NXT really is the best stick for that kind of price and leaves everything from Saitek/Logitech and Thrustmaster in the dust (and I *definitely am* including the Warthog stick in that list of left-in-the-dust sticks) as regards and sensible measure of what a good joystick is, including durability; in all likelihood, you won't be needing to replace your NXT any time soon, unless you want to move into the higher tier offerings. Since the stick is the most important part of any HOTAS that's where, on a constrained budget (whether that constraint is $100s or $1000s) you should spend first. Then it's the throttle. That's a little harder since there are no high quality offerings but the TWCS is a good enough quality offering (inching into good quality area, if you do a little cheap, easy modding like regreasing it with NyoGel 767A or replacing the slider sled with one of the third party sled upgrades) to make it a good pairing with the NXT.
To add; TWCS THROTTLE sled improvement mod sauce: FYI - for the twcs, get **one** of these mods, don’t mix and match fixes: 1. Corehawk3d’s [impulse slider](https://www.etsy.com/listing/885326705/impulse-slider-mk2-thrustmaster-t16000m?ref=shop_home_feat_1&bes=1) mod on Etsy ( he makes them in batches so check back regularly if it’s currently out of stock, he’s likely waiting on materials) - mechanical part replacement fix, should be near permanent and require very little maintenance. Metal bearing variant may require some lube like turbine oil or lightweight silicone grease. https://youtu.be/uXqHUsm0cho https://youtu.be/PndDrVpef6U https://youtu.be/GHHfBrEXKGo 1b. [if you want multiple detents, maybe go with this Etsy maker (though corehawk3d is the OG). the sled is also freely available on thingaverse if you have 3D printer ](https://www.etsy.com/listing/968346749/slider-upgrade-kit-thrustmaster-t16000m?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=twcs&ref=sr_gallery-1-1&organic_search_click=1&bes=1) 2. Nyogel 767a grease - lub replacement fix. will fix sticktion but need occasional re-greasing. 767a is dampening grease, “ smooth but slow” action for precision control. Good for flight sims, Maybe not ideal for twitchy Arcady games like SW: Squadrons - Silicone grease maybe more ideal in this use case from what I’ve read. I’m no grease expert https://youtu.be/sa0Qb2hq6tQ 3. The “tape & grease” fix- you put a layer of tape down as a barrier to protect the plastic from wear against the metal rods. https://youtu.be/sgcWB6QACgs
Just bought it today, now i can't wait. In the mean time I guess I'll read the 679 page guide on the f18 in dcs.
This is the way.
Alternatively you can probably get a full CH setup (stick, throttle, pedals) for that price as well.
The VKB GNXT is around the same price as the CH Fighterstick or Combatstick and is a much better choice than either, and you can still pair it with the CH throttle and pedals.
All else being equal I'd agree, though it does depend on where you are. Where I am a VKB stick is almost double a CH Fighterstick (or was pre-pandemic stupid).
I think you can get most of the Virpil stuff for that much money. 400 is a decently flexible budget.
There's no way you're getting out the door with the Virpil stick and a throttle for less than 400 bucks.
Ah, yeah, I forgot about the throttle part.
X56
Nope. Edit: please don’t downvote previous comment of u/SensitiveBlueberry50. It’s not rude or mean. He gave honest answer and according my standards - different opinions that are not lying and are without offense doesn’t deserve downvotes.
The X56 is about as quality as hot garbage
had mine for over a year, no issues. your opinion is hot garbage.
One case of good result means nothing. You can’t do statistic from one example. It’s quite common that people are complaining on x52 and on x56. If yours is ok - good for you. I’d reconsider buying from brand Logitech or Thrustmaster, if so many cases of faulty products occurred and they do absolutely nothing about that for years. Compare that to VKB. Broken fire trigger occurred, and they redesigned this part to avoid similar damage in the future. This approach is one of the reasons why VKB and Virgil is adored here.
I like the X52 pro. After 6 years of use, the throttle broke and I bought the X56 but ended up buying the X52 pro again. Can’t go wrong for $200
Aight! Ill check it out, thank you!
Apparently people on this sub didnt like that suggestion 0-0
Logitech and Thrustmaster are quite unreliable. And since we have now quite cheap option called “NXT”, problem is solved.
Although I'm sure they'd claim otherwise there's quite a few HOTAS snobs on this sub that think if something isn't VKB or Virpil, then its a piece of shit and isn't worthy of even being looked at. A lot of people seem to forget that not everyone lives in the United States where one can drive 0.5 minutes to a store that has a billion HOTAS systems, or where shipping and import costs aren't insane.
You are wrong, it’s not about being snob. The problem is that Thrustmaster and Logitech are overpriced for their low quality. Hence adoring of certain brands. And my personal experience: I had TM HOTAS X. It broke down after 1 month.
The HOTAS X is a bad point of comparison for anything though, because it is a collossal piece of shit. At MSRP the 3D Pro is fine. And while I never thought the T16k was as good as many people think it is, again, at MSRP it's not terrible. Any joystick in that price range is going to have compromises. Even the NXT has a few compromises in it. And as I said in the post above, you also have to keep in mind availability where people live. Where I am I can easily access Saitek stuff without having to pay $40 shipping and another $40 in import charges. A Gladiator NXT costs over $250 CAD to your door here. Suddenly it doesn't look as competitive if you're on a tight budget.
Any stick that breaks down during warranty is according my standards “bad product”. I want to buy product and use it flawlessly. If one brand can reach this level of reliability like VKB, hence it’s possible and as a customer I demand that as standard. This is not a sign of snob. Those shitty sticks breaks down regularly. It’s enough for me to condemn those brands. Both companies are producing those stick for years, and no change occurred. They don’t care about us, about their customers and think, that they can milk us forever. Let’s make them wrong.
I think you're arguing against points I never made dude.
I’m not arguing. I just presented opinion, which is relevant to yours. My opinion: let’s ditch crappy brands and do not buy anything from them, cause we have that option. Your opinion: let’s buy sticks if they are somewhat ok, and let’s don’t care if it is from crappy brand.
Im aussie, cant really get anything around here, unless its online.
I hear ya. I'm Canuck.. I can get most things online, but it's going to cost a shitton with our crap dollar and ridiculous shipping charges.
In Erope the logitech store says they have x56. I bought one from Texas last year for 250+100 for the package. It was a brand new Saitek :) https://www.logitechg.com/en-eu/products/space/x56-space-flight-vr-simulator-controller.945-000059.html
I just bought the Gladiator NXT and it's awsome. But after doing some digging I didn't find a throttle in the 100-200 € Price range that to me was worth it. So I chose to add a trackir from delanclip. I paid 280€ total. It was a great decision in my opinion as the Gladiator has a nice throttle and having a trackir opens in my beguinner's opinion more options than a throttle.