Customer Reviews
Very good, but some small drawbacks.
First off, this review is meant for PC users. Since CH Products is one of the few companies that supports Macs the only joystick better than this one would be their next step up, the Fighterstick. For a Mac I would give this 5 stars. Also, I will be reviewing the CH products Flightstick, Combatstick, and Fighterstick at the same time (using the Combatstick here as the base) since they are all pretty much the same except for the number of buttons.
The first and best thing about these sticks and their partner throttle is that they are based of the F-16's flight control system much like the old Thrustmaster systems from the early '90s. This gives them the double bonus of an added realism connection, which all flight simmers want, and a very good choice of buttons and layout. After all, the military used decades of research and experience to arrive at the optimum joystick design when they made the F-16 and almost all other modern fighters have a very similar joystick layout.
While the layout may look strange and even a bit cluttered at first glance, it turns out to be very easy to use once you get a hold of it. These joysticks are about 35% larger than the old Thrustmasters, this gives them enough room on the head for the extra 4 buttons hats to be used safely, but also means you will actually be using the side buttons as your secondary ones before the top groups. This takes a bit of getting used to since it's different than all the other joysticks out there, but since they are where you would naturally have your fingers on the joystick when at rest it doesn't take long.
I found the layout to be superior to all the recent Saiteks as a result of this attention. The Saitek joysticks of recent years, particularly the Cyborg line, have been designed with looks first, and then a little thought for function. As a result they have been very uncomfortable to use.
Another link these CH Products joysticks have with the Thrustmasters of old is that they use springs to hold the joystick in place and measure it's movements. There are both positive and negative results of this choice. The main negative is that the springs will wear out and break before the current digital measurement devices, exactly how much earlier remains to be seen as CH products is rather new in the game market. Given their solid reputation in the commercial sector I'd bet we will still get a hearty number of years out of them. A last and rather small second side effect is that the brand new joystick is that the brand new springs are rather stiff, and you will experience some resistance when crossing the axis' early on. I found this went away completely after 30 hours of use and wasn't much of a problem after the first 10.
On the plus side the springs mean that the joystick will snap back to center quickly and consistently, making calibration a breeze and programming in a dead zone a thing of the past. Most importantly, you get even more precise control than with the competitors. Not much considering how good they have gotten over the years, particularly the Logitechs, but it's still better.
Finally we get to the major differences between the 3 sticks offered by CH Products, the number of buttons and the price.
First, we will start with the "economy" Flightstick, if you can call a joystick with an $89.95 list price economy. However, a quick look at it's features prove that is its role since it only has a trigger, 3 secondary buttons, a standard HAT, and 2 trim wheels. Also, all the secondary buttons are on the head of the stick, which is a bit of a reach. However, since the buttons are rather large (the footprint was intended for a 4-button HAT) that problem is somewhat countered. On the upside, this it the only joystick in the line that isn't molded for a right-handed person. I'm betting most lefties have learned to fly right-handed by now since most are designed for right-handed people, but I imagine that's welcome news for some of you.
The next one up is this Combatstick, my personal favorite. With a list price only $20 more than the flightstick, and a less than $10 difference and Amazon.com's current prices, it's well worth the upgrade for an extra 6 buttons and another trim wheel. Also, the secondary buttons are moved off the head of the stick so they are much easier to get to in a hurry. This leaves the buttons on the head for tertiary controls. In fact, with my Il-2 setup I don't even use the 4 button hat. Admittedly I play on the lower end of it's realism scale.
If your one of those people who likes to run their games at the highest realism settings you will want the extra buttons of the Fighterstick, because of it's extra hats it has 4 more buttons. Even better it has a mode shift button, basically 'shift' for the joystick. This button toggles the functions off all the other buttons, with the normal hat counting as 8 more. Using this you end up with a whopping 24 programmable buttons. Tack that on to the Pro Throttle with it's HATs and buttons and their special software to add other levels to them and you can have more buttons than anyone should ever need. Assuming you aren't playing flying a bomber in Il-2 with full realism and refuse to use the keyboard.
In the end my only gripe about these products is their high cost, much more than I would normally pay for a joystick and the reason I docked them a star. However, I can understand why they are this high a price. Hardcore flight sim enthusiasts have proven time and time again that they will pay whatever is necessary to get the next best advantage in their field. The fact that they also have pretty much a monopoly on controls patterned off of the real thing and the Mac user field probably factors in as well.
Since I am a hardcore flight sim enthusiast, I still paid for them, and I was always able to give it a positive spin by reminding myself that I paid as much as the throttle and stick combined for my graphics card and I'll get to use these a lot longer. We just wont even mention the sound system.
Great No-Frills Hardware
As a licensed pilot, I never got used to the unnatural motion of joysticks that use a twist handle for rudder functions in flight sims. When I finally gave in to the purchase of a set of CH-Pro rudder pedals, and had to replace my twitchy and inaccurate joystick, I re-visited the CH product line of joysticks and ended up purchasing the 568 Combat Stick. This is a smooth, rock-solid product with enough handle functions to satisfy most who fly propeller sims. Well-built. A quality feel. No centering issues. Having two axis-trim-wheels built into the base is a plus. Those with very small hands might feel they have to stretch to reach all the buttons on the large handle. If you elect to use the suggested CH Control Manager software that many pilots use with this product, expect a challenge, though there is plenty of online help available. Not flashy looking like many of its competitors, but a rock-solid and smoothly operating product that feels like it can go the distance.
Never used my Combatstick for a flightsim BUT...
I just have to throw in my 2 cents here. As a loyal CH Products customer for over 10 years, playing a game called Descent, I have used up many a stick made by CH. Starting back in '97 when the "Flightstick" was known as the "Jetstick" I have always been a fan of CH Products. I have a Jane's Combat Stick with which I have shredded the mines of Descent for something like 8 years. (I have actually been playing Descent since '95 but worked my way up to the Combatstick.) Kind of ironic that most of the reviews I have read about CH Products are from hard core flight simmers invlove them having problems that I have almost never had. Not that flight sims are not an intense experience, but playing Descent is a farmore fast paced action oriented 3D 6dof shooter that is far more taxing on any control system, and aside from wearing out pots (potentiometers) and having one spring break, the only problem I have had is that the wire from the stick down into the base tends to break from the long throw of the stick. Okay I lie, I have worn out several buttons and a hat switch or two, but long story short... CH Products has to be one of the best (If not thee best!) joystick & controller manufacturers around.
