I’ve been using a Thrustmaster T16000M FCS joystick for flight control but it has failed after only 6 months due to a random jitter on the Z axis which is a common fault due to the use of poor quality components. I’ve returned it to Amazon for a refund.
Please recommend a good quality flight stick I can buy in the UK. I note many recommend the VKB Gladiator NXT but that isn’t available in the UK. I only need a flightstick with throttle and rudder control up to say £150 for use with a desktop PC.
The VKB Gladiator NXT is very much available in the UK, and I would highly recommend one.
They did try to set up a UK shop and distributor, but I am not sure how successful that has been, and have never personally purchased from the UK store. However, you can order any of their products via the European store (based in Utrecht, NL) from here: VKB FSC Europe – Gear for flight simulator enthusiasts (flightsimcontrols.com)
Pricing converts to GBP at the checkout, or you can pay in EUR and have your bank make the exchange. Delivery is via UPS, and if they have the item in stock, you will usually receive it within a week of ordering it. You will be kept fully informed of progress by VKB and UPS until it arrives. When you enter the UK as the shipping destination the site will remove EU VAT, but note that you will have to pay UK VAT and import charges (if applicable, depending on package value) through UPS. If payable, UPS will inform you via email and you just make the additional payment to them. They only pass on these charges once the item is received in the UK, so once you pay the charges (if any) you will have your joystick within the next couple of days.
I have bought a Gladiator NXT, the Evo base upgrade, 4 x control panels, the STECS throttle, rudder pedals and the Gunfighter / MCGU joystick combo, plus various other mounts and accessories from the European store, and I have never had any kind of problem with them.
Help is available if you have any questions via online tickets or via their forum, which is full of helpful enthusiasts from around the world as well as VKB staffers.
It is very much worth the change to get a quality product like a VKB - I have owned or used the Logitech 3D Pro & X-56, Thrustmaster Hotas X & T16000M and the build quality and flying feel you will get from the Gladiator is in a totally different league. I used my Gladiator for over 1,000 flying hours in MSFS before I moved on to the Gunfighter / MCGU, and it still looked and felt exactly the same when I sold it as they day I unboxed it.
They are popular (particularly the Gladiator) due to the mix of quality and price, and every time they get a new batch in stock they don’t hang around.
I can only suggest keeping an eye on the EU website and pouncing on one as soon as you see them. I think I noticed the banner at the top of the site showed stock was expected in early February.
If you really can’t wait, you could always try ebay (none currently) or FB marketplace (3 currently), but that place is full of scammers and trashed products, so I’d go very carefully there, and only buy with cash once you have a tested and verified working product in your hands. As a stop-gap, the Logitech Extreme 3D Pro has everything you need to fly and is about £45. It has a slightly better reputation than the t16000m, but won’t feel any better to fly with due to the cheap plastic ball and socket gimbal. If you can, I would hold on for VKB to get stock in.
It’s the grip I have on my Gunfighter. The WWII don’t have enough buttons and the F-14 looks too modern.
When you’ll place your order don’t forget to choose right or left hand grip.
No doubt you will be amazed by quality.
Yes, the first thing you’ll have to do is to calibrate it with the VKB software. The VKB not another because first time it set all params for it.
As I own a Gunfighter not a Gladiator I don’t know if this one have pre-programmed bindings in MSFS.
As mentioned by others, neither the Gladiator or Gunfighter have pre-set profiles in MSFS, but it will recognise your controller and it’s then just a matter of binding the controls you want to the appropriate buttons and axes.
The Gladiator NXT Evo base is common across the whole range, you just select the grip you want. The WWII replica is just that, with only a few controls. The F14 is also a replica for that specific aircraft. The SCG or Space Combat Grip is a multi-purpose device which gives you the most options, and that is the one I had. You can choose between left and right handed and Standard or Premium. The Premium version comes with a second fast-action trigger, an analogue mini-stick and a number of 8-way hats in place of regular buttons. The full title of the device I had is: Gladiator NXT Evo SCG Premium Right, and that’s how it appears in the online basket and on your invoice.
I recommend the X52 (standard or pro) due to the number of analog rotary knobs and slider. As long as you don’t mind a single throttle lever, it works well. The only thing that might be annoying is the pair of detents in the throttle at 25% and 75%. But if you don’t mind voiding your warranty and can use a #1 Phillips screwdriver, that detent can be removed.
They remove EU Vat from the sale price so technically you should get a demand for VAT/Duty (if order over GBP £135)/Handling Fee from the importing carrier.
My experience of buying goods from the EU in the last few months is that you may or may not get lucky.
Looking at my invoice from a year ago (NXT EVO SCG Standard Left). The cost including delivery was €155, which the PayPal checkout converted to £142.
UPS delivered it a week after ordering, no additional fees.
I tried a dummy checkout for a flightstick in stock. The original price was Euro 376.50 in the basket which reduced to Euro 311.16 when I entered my UK shipping address. I can’t work out if that is the price excluding VAT or after conversion to UK pounds. The pounds symbol £ is not shown anywhere during the checkout process.