Buying new Pedals on a budget.

Hello folks. I'm going to get myself some rudder pedals soon. For my budget it will be either the new Thrustmaster units or the Saitek Pro Flight. Originally I had just planned to get the Saitek but since the Thrustmaster pedals came out I thought I'd look into them. I haven't heard much about the them so I was wondering if anybody had any experience with it? Is the build quality any good? What is the accuracylike? Can you adjust tension like the Saitek unit? The pedals look a bit close together compared to the Saitek as well.

Thanks.

I have the thrustmaster TFRP pedals, at first contact the sliders were a little gripping, so I've used silicon grease to improve smoothness. Since my budget was limited and they are the cheapest pedals you can find, I'm quite happy with them, even if the pedals are too narrow and I can't adjust the tension of the springs.

I know that MFG Crosswind, BRD and VKB are light years ahead, but the price...

Some reviews here:

http://nerdtechy.com/thrustmaster-tfrp-flight-rudder-pedals

http://www.mudspike.com/thrustmaster-t-flight-hotas-4-and-rudder-pedals-overview-and-impressions/

I'd never heard of VKB before. Those look quite nice.

I would see if there is somewhere that you can try them. If you fly with the stick between your legs then you might find the narrowness to be an issue.

I've used Ch Pro and Saitek combat rudder pedals. I didn't like either of them. I can get more accuracy from a twist grip stick. They both feel like toys too, and I felt like I had to fight the controls instead of just having fun flying.

I tried a set of Komodo Helicopter pedals and the accuracy was insane. It just felt right, I didn't even realise I was making adjustments because they were so smooth and accurate.

Only problem is, they aren't cheap, and they're kind of difficult to get because the guy that makes them is a one-man-store, so it takes a few months.

I think the VBK pedals would be my choice for planes though.

My recommendation would be to not buy any pedals if you can't afford to by a good set.

thats all easily spoken considering that none of the monetioned peddals are available anymore on the stock marketplaces like amazon and co. I´d like to have the Saitek combat rudder Pedals...sold out, so I am looking for the Saitek pro flight Peddals...sold out, WTF?

Why the heck can´t those devices be purchased anymore? Those stores who are still offering them cant really be trusted, and the reviews are proofing this..."purchased but never recieved"...it´s a shame.

The company Saitek has just been acquired by Logitech. Maybe they will restart the production of those pedals.

All those high-end pedals look fantastic. Alas my budget does not permit it. I mainly want it for the KA-50 since twist-stick just doesn't cut it. I'll probably end up with the Saitek Pro Flight in the end. Does anyone know what the Pro Flight uses to sense movement? Potentiometers? Hall-effect sensors?

Thanks.

Actually, if they became available again, does anyone know what the difference is between the saitek pro flight and the combat pedals is aside from pedal shape?

They both use standard potentiometer.

I bought the Combat as they looked more sturdy and till now they are kind of OK but I guess no match to MFG-Crosswind or PKV.

What I wouldnt wanna miss is toe brakes, afaik the MFG doesnt have that feature ( yet ).

What I wouldnt wanna miss is toe brakes, afaik the MFG doesnt have that feature ( yet ).

Yes, the MFG Crosswind's do have toe brakes. Perhaps you meant VKB.

As cichlidfan states, the MFG's do have toe brakes.

I've had Saitek's and CH pedals in the past. I would go with CH over Saitek but both are hard to find these days. Ebay has used and that's where I'd go. You won't even come close to the quality of MFG by going to CH or Saitek but you know what, it'll work and it'll help. That is far better than nothing and what I used for years.

All those high-end pedals look fantastic. Alas my budget does not permit it. I mainly want it for the KA-50 since twist-stick just doesn't cut it. I'll probably end up with the Saitek Pro Flight in the end. Does anyone know what the Pro Flight uses to sense movement? Potentiometers? Hall-effect sensors?

 

Thanks.

If you can, try the pedals out somewhere. For helicopters especially I guarantee you'll be disappointed with saitek pedals. (For planes they are acceptable since it's much less footwork).

Don't let your excitement get the better of you. Wait a little longer until you can afford the something better.:thumbup:

Just like this reviewer I agree that a good set of pedals vs saitek/ch/thrustmaster generic pedals is night vs. day https://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=142565

For helicopters especially I guarantee you'll be disappointed with saitek pedals. (For planes they are acceptable since it's much less footwork).

