Warthog Review

[TUSA/TX-Gunslinger]

Stubing - one last note, I forgot to add.

I'm sure you've seen the review video from SimHQ - where the reviewer sits a U2Nxt side by side with a Warthog joystick. He proceeds to deflect both sticks to their X stops (left) and then lets them go abruptly.

The Warthog stick immediately fixes to the center with no "wobble".

The U2Nxt stick passes the center and wobbles around it.

It seems an impressive demo, until you realize that the reason the Warthog "sticks" immediately to the center is that it has a center detent - which of course the U2Nxt doesn't have. I was too dense to think about this while viewing the video before ordering.

Guess what - the stock Cougar will do exactly the same thing. Now with that said - the Warthog stick has significantly less tension and much more precision than the stock Cougar - but it has about the same center detent.

Since you have an Evenstrain mod (which I would have purchased if it were available when I modded) - which I think has slightly lower forces than my U2Nxt - and no center detent - this will be different for you.

I'm not recommending that you don't buy this stick, btw - that choice is personal, and I'm not sure how in love you are with your Evenstrain.

Hope I've helped...

Gunny

[JG27CaptStubing]

Originally Posted by TUSA/TX-Gunslinger

Stubing - one last note, I forgot to add.

I'm sure you've seen the review video from SimHQ - where the reviewer sits a U2Nxt side by side with a Warthog joystick. He proceeds to deflect both sticks to their X stops (left) and then lets them go abruptly.

The Warthog stick immediately fixes to the center with no "wobble".

The U2Nxt stick passes the center and wobbles around it.

It seems an impressive demo, until you realize that the reason the Warthog "sticks" immediately to the center is that it has a center detent - which of course the U2Nxt doesn't have. I was too dense to think about this while viewing the video before ordering.

Guess what - the stock Cougar will do exactly the same thing. Now with that said - the Warthog stick has significantly less tension and much more precision than the stock Cougar - but it has about the same center detent.

Since you have an Evenstrain mod (which I would have purchased if it were available when I modded) - which I think has slightly lower forces than my U2Nxt - and no center detent - this will be different for you.

I'm not recommending that you don't buy this stick, btw - that choice is personal, and I'm not sure how in love you are with your Evenstrain.

Hope I've helped...

Gunny

Gunny,

First off... Thank you for the insight and review. This is very helpful. Having talked with several folks that have modded Cougars the Evenstrain and Ian's design are very similar in feel. In fact my Evenstrain is so good it often shows other flaws in the original Cougar design. I too have some crazy number of hours with my Cougar and know exactly what you're talking about in terms of resistance and a centering detent. I don't miss that feel though I still use the rubber boot. I think I got used to it and kept it that way.

Moving forward I really am on the fence about the Warthog. I fly a variety of sims but mostly IL2 and I enjoy my rotories for obvious reasons.

I may sit on this one a while and let the first wave of Warthogs and wait for all it's problems to come out before taking the plunge. What's pretty sad is I have a brand new Cougar sitting in the box as a back up. If anything goes wrong I'm pretty well set for parts and such.

Again thank you for the write up. It was very helpful.

Stubes

[TUSA/TX-Gunslinger]

Originally Posted by JG27CaptStubing

Gunny,

I don't miss that feel though I still use the rubber boot. I think I got used to it and kept it that way.

One of the amazing subtleties of the "Cougar World" is the Evenstrain mod. I studied this one and was very close to ordering in when production terminated. As I remember it had the lightest stick forces of all the mods at the time. After it was discontinued - Ian finished the U2nxt, and I was able to get serial #37.

If the Evenstrain has lighter tension than the U2Nxt, then that would allow you to keep the boot, and have about the same tension as I do now. Wish I had a strain gauge to test...

Originally Posted by JG27CaptStubing

Moving forward I really am on the fence about the Warthog. I fly a variety of sims but mostly IL2 and I enjoy my rotories for obvious reasons.

I may sit on this one a while and let the first wave of Warthogs and wait for all it's problems to come out before taking the plunge. What's pretty sad is I have a brand new Cougar sitting in the box as a back up. If anything goes wrong I'm pretty well set for parts and such.

LOL, that was my plan - until I got overexcited. I'll certainly let you know what I find, later.

Great to see you Stubes!

All the best,

Gunny