Lumbergh

I've been flying with it a for a few days now. Here are some first thoughts if you're on the fence. Grip: To be clear, I love the grip. It's amazing to have the one-to-one control now; this alone is worth it and I love it!!! I recommend you buy it but there are few things to be aware of before you do. First, its made from plastic--I mean slick, cheap, plasticky plastic like you'd see on a $50 stick. It's not at all like my previous LH constellation grip or my winwing which are heavy duty resin/composite and feel solid and substantial. This grip feels insubstantial, cheap, and toylike and there is even a heavy mold line right down the middle on the top and bottom that's in your palm and on your fingertips that cannot be ignored. Im probably going to have to debur or sand it down. If you are the type to need something substantial (metal or heavy-duty resin), then be aware of this. This was a bad design choice Virpil. I understand the design decision because of weight (I hope you didnt do this to save a few pennies) and a common complaint of the TCS collective not being balanced and the brakes had to be so tight that stiction was a big issue. However, the counter balance is so good, it easily could have offset a composite resin grip with zero issues. The price point was great, Virpil, but you really should have used the same material as your other grips or offer a premium version that resolves the fisher-price feel. I'd have easily paid more for that. The counterbalance is fucking amazing! If you buy the grip/collective, get this. It holds the collective exactly where you want it with zero brake applied so there is zero stiction; a very clever design that works perfectly!!! If you already have the collective and a different grip, GET THIS. If you made or bought one of those clunky counterbalances that stick out the end, replace it with this. One last thing: Virpil, if you're reading, give us a damn bracket to mount on the left side or a way to reverse the collective. Chair mounts suck and you have to rube-goldberg if you dont drop a grand or two on a sim pit.

nullMy god. Do I buy a vpc hawk and collective now or wait....darnit!!!!

I have the F18/SuperTaurus and just got my F15EX. It is a CHONK, bigger than the F18, but about the same dimensions as the F15 drawings for the actual throttle. I cant say that its better than the F18, I'd say equal depending on what you use. I fly VR and like a closer ergonomic match. Fixed wing I fly the F14 and the F18 throttle is more closely aligned, but will eventually get into the F15. The main reason I got it is because it's the closest I can have on my Taurus to the A10 and it has enough buttons/hats so I can better map the AH-64D controls to collective and stick respectively instead of a bunch of shift register stuff.