 

Don't let your excitement get the better of you. Wait a little longer until you can afford the something better.:thumbup:[/Quote]

 

Yeah, I daresay that I will, especially with helicopters. Potentiometers are just too unresponsive for quick, subtle adjustments. The problem is that I either wait forever to get a decent set or make do with what I have. I suppose I could always start with the cheapies and sell them off eBay later. They usually go for a good price.

 

It ticks me off since, given the cost of the X-52, I don't really see any reason they couldn't have put a better senor in some foot pedals.

Eh. Rather than wait for money to grow in trees I'll get myself the Saiteks for now.

I have used a lot of nice gear for a long time now (Warthog and such). My Saitek pedals stopped being recognized by windows 6 months ago and never could get them to work again.

Every time I got ready to order a set of MFGs something else came up, new helmet for my motorcycle, tires, flight out of town, etc. so I kept putting off buying pedals....and not flying.

Could not find an affordable, easy access to another set of Saiteks. In the end I was tired of not flying and ordered the Thursmasters. Fully expecting them to be cheapos and maybe give me poor performance.

I got them last week. To celebrate I bought the F-5 and NTTR maps. Wow kick myself for waiting so long. This week has been a BLAST!!!

The Thrustmaster are not that bad. I did need to grease them a bit like the other poster said. I flew the Huey and it did not suck at all. They are close together and light but I adjusted to that pretty easy.

Not MFGs but I can buy 4 sets of Thrustmasters for the price of those and get them in a day (over a month for the MFG). And now I am flying again.

I recommend them - not highly but it beats no pedals at all. They are no worst or better than the Saiteks.

I got notified a couple of days ago the Saiteks were back in stock at one of the pilot shops here and at NewEgg - so they must be coming back.

They also have a button you can use to switch from flying to driving. Not tested that yet but I figure it takes out the axis of the rudder and turns the toe brakes into pedals (IE accelerator and brake).

Don't be a gear freak on the ground like I was waiting for the best.

Get out there and fly!!

:thumbup:

Thanks all for your responses. :)

I thought the VKB T-Rudder was expensive until I saw the prices for the plastic pedals. Then it seemed like a bargain. For an extra sixty bucks, I could get an all-metal construction, frictionless performance, little maintenance, and no user mods for basic functionality. I've been very happy using it in the UH1 (where toe brakes are not needed).

I actually would have bought the Pro Flights, but fortunately they were out of stock.

Here's the video that sold me on VKB:

That smooth action is delicious.

Good luck with whatever you get; it'll be a big step up from a twist.

Not to drag up an older thread but to save someone a little $

I wanted to come back and eat a little crow. Do not want to be to big of a man and not admit when I am wrong. :)

After having the TFRPs for about 3 weeks now I have found them extremely different over time.

The metal slides hint of quality but the pedals ride on these metal slides with plastic and after a couple of weeks they are now very sticky. Even with plastic safe lubricant.

I try to taxi in a straight line but the stickiness makes it so I can not make fluid changes. Once I push in a direction to overcome the stickiness I end up overshooting in one direction.

I am a 6'3" 210 pound guy and can not leave two feet on the pedals or it is like an exercise machine.

Why they did not put a simple piece of Teflon tape or metal to metal slides...?

So yeah listen to the others. Get the better pedals. I just ordered my MFGs since I am so frustrated with low quality Thrustmasters. I see why they call the "Thrust Masters" not since it takes so much thrust to move them.

So yeah listen to the others. Get the better pedals. I just ordered my MFGs since I am so frustrated with low quality Thrustmasters.

You are so going to love those MFG's!

I ended up biting the budget bullet and got myself some Saitek Pro Flight Pedals. I have to admit I'm pretty disappointed. They're loud and clanky, with a long foot like mine the hinge is too far back and there is so little resistance on the toe brakes that sneezing will cause them to depress.

I took a look at some of the higher quality products and unfortunately between currency conversion, GST and international postage they would cost a fortune. Unfortunately it's all I had the cash for so it will do. On the bright side I now get to fly the KA-50 so ultimately it is still a win.

I ended up biting the budget bullet and got myself some Saitek Pro Flight Pedals. I have to admit I'm pretty disappointed. They're loud and clanky, with a long foot like mine the hinge is too far back and there is so little resistance on the toe brakes that sneezing will cause them to depress.

 

I took a look at some of the higher quality products and unfortunately between currency conversion, GST and international postage they would cost a fortune. Unfortunately it's all I had the cash for so it will do. On the bright side I now get to fly the KA-50 so ultimately it is still a win.

It's a bit of a tough situation for Australians, you either buy cheap and get cheap, or spend a fortune (and wait a long time!) It's like Australia is on the moon....