shane2801 Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 Hi everyone I have finally decided to purchase a yoke and pedals after being a heavy user of the very first Microsoft Flight Simulator up to FSX with all the Orbx trimmings. Any suggestions on what I should purchase? Whats bad, good & brilliant?? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordonhutchison Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 Budget? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 Hi, Saitek Pro flight yoke cessna is a nice choice for VFR flight. CH Product's one can be an alternative but needs some tweaks inside Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olli4740 Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 Yeah, not really that happy anymore with my CH yoke ("v1.0", not yet the Eclipse). Would rather buy a Saitek yoke myself next time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maurice_King Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 IMHO Any Saitek yoke is superior $$/Bang of any HID, for Flight simulation What you get for the $ you spend I believe that the pro flight Yoke is the best Value and if looked after will provide many years of trouble free flight. I have had mine since about 2002 or there about's and it has never given a moments trouble , I can only hope that later versions are of a similar quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Hamilton Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 CH Product's one can be an alternative but needs some tweaks inside A little Vaseline on the shaft is all it needs. opening it up voids the warrantee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Düsselwings Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 I changed from Saitek Yoke to Saitek Cessna Yoke... It's a bit smaller and it has 90° to both sides instead of 45°, what is much better in my opinion... I never looked back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boleyd Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 I have two CH Yokes. One is brand new. One broke a spring support and I fixed that. It is several years old. The old yoke is smoother than the brand new one. However, I have to keep it lubricated with graphite. There may be other lubricants that that work. The new yoke is very rough when operating the elevator. I should have sent it back but the old one was broken at that time. So I tried all kinds of goo's and lubes to no avail. The basic design has never changed and it can be improved by rubber/elastic bands. However, the overall quality control for the critical shaft and bearings is very poor. If you buy one and it is smooth, keep it. Otherwise return the thing. The market is small for this stuff and you pay a premium for cost recovery and profit by the vendor. I have seen posts about the Saitek having a problem with a a dead spot at center or some such thing. If that is so then it is a risk as well. I was thinking about going to a joystick because of the shoddy CH stuff and the problematic Saitek units. Use the credit card and get one of the deluxe specialty yokes. A better chance of getting what you will be happy with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkH Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 yoke and pedals...Whats bad, good & brilliant?? I have an Elite yoke (now rare to find a new one) and it is brilliant. PFC yokes are also professional (certifiable) quality and get great press but I haven't tried one. Next down would be the VR Insight Master, although again I am going on what I know about the design and very few reviews, I have not tried one. The new Iris Force Feedback yoke looks potentially awesome but you have missed the pre-order boat so the price has doubled, putting it up there with Elite and PFC. I wouldn't recommend anything else. If you're going to consider Saitek, remember that 'Pro Flight' is just a brand name. Click my banner if you want to find my views on Saitek and CH yokes. For pedals, look at the MFG Crosswind. I have the Saitek pedals and they work okay but have a distinct centre notch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maurice_King Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 My yoke must be bloody weird then as I have always had 180 left and right interesting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MustangAce Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 I have had the Saitek yoke for about 4 years now, and I had the CH Products yoke for at least 7 years before that. I prefer the Saitek unit, but I'd have a hard time quantifying exactly why so it's probably just an individual thing. I do think it's smoother and I do not have the dead space issue others have mentioned. I also like having the throttle separate from the yoke base. I keep it mounted next to my trim wheel. I chose the Pro Flight over the Cessna version because I wanted more buttons on my yoke. I somehow missed at the time that the Cessna yoke turns the full 90 degrees each way like the actual unit in an aircraft, but the Pro Flight, which I purchased, only goes 45 degrees each way like the CH unit. If I had realized that at the time I would have purchased the Cessna unit, and if anything ever happens to my Pro Flight yoke, that is what I'll replace it with. I don't have the budget to shell out for one of the better versions which cost 5 times as much or more. I do wish that Saitek would offer their Cessna yoke with their Vernier throttle