CH Products Fighterstick USB

Rating:
Summary: looks aren't everything
Review: Being a long time flight simmer and after using many different joysticks, throttles and pedals, I finally tried this one.

With my last stick being the TM Cougar, I learned to appreciate softer springs, precision and overall reliability. Most of these were missing with my one year old Cougar which now seems was all about looks.

Being made by dedicated flight simming accessories company, CH Fighterstick seems to be one of less known secrets of hardcore sim crowd.

At first, I was suspicious because of its plastic feel. The stick is big enough even for large hands, while people with smaller hands may find it somewhat uncofortable.

Springs are very light. This is a plus for me, as it allows higher precision, especially near the center. You don't get to wrestle the springs during your flying. It has great throw, so there is a lot of room for precision input throughout the range of motion.

Trim wheels for both axes help even in simulations without trim controls. Smart stuff.

There is a throttle wheel at the base of the stick. If you have a throttle, this wheel can be mapped to another function, but you won't be able to reach it without letting your hand off the trottle or stick.

Software is excellent and it actually rivals the software being shipped with the Cougar. As with the stick itself, at first it looks toyish. After a while you learn its huge capabilities.

Verdict: The best high end joystick out there - precision, programming abilities, reliability and simplicity being its trump cards.

Rating:
Summary: CH does it again!
Review: Great stick for games that support switch buttons. Not so great for games that don't. To better discribe this, it's three push buttons(for most games) and the others are switch hats that control a lot of fighter games, but not space sims or other kinds of joystick related games. I can use it on an F16 sure, but I want to use it on my other games as well. X2 The Threat doesn't support or recognize switch hats as buttons nor the rudders I got with this stick. Thier are about 32 commands, but you have to program them in and that is with the toggle and hat switches combined, not just the push buttons. The stick is made of polycarb and is tough as nails, but it needs to support more games. No problems installing stick or downloadable software. Works great in Sturmovik except needs better set up in the game it'self but thats a game issue.

Rating:
Summary: The best PC joystick on the market !
Review: I have owned the CH Products Fighterstick for a little over a month now and I am now ready to compose a full review. I have been a MS Sidewinder force feedback2 user for years. I was very happy with that stick but when I started playing Lock On I decided that it was time to step up to the plate and purchase a real HOTAS system. At first glance the fighterstick appears to be built to last. It is constructed of very heavy gauge plastic and all of the devices seams are sealed properly. It is not flimsy or fragile in appearance or feel.

The stick only comes with an instruction sheet. There is no owners Manual or software disk included. The new owner must download the drivers and CH Control Manager software from the CH website. Setup is a very simple operation which involves plugging your stick into it's own USB port and running the drivers software. Setup was completed without a hitch and I did not miss the absent owners Manuel. I then proceeded to use the CH Manager software to configure the stick for the first time. It was at this time that I encountered my first and only problem while using the software. While attempting to configure the Y axis I noticed that the stick's signal would jump from one end of the scale to the other with very little movement from the stick itself. I could not figure out what the problem was on my own so I called CH customer service and they told me to be sure and center the two trim wheels before configuration. Sure enough after I corrected the position of the two wheels, the configuration process was completed without a problem.

Next, I ran Lock On in order to put the stick through it's first flight trials. The Fighterstick fits my medium sized hand very well. My only complaint is the fact that button #2 is located very high on the stick and is hard for me to reach without repositioning my hand. I believe this is due to the fact that this stick is based on the design of the F-16 joystick configuration. The problem with this choice of design styles is that the real F-16 stick is mounted between the legs and at about waist height inside the cockpit, where as the CH Fighterstick will be mounted on some ones desktop. This creates an ergonomic problem that the F-16 design was not meant to handle. Beside my issue with button #2, I have experienced no other problems with manipulation of the stick ingame.

Stick response and accuracy are very good. I can pull all kinds of high "G" maneuvers, fire all kinds of weapons and deploy my counter measures with a level of speed and accuracy that I have never experienced before. All the buttons work as programmed and the x/y axis is very smooth. Some say that the springs in the stick base are very lite. I don't feel that there is anything unusual or loose concerning the feel of this stick. I am very comfortable with the level of tension in the stick. Keep in mind that I have been working with the Sidewinder up to this point and that this may be the reason why I don't have a problem with the level of tension in the stick.

CH Control Manager is a wonderful program that gives you the ability to adjust all of the sticks important settings. It also allows you to create your own personal button program maps which can be loaded or saved for future use. CH Control Manager does not come with a tutorial so you will need to consult with an experienced user in order to fill in the blanks left after you have read the online user guide, as I did. After asking a few questions on an internet user forum I was ready to begin programing the stick for the first time. Once you know how to use it, CH Control Manager is a joy to work with. However it is not as intuitive as I would have liked it to have been.

The CH products Fighterstick is considered the top of the line PC flight controller. Unlike Thrustmaster's best stick it doesn't have any outstanding quality control issues. The Fighterstick has an excellent maintenance record and I am confident that it will last me for many years of flight siming fun.

Rating:
Summary: great product, great tech support
Review: I recently bought the fighterstick, throttle and pedals USB.

At first I was at a loss on how to program them, then I stumbled accross www.ch-hangar.com, a support forum where questions are answered by CH Products employess and members of the community.

When I asked for help I got a full custom profile for Battlefield: 1942 that works great.

You can tell this stick is built to last, and the throttle and pedals are solid also and the software is excellent.

My only complaint is the placement of a button on the lower shaft of the joystick where my right pinky rests--preventing me from getting a true white-knucle grip on the stick (the same button also appears on the combatstick usb model).

[Update:I was able to remove this button without much trouble so all is well. I did not have to disassemble the stick to do this.]

I have yet to set the stick up with IL-2: Forgotten Battles, but I feel confident I'll get some help if necessary. www.ch-hangar.com also has a section with downloadable profiles for a number of games which is very handy.