The desk I have has a vertical ornamental front strip on it so it is not the normal thikness. It is about 2 1/2 inches vertical which then joins to the normal flat desk. I would prefer not having to cut it.

What thickness will each of these yokes open to ? This will be the determining factor for me. It looks like the CH has its mounting screws right at the desk edge and the Saitek mounting is deeper on the desk. Either way I have to overcome that front vertical strip. I can add a horizontal shim behind the front strip as long as the mounting bracket opens sufficiently.

Have I explained this clearly ?

From my review of the CH Eclipse Yoke:
It seems like your desk is a bit too thick.

The vertical strip is thin. Does the CH need to be right at the edge, or would it work if I could get it past the vertical then clamp it to the regular desk thickness beyond it. Not being able to see the clamping systems on the two yokes is frustrating me.

OK, this helps.

http://www.bruceair.com/product_reviews/saitek_yoke.htm



http://www.bruceair.com/product_reviews/CHEclipse.htm


So it looks like the Saitek will be a better answer for my situation.

The mounting systems between them are very different.

Just had a measure up of my Saitek yolk and the clamp opens up to 55mm thick
There's 2 alternative holes for the clamping screw at 55mm and 110 mm deep

Measurements for the separate throttle quad are 60mm thick with 3 holes for the screw at 20mm, 45mm, and 70mm deep.

As someone who's owned both the Saitek and the older CH yolks IMO the Saitek is the better product.

But easilly fixed by getting longer bolts at a hardware store.

There is a bit of a notch in the clamp that could help; it's maybe 5 or 6mm deep. As Ghost says, you can always get longer bolts.