controller instead of the Piper style throttle quadrant. That never made sense to me because I think many folks who spend the extra for that yoke want the actual "Cessna" feel, but have to spend even more on a useless quadrant packaged with the yoke, and then buying the actual Cessna throttle separately. But maybe that's just me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gw6aa Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 I've had the CH yoke for years. It does the job - sort of. It did stop working at one point a few years ago so I pulled it apart to fix it. I'd have to say that I was shocked to see how poorly made it was. The pedals are connected to plastic bars that have a sort of scissor action. The trouble was that the wiring inside is so delicate, almost hair like, and not fixed in any way. A wire had fallen into the mechanics of the thing and been cut off. When I contacted CH support the only advice they had was to buy a new one. ) Having said that my friend has a Saitek yoke which seems much more robust but is incredibly twitchy in the pitch mode. I've been using the Saitek X52 Pro joystick for a while now and while it's not quite as realistic on some aircraft it gives you much more precise control. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wulfbindewald Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 I am using the CH flight sim yoke and the CH pro paddle since ~7 years and both are still well functioning. There was no tweaking or calibartion necessary, simply plug and play. Today I would prefer to seperate the yoke and the throttle quadrant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 As for me, I'm using both yoke and stick. I bought a second Logitech G940. It's a complete whole of feedback force HOTAS and rudders. I'm glad of that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelab6 Posted October 25, 2014 Share Posted October 25, 2014 I bought the CH Eclipse Yoke and pro pedals some weeks ago, and I am really happy with. The new Eclipse yoke have two hat buttons (0ne on each side) with more buttons than others, and it´s very useful, The movement of the shaft is very smooth and don't have any notch in the middle. I am using Ezdok and don't have track IR, so the numbers of buttons on the yoke is important for me. I am coming from Saitek x52 pro with many buttons, so I am happy with my new CH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Terry Posted October 25, 2014 Share Posted October 25, 2014 This may be just the one you want http://www.goflightinc.com/collections/systems/products/gf-pro-yoke-system Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwi stu Posted October 25, 2014 Share Posted October 25, 2014 Hi Shane. You don't say what type of flying you like to do. If it's Airliner...like me..try googling Precision Flight Control Yokes I am going to shout myself a proper colum yoke from this site next year AUD1680 delivered to my door from Canada. Stu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew 737 Posted October 25, 2014 Share Posted October 25, 2014 I have a Brunner Elektronic Basic FFB yoke - it's brilliant! The software alows for 'real' trimming of the aircraft. Select Attitude, hold attitude and trim away the forces - brilliant bit of kit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Newman Posted October 25, 2014 Share Posted October 25, 2014 Another Saitek user here (proflight yoke, extra throttle quadrant, trim wheel, pedals and some of the Saitek panels). Never had an issue with any of my Saitek gear, plus it's WAY more affordable than some of the higher end stuff... sure Precision makes an superb product, but when it costs almost an entire paycheck to buy it, I draw the line... of course I'm notoriously cheap The other benefit of Saitek that I have found is the modular approach... I for one like having the throttle quadrant seperate to the yoke, and the additional throttle quadrant plus trim wheel are designed to fit alongside the first quadrant seamlessly, and you can change the lever handles to whatever you want. It looks much neater and is very user friendly for me at least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iflygary Posted October 25, 2014 Share Posted October 25, 2014 I'd have to say Saitek as well. I've had it for over 5 years with no issues whatsoever. It's also nice to be able to add all of the peripherals along the way if that's what you'd like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Casey Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 I have had a number of yokes over the years, two earlier game port CH units, followed by three Saitek pro series. The first one was replaced due to switch issues which Saitek recognized & replaced all the early release units, second one was sent back for repair of a misalignment of the shaft which caused the yoke to be slightly rotated at rest & not neutral, however someone decided they wanted it more than me & it disappeared en route to the Australian distributor. The third one sits at the back of my desk with the throttle console plugged through it. All three Saiteks squeaked when using the ailerons & despite lubricating them they were all grabby in the elevator movement also. Making smooth flaring for touch down very difficult. As in real life I always flew with one hand on the yoke & the other on the throttle, particularly during take off & landing. If I used both hands on the yoke it didn't grab as much. Haven't tried the