Sounds like money is the reason
 

It seems as though nearly everyone who said the Hori Ace Edge wasn't good based their answer on price.

I have both. Noob to IL2 so still practicing with each. This is what I have come up with so far...

The buttons on AV8R-02 are terrible. I like to track targets and that button should be on the stick. The throttle is oddly in the front. AV8R feels very cheap and like its going to break at any moment. I did the zip tie mod and it did help out alot.

The Ace Edge out of the box works very well and is extremely comfortable and feels like it was built very well. It comes in 2 pieces though and has to be mounted to work properly.

Because of the button placement I am going to stick with the Ace Edge as soon as my new flight seat arrives and I can mount everything.

I'm using an Ace Edge HOTAS and I haven't noticed a very large dead zone, with my stick it's minimal, probably because I breakdown and overhaul my Ace Edge every now & then.
I find the rudder bar to be very precise and easy to get used to.
The POV on the thumb stick is hassle free and works great.
I like the bulkiness of my Ace Edge, it definitely doesn't feel cheap. It's bulkiness and large foot print makes it easy to attach to the armrests of my modified LazyBoy recliner, my flight chair set-up feels comfortable, natural and is easy to get into or out of.
I like the way the rudder controls with the rocker bar in BoP because it's analog. In Ace Combat 6 the rudder is digital, all or nothing. I'm on my third torsion spring for the rudder slider pot with all the tapping I had to do in Ace Combat 6.
Here's my set-up;

I found this old beat up LazyBoy recliner sitting on the curb, threw it in the back of my pickup and brought it home. I stripped it down to the frame then rebuilt it with armrests to accommodate adjustable platforms for the ACE Edge flight stick and I constructed and installed an LFE tactile transducer to the frame before I upholstered it.

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t.../Photo3of7.jpg

I use industrial strength Velcro to affix the sticks. Velcro makes it easy to adjust and remove the sticks, so that was a 'No Brainer'.

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t...dsRoom-5-2.jpg

That's my Q & A tester sitting behind the wheel.:grin:


How is the tactile rumble feedback on the Saitek AV8R? Is it strong like the Ace Edge HOTAS so that it lets you know when you are about to stall?

I have both the AV8R and the Ace Edge (from e bay at $147 counting shipping). There is no comparison. The AV8R does a decent job, the Ace Edge leaves it way behind. The rudder alone (squeeze a toggle switch left or right) works so much better and enables better flying and I think the dead zone is less with the Edge. If you can afford it, the edge is a better stick combo (throttle and rudder separate from the stick) and if you haunt the ebay auctions, you can find them for not much more than the AV8R. I had one auction the buyer didn't Come through with payment and I could have bought it for $65( mine is the Ace Combat 6 bundle with everything)

The Ace Adge would be a 'no' for me purely because I am used to a rudder twist action. I agree with the comments already made, the AV8R is affordable, does the job reasonably well and fairly easy to modify but that will void the warranty and you may well need it. I doubt the words 'Ergonomic' or 'Durable' appeared in the design specification but I suspect the MS license may have undermined its 'quality of build' (given the reputation of other Saitek open market products). Mine is three months old and has failed structurally. I shall transplant the essential circuit components into my Saitek Cyborg Gold (which is built like a 'brick shithouse') and be done with the 'stick issue' once and for all.

EvangelusE (Gamertag)