Does anyone know if there are any retailers in the UK that sell high quality joysticks / flightsticks?
I’m wanting to purchase within the UK to avoid having to wait weeks. I’m looking for anything like Virpil or VKB quality but doesn’t have to be these brands in particular.
It seems like Virpil and VKB only sell direct and not through any retailers. I’m quite surprised that they don’t sell through Amazon considering the big demand for flight sim hardware.
what’s your budget ? it can go drasticaly high depending on what you want …
here’s a link so you can have a look at a lot of different options available : https://www.scan.co.uk/shop/computer-hardware/game-controllers/flight-sticks-throttles-and-yokes
Probably because Amazon take a sizable chunk of the net profit if they sold on their platform so they only sell direct.
You don’t have to wait weeks. In my experience, the products from VKB and Winwing, when in stock, are at home within 5-8 days (Germany)
My budget is around £300. I currently have the TCA Airbus Sidestick which is good but I’m looking at something better built. I was looking at the Winwing Airbus sidestick but they don’t have stock of the bases at the moment. Plus they come from China so could take a while for delivery.
Continually buying through massive retailers like Amazon just means in the future you won’t have any choice. They will control what you buy, when and how much you pay. It will be a select few or nothing. I urge everyone to support the smaller guys. Buy direct from Virpil or VKB if you’ve ever thought about a yoke then the excellent Fulcrum one is manufactured and exclusively sold from the UK.
Real specialist shop, all of my own gear comes from this place….
If you look at the Hotas Reddit page there’s a lot of people saying there order is taking weeks. For some it’s been longer than a month
Hi Tearless,
I have a VKB Gladiator NXT with the side extension module and throttle quadrant mounted on the side, which is an enormous upgrade from the Thrustmaster hotas X I started with. This setup would fit your budget or thereabouts, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.
I am in the UK too, and purchased from VKB direct. They dispatch from the Netherlands, and therefore deduct EU VAT at the checkout, but you will need to pay UK tax and import charges (same as the EU VAT, about 20%) once it arrives with UPS in the U.K. Delivery time is about 4 days.
VKB was easy for me (I went with MCG ultimate) in the UK, very quick shipped from Europe…
I think the only “high end” setup that tends to be at general retailers is a warthog, and I don’t really consider it high end in the same league as VKB or Virpil, the MCG ultimate is definitely a class above the warthog it replaced.
Virpil is in Europe, and they are backlogged because of a variety of supply issues, and massive demand because of this new sim, and the update to X-Plane. Virpil is what I use and find it the best in quality, you are going to get a lot of opinions. Just get in line, I have been waiting for over 3 months for flight chair from Monster Tech, and I still not sure it’s ever going to get here because of supply issues. This is the world we live in now, learn to wait.
Just to confirm the above, I ordered another module from VKB on friday evening. It has already left the UPS hub in Holland, and should be with me in the UK on tuesday morning.
That’s interesting to know. Was this for an item they already have in stock? I might look into ordering from VKB as they obviously don’t have any major delays.
Would anyone recommend “NOT” getting a Virpil or VKB joystick purely for MSFS?
They do seem more geared towards a fighter sim like DCS but the superior quality is making me considering it for MSFS. There doesn’t seem to be anything on the market which has the same quality but looks more like a GA plane or Airbus. Although Winwing have an Airbus style stick but they are out of stock.
Look forward to a few more buttons on the handle. They are also good for switching on the light and the radio. It doesn’t have to be missiles. 
Everything listed in the VKB online shop will tell you if it is available or out of stock, and you can always ask them when stock is expected. Regarding users, if you search through the forum you will find almost entirely only positive reviews of VKB and Virpil gear. I don’t have personal experience of Virpil, but they are both very well regarded for quality.
I can say that VKB’s sales and delivery to the UK are very good. Note too that you don’t have to go all-in at first - the Gladiator NXT or NXT EVO joysticks have all the basic hotas controls you need in the single base unit.
My Gladiator replaced a Thrustmaster hotas, and I have also compared it directly to a T16000 and the Logitech X56 too but there really is no comparison. It is leagues ahead in quality, feel and operation, and for less than the cost of the X56 too. The only issue I have had with it is the configuration software. Not because it is bad, quite the opposite, but I didn’t find it very intuitive at first. Having asked a few questions and following the setup and guidance videos on the VKB youtube channel however I managed to get my head around it eventually, and the power and flexibility it adds is just one more thing that makes this gear leagues ahead of the competition in the same bracket.
You can’t go wrong with either company.
Some such as the MCG ultimate (just an example since I have experience with it) are definitely overkill in terms of inputs - not only is it generously appointed in the first place, but the software also allows you to set multiple “shift” keys and change button types etc which is far behind what would ever be required in MSFS (but actually quite useful to prevent “accidental” activation of some things like enter/exit VR for example by requiring two buttons to be pressed - the shift and the “shifted” button)
That said, you are of course not obliged to use all the available inputs and the main thing for me is how great the stick feels along with the ability to adjust friction and spring weight, cam type etc to suit preferences. I particularly like the spring strength that the metal gimbal of the MCG allows, which along with the progressive cams that make more extreme positions feel suitably “loaded” even in the absence of proper force feedback.
The one thing I would recommend is grabbing a gram or two or Nyogel 767A damping grease (some enterprising individuals sell it by the gram on eBay UK as you don’t need much at all and a full size tube is expensive) to lubricate the clutches and you will have the smoothest most sublime experience going…
Hi did you receive this from VKB this morning? Just asking as I sent them an email on Sunday but still haven’t a reply from them.
Hi Tearless,
Yes, I certainly did and it is fantastic! Currently playing around with settings, calibration and mapping. Lots more buttons to play around with now.
If you’re trying to contact them, the forum at VKB Europe online usually gets quick results.VKB1|690x920
