Review Thrustmaster T-Flight Hotas

[3Sqn_Sven]

http://www.3sqn.com/forum/showthread.php?p=22158#post22158

[leafer]

Huh. I'm considering getting a set. Can you paste the article here because that site is blocked by our lovely admin.

[Dudikoff]

Huh. I'm considering getting a set. Can you paste the article here because that site is blocked by our lovely admin.

 

It ends like this:

 

In a nutshell, this system spent about 5 min connected to my PC, then about another 15 trying to fit it back into the ridiculously small box it came in. Disappointing TM, disappointing... Stay away!

[leafer]

Ouch. Thank you for the heads up. This thing is not cheap where I am.

[3Sqn_Sven]

If I can't send it back I'd sell it to you at cost price, but it would be buyer beware! I would NOT recommend it.

[monsterZER0]

Wow man, I think you're unfairly bashing this stick. I understand you have a few gripes ( I counted 2), but you said yourself you used it's predecessor for 7 years, calling it 'Durable and Accurate'. This stick is pretty much identical in every way to the old Top Gun HOTAS (used one myself for a few years), and while I do miss the Thrustmapper software and ease of programmability, the trade off is several extra (and welcome) buttons.

 

Your two complaints are minor, the swapping of axes is super easy, with no software. It's all built into the stick. And while you can't assign the buttons with the built in software, just download XPadder. Works like a dream and you can assign ANY button or axis on the stick to ANYTHING you like.

 

The stick is great, in my opinion. I used to use it as a secondary stick with my laptop for travel, but lately I've been using it on my main rig, as it's quick and painless to set up (compared to my g940).

 

This setup is DIRT cheap, even if you factor in the $9.00 cost of XPadder. The highest price I've seen this stick go for on amazon is $34.99(I paid 24.99 on sale). That's a STEAL for a HOTAS. And while the button programmability isn't there right out of the box, you don't need it with most flight sims (they let you assign buttons in their own setup), and if you really do need it, download XPadder for full programmability.

 

Anyway, just don't want to see this stick unfairly get a bad rep. It's the only HOTAS out there for less than $100 US(although the I see the x52 on sale very often for under 100) and it does the job quite well.

[PoleCat]

You get what you pay for. This is a toy not a HOTAS. I agree this thing is a POS.

 

Out

[Pilotasso]

I owned a thrustmaster AfterburnerII for years, which is similar (and probably based this model) and that was the setup I started to play LOMAC with. I tolerated its many many flaws until the day the stick handle broke off from the axis. Interestingly I had an F4 replica which completely broke off from the base while I was dogfighting once (many years now).

 

This series setup is a disaster for any serious SIMer.

 

Loved the hooker colorful metaphor. :D

Edited September 6, 2010 by Pilotasso

[monsterZER0]

Funny I just dont see it as a toy. Yeah compared to a 300 dollar setup I can see, but the thing works. I can takeoff, nav to target, engage, RTB and land just fine. So for a 'toy' it seems to do the trick.

 

Durability hasnt been a problem yet, like I said I used the older version for several years and it still works today. My roomate uses it now for our IL-2 nights and frankly he beats the pants off most of our group of friends. Granted, I've only had the HOTAS X for a few weeks but it seems just as durable.

 

Not everyone can drop 300 bucks on a whim to get the latest whiz-bang HOTAS, and for those people I would definitely recommend this. Or even as a second, knockaround stick (what i'm using it for).

 

 

 

"You get what you pay for. This is a toy not a HOTAS. I agree this thing is a POS.

 

Out "

 

No offense, mate, but that is very elitist and snobbish sounding... (at least to me)

[Pilotasso]

Its not that we are calling a toy. The quality is low. Lower than cheaper sticks like the Saitek Cyborg Evo. Its squeaking plastic all over, and the pots are horrible. The twist rudder became useless after just 1 month. Too many spikes. After 1 year it had less 20% range of imput (was getting pasted in every dogfight I got involved). I paid 75€ for my AfterburnerII which was quite expensive for what it was. It only has volume to show the price and not that many buttons.

[monsterZER0]

I hear ya... Maybe I just got a good one, lol ;). It's better than anything I've used in its price range however.

[Pilotasso]

Well Im spoiled. :D

The only high end HOTAS I missed was the cougar. Will acquire a new HOTAS soon. Either X65F or Warthog (the latter is more likely) and will never go back to cheap setups.

[VFA41_Lion]

Bit of a necro as i was looking for solutions to the squeaking plastic problem, but I have this setup and love it at the cheap cost.

 

In fact, I even fly DCS: A-10C with it with all the HOTAS buttons mapped :D

[Sokol1_br]

Bit of a necro as i was looking for solutions to the squeaking plastic problem, but I have this setup and love it at the cheap cost.

To minimize/eliminate this you need disassemble the grip and reinforce internally whit Epoxi putty, around screws bases and make some caverns in ~2mm plastic sheet and fix with same putty. I already did this with old Saitek X-36 and Suncon F-15, and end with firmly grip.

 

http://img832.imageshack.us/i/reinforce.jpg/

 

Sokol1_Br

Edited March 20, 2011 by Sokol1_br

[flippy the pirate]

like monster zero said, its and entry level cheapest hotas what would you expect? its plastic. for its price it's 10/10. and yes i have a saitek x52 and a yoke and rudder. and saitek instrument panel, but no i dont do combat sims much. ive had my thrustie hotas for a year now and for a couple of creaks its still good as new. i wouldnt recommend this for combat sims you know how we all get when we try to dodge missile and bullets, its plastic. but for its dirt cheap price its a knock. if you want a tougher, better one go buy something much more expensive. as for the button mapping its so simple i wonder why you couldnt figure it out

[PoleCat]

Not being snobby rather trying to acheive a good value for the dollar spent. In my experience if you buy a cheap HOTAS like this, before long you need a new one to replace the broken POS. Add the cost of two of these together and you can buy one good HOTAS for twice the money once. Again you get what you pay for. In the long run a cheap HOTAS costs more then a good one because in most cases you only need to purchase a good one once and it lasts.

 

Out

Edited August 30, 2011 by PoleCat

[Cali]

I had a X45 and it lasted 6 months before it started having center play. Then I got a good one (Ch products) and it is going on 7+ years with no issue's and looks like it's not going to stop. I would love to get a different one, but can't justify it when I have a perfectly good one still. Until I start having problems I'll keep what I have.