Alternative Throttles to Virpil or Warthog

[imacken]

Are there any alternatives out there to the current throttles available form Virpil and Thrustmaster?  I know of Winwing, but that's too Hornet specific.

[VpR81]

Several replica HOTAS systems for US jets. No china stuff and propably very expensive, developed and made in the USA. Price on request.

 

https://www.bugeyetech.com/products

 

Eurofighter Typhoon HOTAS. Also no China stuff and therefore propably very expensive, developed and made in Germany. Price on request.

 

https://www.reiser-st.com/components/eurofighter-typhoon-hotas/

 

But tbh, i'm not sure if these companies are selling to private customers, as their products are meant for professional training simulators. Windows compatible though, but also specific to existing jets wich, i guess, is not what you're looking for. Other than that, i think there is no quality alternative to the Virpil throttle, except for the VKB throttle wich is sadly not available yet. Besides that, the TM throttle is very A-10 and F-15 specific as well. Besides the Hornet (wich is my absolute favorite DCS jet) i use the WinWing very comfortable for the Harrier and even for the F-16 without any trouble, so it beeing Hornet specific isn't realy an issue (at least for me). I also use it for other games like Arma3 and Star Citizen. Works great with these games as well 

 

Cheers

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 27, 2021 by VpR81

[imacken]

Thanks for that. So, atm, I guess you are saying that until the VKB comes to market, there is no quality consumer alternative to the Virpil. 
I have used Virpil throttles for over a year now- currently CM3- but for various reasons I would love to see an alternative. 

[VpR81]

Well, at least none that i'm aware of. I'm afraid you'd have to wait for the VKB throttle if you want a "all in one" throttle with high quality to replace your Virpil CM3. But i assume it is worth waiting as i'm pretty sure the VKB throttle will be absolutely great. Especially with the additional panels wich can be attached to the throttle base. Seems to be very versatile for various jets then. Hopefully available in 2021...

[Lynchsl62]

There is the Kantorrin Throttle - more for warbirds and first generation jets. 
 

https://www.kanttorinkone.com/console.html

 

[imacken]

Thanks for that.  Looks interesting, but not really what I am looking for.

[Sokol1_br]

GVL224 custom throttle - customizable at some degree per buyer wish , don't look like that "badass jet" throttle "replica", but good functionality, with two options of detent, push levers or ball-plunger.

 

GVL224 Youtube channel.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 28, 2021 by Sokol1_br

[imacken]

Thanks for that. The YT link didn't work, but....

[streakeagle]

WinWing for the win. While it is a Hornet replica, what is wrong with that? I have used Saitek X-36/X-45/X-52 Pro and Warthog throttles. The WinWing Hornet throttle is by far my favorite. But it is not a desktop throttle. Apparently, WinWing wants in on the desktop stick and throttle markets, because they are about to release new Orion products based on the Hornet stick grip and throttle grips but with desktop bases similar to the Warthog. The problem with WinWing at this point is that they can't keep up with demand. As soon as they restock a product, it is sold out. 

 

[imacken]

27 minutes ago, streakeagle said:

WinWing for the win. While it is a Hornet replica, what is wrong with that? I have used Saitek X-36/X-45/X-52 Pro and Warthog throttles. The WinWing Hornet throttle is by far my favorite. But it is not a desktop throttle. Apparently, WinWing wants in on the desktop stick and throttle markets, because they are about to release new Orion products based on the Hornet stick grip and throttle grips but with desktop bases similar to the Warthog. The problem with WinWing at this point is that they can't keep up with demand. As soon as they restock a product, it is sold out. 

 

 

What's wrong with specific aircraft replicas is that they don't always transfer nicely to other modules.  I didn't like that about the Warthog throttle when I had one. Since then I have owned the Virpil CM2 and CM3 throttles and - obvious hardware superiority aside - they are excellent for all modules.  Same with grips.  I have owned many grips, but the Virpil Alpha (and the CM2 Mongoos) are excellent all round grips, whereas the Warthog and the Hornet (which I still own but never use) are not.

