Warthog HOTAS $300 Walmart deal

Hope this is allowed and not a repeat?

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Thrustmaster-Hotas-Warthog-Gaming-Accessory-Kit-Throttle-Stick-2960720/15268503?u1=c9f98eceb65b11e9929496e3530149c00INT&oid=223073.1

Since this weekend is a back to school sales tax holiday here, there was no state sales tax on the sale price. Thanks for posting. :thumbup:

This is an awesome deal. I already have two fully functional Warthog HOTAS, but at this price it is tempting to get a third. There are some critical flaws in this product, but overall it is still the best value available. At this price, it is insane not to get it.

What are the critical flaws?

that is an awesome price for the full HOTAS

What are the critical flaws?

The number of occurrences is relatively small (%), being the most common complain gimbal stiction and "slew":

1 - Stiction in gimbal, an popular workaround is dismantle (what led some people to destroy internal connectors, cables... :D) sand and apply Nyogel 767A ($15 per small tube).

2 - When manipulate by "wrong" hands, the "articulation sphere" of gimbal - made in plastic, can broken, an replacement cost ~30 Euros.

3 - In really "wrong" hands, besides the articulation sphere" the magnet support inside gimbal "bell" can broken too, in this case Thrustmaster suggestion is buy a new base.

4 - The "neck" under grip may suffer "Zinc pest" and broken - most of metal parts of the famous "build like a tank" are in ZAMAC. Thrustmaster sell replacement*, 3D printed replacement is available in Debolestis Shapeways shop, no case of broken is know, but when printed in plastic may flex a bit.

5 - The "slew" in throttle is considered by most players almost useless, because operation result very imprecise. An ~50 Euros 3rd party replacement option exist.

* Are cases (in this forum) in what the owners claim that Thrusmaster support negate sell replacement parts.

Ugh are you kidding me?! I missed this on sale I guess as it now says $449 at Wal-Mart?! Was this only for a day?

The number of occurrences is relatively small (%), being the most common complain gimbal stiction and "slew":

[...]

6. If you plug in the stick backwards and tighten it down, you can pop the base connector into the base...

(I was able to work around it by installing a stick extension and extender cable, so it all worked out in the end, but not everyone is looking to do that.)

The worst flaw, and the one the finally got me after many years of use, is simply plugging in the throttle can kill the control board, rendering the throttle useless. Other people had worse luck than me and lost their throttles in relatively short time.

Under warranty, such a repair might be "free" of monetary cost, but do they have the board in stock and what do you have to pay out of pocket if you have to ship the throttle to them and back? I bought the board and shipped it... wasn't particularly cheap, but it was much cheaper than a new throttle and now it works 100% correct again.

Aside from the stiction issue (which isn't present on every stick), the "feel" of the centering systems near the center is horrible. You can feel a solid transition as you hit the center then move to the opposite spring, both in pitch and roll. Of course, if you like a really solid "centering" feel, maybe you consider this a plus. But the VKB has different cams and the one I am using centers just fine but is smooth as glass as you approach and cross the center: you don't feel any kind of "bump", perfectly smooth/frictionless.

Using a 10 or 15 cm extension greatly improves the precision/feel of the Warthog (besides the "stiction" and the "bumpy" transition as you cross the center, the springs are a bit stiff and difficult to overcome without overcontrolling without the leverage provided by an extension).

The worst flaw, and the one the finally got me after many years of use, is simply plugging in the throttle can kill the control board, rendering the throttle useless. Other people had worse luck than me and lost their throttles in relatively short time.

 

Under warranty, such a repair might be "free" of monetary cost, but do they have the board in stock and what do you have to pay out of pocket if you have to ship the throttle to them and back? I bought the board and shipped it... wasn't particularly cheap, but it was much cheaper than a new throttle and now it works 100% correct again.

 

Aside from the stiction issue (which isn't present on every stick), the "feel" of the centering systems near the center is horrible. You can feel a solid transition as you hit the center then move to the opposite spring, both in pitch and roll. Of course, if you like a really solid "centering" feel, maybe you consider this a plus. But the VKB has different cams and the one I am using centers just fine but is smooth as glass as you approach and cross the center: you don't feel any kind of "bump", perfectly smooth/frictionless.

 

Using a 10 or 15 cm extension greatly improves the precision/feel of the Warthog (besides the "stiction" and the "bumpy" transition as you cross the center, the springs are a bit stiff and difficult to overcome without overcontrolling without the leverage provided by an extension).

I'd use a an extension but I have an Obutto cockpit with a TM Mount. An extension would put the stick a little high I think. :/

Ugh are you kidding me?! I missed this on sale I guess as it now says $449 at Wal-Mart?! Was this only for a day?

I’ll sell you the one I ordered. Let’s make a deal. Hasn’t even been taken out of the box!