Saitek Cessna version, maybe it's better. In any case I bit the bullet about five years ago & bought a PFC Saab desktop yoke which has been brilliant & if it went belly up I'd fork out for another it is that good in my opinion. All axis are super smooth & the switches feel very solid. Also the spring tensions particularly for the elevator are sufficient that I can set my attitude & really have to trim to release the force used to hold it in position. Surprisingly quite realistic for a spring unit. Still have my two Saitek throttles & Combat rudders which continue to serve me well. Did have the earlier pro series rudders however found them unrealistic as it was more like skiing using those than pushing an aircraft rudder. The Saitek Cessna ones look like they would be quite suitable too. With a more realistic movement. Anyway, just my two bobs worth but if you can afford it I would recommend the PFC units every time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjdinmaine Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 For my money it would have to be the saitek pro flight series (unless your loaded and want to drop 10x as much on a Force feedback yoke). I use the proflight yoke (PZ44 i think off the top of my head, but that could be way off), two additional throttle quadrants, and the trim wheel in my current iteration. I had CH pro pedals, but completely wore them out in a years time. Replaced those with saitek combat rudder pedals, and i love them. heavy machined aluminum (and cast aluminum for the brake portion) and just a feel of quality rigging all around. The yoke may not have the most realistic feedback, but it is a far cry better then flying a boieing or b1900d with a hotas style setup. Used my X52 for years before upgading to this setup, and still pull it out occasionally if i feel like beating some eggs..But all my babbling aside (its 2am, i tend to start rambling) it really is just a matter of preference, read all the reviews, there are plenty, good bad and otherwise for all of the major players, it will give you a good idea of any downsides you may have to look forward to. PS-the pz44 comes with one 3-axis throttle quadrant and sells for right around $140 right now on amazon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjdinmaine Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 I have had a number of yokes over the years, two earlier game port CH units, followed by three Saitek pro series. The first one was replaced due to switch issues which Saitek recognized & replaced all the early release units, second one was sent back for repair of a misalignment of the shaft which caused the yoke to be slightly rotated at rest & not neutral, however someone decided they wanted it more than me & it disappeared en route to the Australian distributor. The third one sits at the back of my desk with the throttle console plugged through it. All three Saiteks squeaked when using the ailerons & despite lubricating them they were all grabby in the elevator movement also. Making smooth flaring for touch down very difficult. As in real life I always flew with one hand on the yoke & the other on the throttle, particularly during take off & landing. If I used both hands on the yoke it didn't grab as much. Haven't tried the Saitek Cessna version, maybe it's better. In any case I bit the bullet about five years ago & bought a PFC Saab desktop yoke which has been brilliant & if it went belly up I'd fork out for another it is that good in my opinion. All axis are super smooth & the switches feel very solid. Also the spring tensions particularly for the elevator are sufficient that I can set my attitude & really have to trim to release the force used to hold it in position. Surprisingly quite realistic for a spring unit. Still have my two Saitek throttles & Combat rudders which continue to serve me well. Did have the earlier pro series rudders however found them unrealistic as it was more like skiing using those than pushing an aircraft rudder. The Saitek Cessna ones look like they would be quite suitable too. With a more realistic movement. Anyway, just my two bobs worth but if you can afford it I would recommend the PFC units every time. I would take the PFC in a heartbeat if i could just convince my wife that the $600 controller was a good investment....(wish me luck..) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesIceland Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 Hi Shane, not sure if you've taken the plunge yet but I have used the standard Saitek Yoke for about 5 years now - it is perfectly fine and a definite step up from a joystick for yoke aircraft. The only issues I have with it are a quite large centre dead zone meaning the "feel" isn't quite what it should be but, for the money, it's been reliable and solid. I pre-ordered this though when it was on Kickstarter: http://irisdynamics.com/ They are just about to ship and I'm hoping it really adds some extra realism to my flying with the force feedback - I will report back once it's all up and running. That said, the price is pretty high now following the initial offers (think I ordered mine for around $800) but it could be a fantastic - depends on your budget. There is a GoFlight Yoke too but I have had mixed experiences with the quality of their products so was reluctant to spend that much on their offering. James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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