 

Your comment about Winwing not being able to keep up with demand is the exact same for Virpil, VKB, etc. and even Thrustmaster.  Current Virpil wait is typically around 6-8 weeks.

[Steel Jaw]

What is wrong with the Warthog throttle?

[imacken]

4 minutes ago, Mower said:

What is wrong with the Warthog throttle?

There is nothing 'wrong' with the Warthog throttle, but it's just not in the same class as the Virpil throttles.  I speak as an ex-owner of a Warthog throttle which I had for several years before moving to Virpil in 2019.

[Sokol1_br]

6 hours ago, imacken said:

 The YT link didn't work, but....

 

Have past twice.  

 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9jTQ6WqJQv2AVmGP0Wf4aQ

[imacken]

Thanks. I did a manual search earlier and found it. Interesting.

[Sokol1_br]

1 hour ago, streakeagle said:

WinWing for the win. While it is a Hornet replica, what is wrong with that?

 

Some will complain that don't have detent's.  

[Steel Jaw]

20 minutes ago, imacken said:

There is nothing 'wrong' with the Warthog throttle, but it's just not in the same class as the Virpil throttles.  I speak as an ex-owner of a Warthog throttle which I had for several years before moving to Virpil in 2019.

 

Rog.

Edited February 28, 2021 by Mower

[zcaa0g]

On 2/27/2021 at 7:18 AM, imacken said:

Thanks for that. So, atm, I guess you are saying that until the VKB comes to market, there is no quality consumer alternative to the Virpil. 
I have used Virpil throttles for over a year now- currently CM3- but for various reasons I would love to see an alternative. 

 

 

Are those reasons due to QA problems with Virpil?  Just curious.  I like their products but their QA and constant revisions due to fixing poor design flaws, not mere feature improvements, gets tiring at times.

[imacken]

Exactly that. Fantastic products, but QA and support response is poor. Just about every product I have bought has had issues, and although they have all been resolved, it can take weeks or even months, largely because of the long support response time. 
It’s a pity as they all seem to be nice guys. 

[dburne]

6 hours ago, imacken said:

Exactly that. Fantastic products, but QA and support response is poor. Just about every product I have bought has had issues, and although they have all been resolved, it can take weeks or even months, largely because of the long support response time. 
It’s a pity as they all seem to be nice guys. 

 

Yeah this for sure.

In the early days ( I got in on the first pre-order of their original Mongoos T-50 stick) and support was awesome. Seems Cypher to was more hands on with support back then and was a huge aid to me with the issues I had with it.

 

I guess they have grown to the point they have to be more regimented and go through their proper support channels. I opened a ticket over the weekend  on my CM3 for the mini stick issues will see how it develops. So far the mini stick and the front detent screw not going all the way in are the only issues I have with it. Front detent issue was easily solved by using a 10mm long screw versus 12mm that came with it.

It is really a shame on the mini stick as it is such a nice one, too bad some seem to have this issue. Mine sticks in the full forward (down) position and does not center properly - had to put a dead-zone of 10 in DCS axis setting to compensate for the centering issue.

 

I am kind of "hoping" that mini stick can be easily replaced and they can send me another, but have a feeling that is not going to be the case. Then I will have to decide if it is worth going without it for a while to get it fixed proper or to live with it as is. In any event I hope the exposure the issue gets from myself and others through support helps them to address the issue so no more units ship out with that issue on the mini stick.

[imacken]

This. However, there are some issues, like the sticking mini-stick, that have been around for some time now, so sadly I doubt if one or two people more will make much of a difference to the issue being permanently addressed. 
From my experience, and looking at the Virpil forums over the last year or so, it seems to be the same few issues that occur over and over. 
I just don’t understand why this should be happening. 

[zcaa0g]

I've also seen a couple of reports of the replacement cams still not addressing the variances in resistance for the x/y access on the CM2 base.  I'm not sure if that problem is widespread or if people have just been dealing with it or working around it somehow.