I've been using a Warthog for about 2 months now and have been very happy with it. No harder than any other
HOTAS to configure and even the default configs in most games have not required a lot of changes.
A little background, I had a original Thrustmaster
HOTAS back in the day and took about a 10 year break from serious simming. After picking it back up, I had a
Logitech 3D extreme for awhile, which was fine for what I was doing with FSX, RoF, and IL2 but I recently picked up DCS and decided to get another
HOTAS. After doing the research I decided to go with the Warthog.
The one thing that really sticks out is that both the stick and throttle are HEAVY and solidly made. They remind me of the industrial equipment I deal with at work. The stick is aluminum on a nice wide aluminum base. The throttle is also on a solid aluminum base with the throttle itself being of hard plastic. Switches are nice and solid as well. Although I've not had it very long, I've used it almost every day and have not seen any signs of problems. When I was doing my research, I did come across some complaints of manufacturing issues but they seemed to be cleared up.
The only negatives, It is a heavy stick and took some getting used to. After a few hours of heavy use it does tend to get noticeable. Also, the hat switches on the throttle are kind of weak compared to everything else. I use those mostly for moving the targeting piper around and designating targets which means I'm usually a bit heavy on them. I'm betting if anything gives me trouble in the future but it might be them.
Coming from a existing
HOTAS setup to the Warthog it may be hard to justify the price vs. increased functionality but I must say I've been very happy with mine.
Cheers,
OB