Still the best?

[SharpeXB]

My puppy ate my 15 year old Pro Throttle’s USB cable . Of course I contemplate getting something more boutique but after evaluating all of them just got another CH. Bottom line is it just has more buttons. And the expensive throttles all try to replicate specific aircraft and include lots of switches particular to just an A-10 or F-18 that are mostly just used to start the plane Few of them have the one feature I’d pay for which is a slider for the zoom view since real aircraft don’t have these

Runners up for me are Virpil CDT-VMAX and maybe Moza if their future lineup includes a generic style and not the F-18 replica.

CH still has the best price and quality IMO

[Smashy]

39 minutes ago, SharpeXB said:

Bottom line is it just has more buttons.

Nope.  I went from a Pro Throttle to a MongoosT-50CM3 and this is simply untrue.

[SharpeXB]

19 minutes ago, Smashy said:

Nope.  I went from a Pro Throttle to a MongoosT-50CM3 and this is simply untrue.

That was on my runner up list too. It seems very good. I’m still considering Virpil for everything. They have a 12 week wait for stuff though If I move to another vendor, for me it’s like an all-in proposition. I think Moza’s FFB line also looks appealing. That’s what I’m keeping a lookout for. In the meantime I don’t have to bother remapping everything  CH still wins the $/button contest

Edited Sunday at 03:47 PM by SharpeXB

[Aapje]

On 8/24/2025 at 4:46 PM, SharpeXB said:

My puppy ate my 15 year old Pro Throttle’s USB cable . Of course I contemplate getting something more boutique but after evaluating all of them just got another CH. Bottom line is it just has more buttons. And the expensive throttles all try to replicate specific aircraft and include lots of switches particular to just an A-10 or F-18 that are mostly just used to start the plane

The VKB STECS also has (quick switch) detents, dual throttles, configurable throttle stiffness and indeed a ton more controls. Having so many is not just a benefit in being able to map more stuff, but also that you have more choices in what kind of control you map to what function, and what location you pick. For example, I mapped 'eject' to a recessed button that is right under my finger, but also very hard to accidentally press. I use the other recessed button for 'jettison', which similarly is not something I want to do by accident, but which you may want to do quickly.

Having many buttons of different types, gives you that sort of options.

The STECS not designed to mimic a specific airplane.

On 8/24/2025 at 4:46 PM, SharpeXB said:

Few of them have the one feature I’d pay for which is a slider for the zoom view since real aircraft don’t have these

If you take the spring out of the white up/down lever on the button box (STEM) of the STECS, then you can configure it in the software to be an axis, that you can use for zoom.

The Virpil CDT VMax has axis dials that should work for that purpose too. Although I'm always a bit wary about recommending products that are only available for pre-order, as we can only judge their promises, not what they actually deliver. Then again, it is Virpil, so the quality tends to be fine, but not so much the delivery times.

On 8/24/2025 at 4:46 PM, SharpeXB said:

CH still has the best price and quality IMO

Given the very limited number of controls, it seems rather overpriced for what you get. And I doubt that it is really higher quality than the top options of VKB and Virpil. At most there is less to break because it is missing so many features.

I just watched a teardown, and it has pots, which tend to have jitter, which wear out and suffer from dirt. It also has plastic sliding on plastic, while the high end throttles have proper mechanical levers. With the plastic sliders, they had to choose between minimizing the stiction or having the throttle actually have a decent amount of friction. They chose the former, which is the least bad option, but not being able to have both is due to the subpar technology being used.

My experience as an engineer is that a lot of people are very bad at judging actual quality, and they tend to judge things as quality just because some part of the product appears impressive to them, even when the quality is actually quite subpar. A lot of people also have experience with few products and often not the best quality gear, so they don't know how good it can be. For example, I think that if you actually move a STECS or Virpil throttle, you will notice that the feel is so much better than the CH Pro.

The CH Pro surely was a good product for the 90's, but it's decades later now and better stuff is available.

Quote

I think Moza’s FFB line also looks appealing.

The Moza throttle doesn't have FFB, just vibration. Only their joystick base is anything special, IMO. Their grips are not very good.

So I would definitely mix-and-match if you go for the Moza base.

Edited 1 hour ago by Aapje

[SharpeXB]

1 hour ago, Aapje said:

The Virpil CDT VMax has axis dials that should work for that purpose too. Although I'm always a bit wary about recommending products that are only available for pre-order, as we can only judge their promises, not what they actually deliver.

I see the preview versions have loose buttons let’s see how they turn out. Those dials look like they might have too much range for a zoom slider though. 

1 hour ago, Aapje said:

Given the very limited number of controls, it seems rather overpriced for what you get.

It was $172 I consider it a band aid until something convinces me to remap everything  I have 15 years of button memory there…

Edited 47 minutes ago by SharpeXB

[Mr_sukebe]

My first throttle was a CH Pro.

When compared to say my Virpil CM3, the CH is frankly not in the same league.  Fewer buttons, just one throttle axis, fewer buttons, nothing like as sensitive or accurate and felt like it was made of kids toys plastics in comparison.

[SharpeXB]

23 minutes ago, Mr_sukebe said:

When compared to say my Virpil CM3, the CH is frankly not in the same league. 

The CM3 or that CDT is on my list. But hey the plastic toy lasted 15 years and succumbed to a dachshund puppy