So, I'm getting a good bit of cash from a student loan, am graduating in December which means I will have tons of free time to play all of these neat new sims coming out.

I am currently on the Saitek X-52, and am becoming increasingly unhappy with it. The rotaries on the throttle are utter garbage, and even after getting a new stick under warranty, the rotaries on the new stick will activate without being touched which needless to say makes them useless for trimming, as well as causing problems with the OS (activating the search function, etc) whenever the stick is plugged in.

So, I have been eying what CH has to offer, I figure I'll go with the whole setup, stick, throttle. I'll get pedals, but I'm not sure who makes the best pedals, but if CH works as well and has a long lifetime as their other products it looks like a no brainer too.


What does everyone else think? My budget is about 300-350

Hi FlandersRevenge,

I'll start by saying I am associated with CH, not a regular employee but I write the programming software for them. Unless you're going to really high-end pedals, the choices are basically Saitek and CH. The Saiteks are a little wider and most people seem satisfied with them. The CH pedals are a bit narrower, but get about the same rating. If you're going all CH, though, then the CH is probably the better choice. The programming software won't talk to the Saiteks, if you need to combine things for a sim that only sees one controller or want to do anything out of the ordinary that involves the pedals, the software will do it so long as you've got CH pedals. With Saitek (or anybody else's pedals for that matter), the software won't program them.

Best regards,

- Bob

The StickWorks
http://wwww.stickworks.com

Thanks Bob, that makes a lot of sense. I'm really sick of non-functionality out of my hardware, which is something I forgot to bring up about the X-52 and the SST software.

The SST is relatively intuitive, however doesn't seem to want to work when it comes to any of the more complex commands, also I had tons of probs with the stick bugging out in F.4 switching between Dogfight and BVR modes.


So, when I see a decent deal, I'll grab it. Getting all 3 units a once doesn't matter b/c I really wont have time to play with it.

Hi Bob,

In terms of being precise and control, how do you rate the Saitek pedals vs the CH Pro Pedals. My friend said he tried both and he said the CH Pedals were more precise.

The CH fighterstick is decent, but prefer using the MSFF2. If I were looking for a stick and throttle setup I would definitely take a serious look at the new Thrustmaster Warthog. Its expensive, but it looks like it will blow all other setups out of the water.

I have the Saitek Pro Rudder pedals and they work very well, but the software sucks when trying to setup the toe brakes.

I'd love to get the warthog, but I just don't have that sort of money laying around. I'm sure it will drop down to much cheaper in a few years. I'm not interested in Force Feedback, I need a real HOTAS

Hi FlandersRevenge,

I have a lot of trouble with the term "precision" being applied to any of the rotational controls on an aircraft, in my mind it's really frame rate that's the deciding factor, but that's a long (and probably boring<g>) post. I think what you're really asking is whether moving the pedals to a particular position produces the same amount of control surface offset really, and that's mostly a question of how good the mechanical linkage between the pedals and the pot is.

CH I have used, and I know people that have used them for 5 or 10 years and have no problems or complaints. That indicates the mechanism is stable over time, doesn't change behavior. It's what I think you're really referring to.

I've not used the Saiteks. People seem to think they're okay, they're a little more widely spaced which some people like.

They have only been out about 3(?) years so it's hard to say what the situation will be a bit further down the line, there's just not enough history to really make a judgement. With CH there's a 10+ year history so the future is known to a greater degree.

You might drop over to the Saitek board (you have to join to actually see what people are saying). Likewise visit the CH Hangar. See what the users have to say. And make your choice.

I will say that it's been my experience that the CH Pedals are very reliable. And you will miss the ability to tie them into the profile.

Best regards,

- Bob

The StickWorks
http://www.stickworks.com

On the topic of pedals:
http://saitek.com/uk/prod/compedals.html

Something else coming down the pipe^. Looks promising. I've currently used both the Logitech G940 pedals and the CH pedals, and I like the G940 better (can't speak for the CH throttle/stick though). The G940, and Saitek pedals I believe, have adjustable tension, which the CH do not. To me the CH pedals felt like they were on Ice, way too little resistance. That said, the G940 isn't doing so hot lately, with reports all around of trip rotor failures on the throttle, so maybe the pedals are next...

Yeah I think I'm gonna go for the whole CH setup simply for the sake of mutual compatibility and longevity.

Good decision

Flanders - I have been very lucky in being able to test and use the X-52 Pro. X-52 regular and full CH HOTAS setups (including the Franken Potato mode by 531 Ghost above). Since you dont like force feedback, then the CH Fighterstick and Pro Throttle will serve you very well. The CH Pro Pedals work fine for me (and as Bob said, you can tie them all together very easily as one virtual controller) but some dont like them as well. If not, go with the Saitek Pro Flight pedals for $105. As soon as you get a little bit of money back in the bank after your CH purchase, consider the Franken Potato mod by Ghost. The main flaw of the CH Pro Throttle is the lack of rotaries but Ghost adds in real CH rotaries and basically makes it much more useful. Trust me when I say that rotaries on the throttle may not look as nice as the newer throttles with duel levers (think Warthog, G940 or X65) but it is far more useful. Ghost (Ken King) also guarantees his work and when these CH people say they have been using the stuff for 10 ~ 12 years with no problems.... well, at first I was skeptical.... but they are not lying.