Customer Reviews

CH Products Fighterstick USB

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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.

Update: I stand corrected on the position of the stick in the real F-16, however I stand by my criticism of the feel of the stick when used in the desktop position. Thanks to the PC cockpit I now use, I no longer experience this problem.

I used a Logitech Wingman since 1999 and the thing finally deteriorated to the point of not being able to use it. When I started looking around for a replacement, I found the Microsoft Sidewinder interesting. But the fact that they don't make them anymore I found to be a downer. Instead I decided to make the big jump and get a Fighterstick and I am glad I did. First, the Fighterstick has excellent range of motion. The thing probably moves 45 degrees left, right, forward, and back which allows for very fine movements if need be. I play Aces High with this thing and have mapped out many controls to the joystick. This has allowed me to be much faster the having to use the keyboard for lots of stuff. I think I have an average size hand and the buttons are well placed. My only gripe is that the hat switch is a little far away for my thumb to reach with ease. I've always prefered to use the number pad for looking around anyway, but if you are a fan of the hat, this might be a problem.

Perhaps my biggest reason for buying it is te reputation of CH, which is quality. This thing is screwed together and uses heavy gauge plastic. The thing feels like you could drop it off a building, pick it up and start playing again. This sturdy construction does not take away from how comfortable it is. At first, I thought they could of done better with the ergonomics. But now that I've been using it for a couple weeks, I don't notice any comfort problems. I have seen some reviews mention the placement of that red button on the bottom front side of the stick and that it can get in the way of white nuckle flying. I personally don't have a problem with it. I've actually mapped it out to my microphone and I think it's pretty handy.

Now that I have it, I can't see how I got by without it. Its shear capability in combination with its solid contruction make it a must have for the serious flight sim gamer.

I recently bought this Fighter Stick and it was worth every cent. IL-2 runs great on it and Microsoft 2004, Lock On and other games I have. I have many joysticks before and always wanted this one. But it was a toss up with the Thustmaster joystick and the CH Fighter stick. After reading reviews like mine I was convince that I made the right choice. The only bad thing I seen so far was the price. But it true what you pay is what you get. I also got the USB Throttle Controler too. And just recently order the CH Rudder Pedals. My flight sims and taken on a whole new era. All I can say get this product, but setting up the product with the games can be tricky. So be patient with the setup menu in the games. I have had some problems in figure out. But what I done so far, has been worth every minute. I high recommend this product and all CH Product. If you are into Flight sims like me, get the edge and take the fight to them. Now I want to really fly.

I am a long time flight simmer, and back in the early days I owned several of CH's joysticks, along with their throttle and rudder pedals. At that time, they were simply the best one could get.
Due to various factors, I did not have the money to buy CH when WinXP came out and forced everyone to switch to USB, but that recently changed, and I was very glad at the time to have the opportunity to once again use what I thought would be the best gear.
However, I have found that they are not what they used to be. The stick I received would not return to center properly, and slowly grew worse over time. At first it was simply a matter of setting a small deadband, but it grew worse enough that even deadband wouldn't help. Along with this, it would not hold steady, and needed constant correction.
I filled out the customer service request form on their web page, and still have not received an answer, after over a week. I also have called and been put on hold each time for over half an hour(at my expense)and still have not gotten to speak with anyone. So I can testify that their customer service, which at one time was top notch, has declined sharply as well.
I was finally able to repair the stick myself, after following instructions from an outside forum, which involved having to disassemble the unit and rebuild it due to a large amount of backlash from a very improper fit of the pots. This is simply unacceptable in a stick of this price.
I am sorry to have to write a review such as this, as CH used to be the best you could get, both in terms of quality as well as service. In addition, the design has not changed in over a decade, and there are much more comfortable sticks, as well as much more accurate ones, for less money. I would love to see CH come back to where they were, and if they did, I would be first in line to buy their products. But I cannot recommend this stick to anyone in the current state of things, unless they have the technical skill to modify and repair it to make it work like it should.
I gave it three stars only because of it's potential once rebuilt and repaired.

This is a great flight stick. However, if you are accustomed to a twist rudder on your stick, this is not the stick for you. You must use other keys to rudder or by the rudder pedals. The stick is high quality in any event.

You don't always get what you pay for, but you do with this joystick. Wow! This is the quality that I have been searching for. Thrustmaster used to make stuff almost this good. For me the old TM WCS2 and F4 were a killer combo I didn't think would ever be replaced, but I honestly don't believe it could have possibly been done any better then this. I got the fighter stick and the Pro Throttle USB and I am extremely happy with both. I guess I should toss out my old CH pedals and buy some new ones as well, but it's a shame since they still work fine. It's one of the few game accessory I have ever bought, that actually became obsolete before it broke.

I questioned spending this much for a joystick. I'm glad I did. It replaced a Microsoft Sidewinder joystick that slowly died. I wanted a joystick for my new iMac primally for X-Plane and Battlefield 1942.

PROS:
It has a good solid, quality feel to it! I feel even better about paying more for it when I saw that it was made in the USA.
No drivers or special software needed for use on a Mac.

CONS:
Documentation was missing or not provided. (Online docs were puny).
No twist rudder.

This is a very good stick. Solidly built and the only things keeping this from a 5 star rating are these problems:

1. If you have never used the software for programming this stick or other CH Products before, be prepared to spend some time figuring it out. It is a real pain and there are easier ways of getting the results that you want. Read the CH forums for information on programming this stick.

2. The pinkie finger button near the bottom of the handle can be inadvertently pressed in the heat of combat. As a result, I found it better for myself not to program any actions to it.

3. The elevator and aleiron trim wheels are not easy to use in flight if your right handed as you have to reach across with your left hand to set the desired trim.

Other than these three items, this is the best stick I've ever used for air combat sims.

Bought this together with the rudders and throttle after many months of research. I'd previously had Thrustmaster F16 FLQS and F16 TQS and the FLQS had lost accuracy very quickly and didn't impress, so I wasn't in a hurry to buy the Cougar. I'd had a CH Flightstick years ago and still remembered that as a solid, no-nonsense controller that worked everytime.

The new generation of CH Products is just as good. This stick will last for a very long time, is solidly constructed and easy to program (just press the button on the controller and enter the key that you want to assign to it).

I haven't fully exploited the capabilities yet - as with all of these HOTAS sticks, it takes some time working out what you want to assign to each button. Perhaps some pre-supplied maps would have been nice.