Need some advice on warthog

I am thinking to replace my old 52pro with warthog. But I read a lot of negative reviews on this Hotas. Many people complain switches and buttons start to fail after several months to 1 year. There is also the famous stiction issue. On top of that, the bad customer service is not helping much. On the other hand, it is rated the best Hotas out there. Just wonder if these issues are prevalent? How are people put up with it? Lastly, I am wondering what is the safest channel to buy them from? I live in the U.S. I know Amazon sells them, but I heard many people complain that they simply ship used products to them. Is there a store where I can check the hotas first? It's a pretty expensive item. I just want to do a full research before I make any decision.

I was in the same boat as you last month. I decided to buy it just based on the fact that it was highly rated and because I’m flying the A-10C. I haven’t had it long enough to provide you with the life limits of the switches. I do have kids in the house who like to play with buttons and switches all the time, so I did pay an extra $10 or so for extended warranty when I purchased from Amazon.

I did receive a brand new item. Not used. They had 12 in stock last month. Price was $450. I did find one for $380 on triplenetpricing, of whom I never heard of, but after reading their terrible reviews I couldn’t trust them. They also had a 6-8 week shipping estimate for an item that was “in stock”.

I bought it through Amazon, got free 2-day shipping, no taxes. It came in 1 day. I then submitted a claim through my credit card for a price-match since my CC offers that as a benefit, and they honored the $380 price. I got a $70 refund a few days later. First time I ever did that, it was awesome!

I don’t have any issues with the stiction, and I think it is very smooth as is. Again, I’ve had it 1 month now. I hate the slew switch as 100% of the people do, however, it works and I’m not a die-hard gamer or competitive player, so it’s fine as is for me. I did spend about two hours researching mods and replacement switches, but it looks like I’d have to drop another $50 to $150 to replace the one switch. Doesn’t make sense for my needs. I can slew around just fine, even though it would be easier with a better switch. If you tweak your axis curves and saturations for the slew’s two axes, you’ll find that the switch is much better and not worth a mod for so much extra money.

Everything else is great. It’s really heavy and doesn’t need to be bolted down. In fact, I place the throttle on a small nightstand next to my chair for a more accurate location (I fly VR), and the nightstand sometimes slips around on my floor, but never the throttle slipping on the nightstand.

I don’t regret the purchase at all. It’s really great. It’s tough to find perfection in this world, and you’ll never find it in an online review. People only log in to leave reviews when they have something to complain about. I think you’ll love the product as much as I do, especially if you’re flying the hog in the sim.

Just went from x52 to the Warthog myself. So sorry no experience on the longevity side of things...

Call me stupid, but I honestly was surprised that the stick grip is casted aluminum. I modded the spring to make 'just right'.

The throttle is a bit wobbly, nothing that a litthe DIY wont fix, in the meantime (while warranty lasts) I will keep it as-is and not do any warranty-defying mods, it does the job 1000% better than the x52.

Kids play with the switches here too, these switches are so much sturdier than the x52. It takes a while to get used to the force necessary to activate them but now feels totally natural.

The landings... omg the landings! You will want to get some rudders next for sure!

I was seriously thinking about hacking a HOTAS DIY, but seriously, just the cost of the switches alone would probably have amounted to what I paid for the stick and throttle combo. On the value side I think the product is bang-on.

I did not want to go with newer companies, although their products look very nice and in some ways better than the warthog, I have a habit of letting other people do the 'beta testing'.

I am thinking to replace my old 52pro with warthog

I started with the x52 pro. Buying the TM Warthog throttle and stick had a monumental inpact in my flying. The x52 was always sloppy. The TM Warthog was not. You will be thoroughly impressed. Also, you will need rudder Pedals. The Pedals will definitely add to your flying ability. I use to have the Saitec combat Pedals until I purchased a high end ($800.00) set of Pedals.

Only issue I had with the Warthog stick was stiction which developed after maybe 2 years. That was easily fixed with some good lube. Several threads discuss best lube to use.

I have hundreds of hours of flying time so my equipment gets a lot of use. After 4 years of heavy duty flying I finally replaced the sticks base with the T-50 Mongoose base by Virpil. That base took my flying to a new level of precision and I highly recommend it as an add on when money permits. It’s a real game changer but not an absolute must unlike the TM Warthog upgrade.

I highly doubt you will be disappointed with the TM Warthog stick and throttle. And don’t forget the new Pedals you’ll need.

I have hundreds of hours of flying time so my equipment gets a lot of use. After 4 years of heavy duty flying I finally replaced the sticks base with the T-50 Mongoose base by Virpil. That base took my flying to a new level of precision

By replacing the base, you mean the whole gimbal assembly correct? That black round cylinder, correct?

Wen't from X52 to Warthog six months ago - and it's just different league. The weight & solid build quality alone impressed me. Does feel 'real' instead of 'toy'. And it's much more precise - would not ever go back.

And I dunno about problems as I have used it only for 6 months. Smooth as a butter and very precise & robust feel to it. But even in the worst case scenario - as the stick is so popular - there's tons of options to modify/DIY/repair your hotas.

Only flaw I can think of right now is the throttle mini stick - which is bit poor design ergonomically.

By replacing the base, you mean the whole gimbal assembly correct? That black round cylinder, correct?

Correct. He used his Thrustmaster Warthog grip with a VirPil (VPC) MongoosT-50 base/gimbal. I have the same combination.

But that Virpil MongoosT-50 base is now discontinued. They have now another one: Virpil WarBRD base.

4 years ago, went from an X52 to the TM Hawg. For the X52, I did perform the tensioner and magnet mods. Going with the TM was a huge positive step. Well worth it!

I just bought an X56 Rhino on Amazon. I had some reservations because it wasn't a Prime item and the price was about $20 less than every other one I saw. It's new, but I guess it's an older (blue) model. Can't say I'm terribly impressed. I never am with any Logitech product. The software is useless for DCS and the physical units look and feel cheap. Lots of slop in the stick, the buttons and hats are very poorly placed and I'm only able to use 1 of the 3 modes. I didn't have $450 (plus pedals) for a Warthog or I would have bought it instead. In researching HOTAS I discovered that both Amazon and WalMart offer the Warthog stick and throttle as separate units for about $15 or $20 less than if you buy them together. Prime doesn't add anything for standard shipping and WalMart lets you pick them up at the store with no shipping charge. Not a huge saving, but every little bit counts. I guess I'm going to have to stick with this X56 for a little while to try to get my money's worth out of it, but as soon as I can afford it I'm either going to get the Warthog or a Virpil. I think I'd rather have a Virpil even though they cost a little more, but right now you can't get 1 anyway. Seriously considering adding my name to the wait list.

WalMart lets you pick them up at the store with no shipping charge.

I checked out 2 walmarts near me. Didn't see it in store. You mean you can order online then pick up at store?

Do you have a Fry’s near you? They sometimes carry them. MicroCenter too.