Thanks, DB - I bought the Crosswinds direct, and I have to say I was impressed with the shipping speed. I'm also quite happy with the pedals. They are much different than the CH pedals I had. On the CH, each pedal would move separately, whereas on the Crosswinds they move together (press right forward and left comes back a litte). As I mentioned I do very much enjoy the toe brakes, my CH pedals didn't have them. I recall the price was in the $250-$300 range. It was the first piece of the HOTAS I replaced early last winter.

The throttle beats the Cougar throttle in practially every way - very smooth motion, and LOTS of buttons. The microstick is far superior as well. That was a big reason for the switch, the Cougar microstick was problematic. You could only program it via Foxy too, because from what I've read it is essentially "hidden" from the OS.

The stick is interesting because it comes with a few different cams & springs to allow the feel to be customized to your liking. Two of the hats are actually analog sticks, but the VKB software will allow you to change them to 4 or 8 way hats (I prefer the hats). Each hat as a press function as well, unlike the Cougar. It is a very good feel, though I admit I've had to play around a bit with springs to get the feel I think I like best so far. One thing the Cougar has hands down though is the fact that it is a metal grip. The MCG Pro is plastic, and it feels plastic. That was a bit disappointing. They did just release a metal version of the grip, but it was not in the bundle I bought so I wound up with the plastic grip. It's solid enough, but feels plastic.

Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded — here and there, now and then — are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty.
This is known as "bad luck.”
-Robert Heinlein