So Virpil were having a sale... for a few days... (which now appears to be one of those never ending sales that go on indefinitely)
I decided to pick up a T50 base as a backup in case the VKB Gunfighter breaks one day.
After looking at the various costs and the piggy bank I actually ended up going for the grip as well... standard “improved” edition. I have no idea what the improvements are... but you can also get the standard... erm... non improved version...
I bought it direct from Virpil as that’s over £100 cheaper than from Amazon and at 20% VAT it’s still a considerable saving. It arrived.... without any demand for VAT from UK Customs and Excise. So a really really good saving... in fact it only cost a fraction more than buying just the grip...
YEY !!
I haven’t set it up properly yet as I don’t have an extension for it... with the VKB I have a warthog grip on the 200mm extension. I think the longest virpil one is 100mm, though there are other stupidly priced options available.
So.. I can’t compare them like for like... but here are some initial observations for anyone who is interested:
It took me a while to actually connect the T50 grip to the base. I raised a ticket on Virpil’s site, and got a response, (in English) within 2 minutes !!
You have to pull the cable out of the grip a bit to actually plug it in, so not like the warthog for which its really obvious when the thing is seated properly ..
Then I spent about an hour trying to calibrate the brake lever using the calibration software (which was doing pretty much nothing at all until it was 95% through its motion). In the end I found a rest option... and that cured it... (i.e. I basically uncalibrated it and suddenly it worked... erm... ). So... it didn’t actually work right out of the box... but neither was it impossible to sort out.
So... the grip:
If you shake it the buttons rattle... not exactly a problem but it doesn’t feel anything like as solid as the warthog grip... and the flip down trigger feels like it will break in no time... really flimsy feeling. Id far rather have a metal flip trigger there.... its also very very easy to activate that button while not really intending to. The others all have a very tactile click... the flip trigger?... meh... not so much. Its a small point... but I just know it will annoy me that it’s not better.
That input aside it’s a nice grip. The brake lever is analogue and far superior to the warthogs equivalent lever which is actually just a switch. I prefer the warthog grip though overall. Possibly familiarity. And... Its solid...
Now obviously I could put that grip onto the T50 base (if I reverse the alterations I needed to make to put it on the VKB base) so it’s no biggie.... and it’s certainly not a bad grip. It’s really nice actually apart from that flimsy and easy to accidentally activate flip down trigger...
So... the base:
Well mine has its casing slightly misshapen. Like its been squashed a bit. Pretty certain that didn’t happen in transit though as it was well packed. It will probably bend back, and doesn’t affect the action... but yeah... certainly not perfect ! also the black japanned finish to the allen bolts is half missing on two of the bolts. No major drama, but... the VKB has it absolutely nailed on finish quality for sure.
I was also missing a set of spare springs... it’s supposed to have two spare cams and two spare spring sets... it had the cams but only one springset. VKB are sending out the other springs.
Motion of the stick isn’t as silky smooth as the VKB either. The VKB really glides through its throw, the T50 kind of feels like the cams are slightly serrated. It doesn’t actually affect anything much and there is no drag... but it’s definitely a different feel. It’s not bad though, just very different.
One thing I will says for the T50 base is it feels very solid. The VKB does as well but if I had to decide which I would want inside a real plane... I’d go with the T50. It just seems more rugged. Hard to say why. I guess its like the difference between a surgeon’s scalpel and a lumberjacks felling axe. The T50 is the axe.
I’ve yet to open up the T50 to see what’s inside, and without having an extension I’m unlikely to put it into service in the coming weeks. But eventually I will... and will update this thread.
As things stand right now.... I would be happy with either of these. For the price I paid the T50 is superb and it has the advantage that it uses the same connector and electronics as the Thrustmaster kit. A nice simple swap of grips is possible.
VKB seem to have gone down the “Apple” route and made a series of bespoke electrical connectors and even internal electronics. It all works great, but..... I don’t think they are really doing themselves any favours with that.
Leaving the electrical connectors out of it, the physical connection of the stick to the base is way better in the VKB. The grip is clamped in place and cannot rotate. With the Virpil (and warthog) if you inadvertently twist the grip it can come loose. I had this a few times with the Warthog back when I was still using the original base. The VKB however isn’t going anywhere no matter how much you twist it. It’s just more secure.
What else?
You can’t use the T50 as a desk mounted stick unless you want to fly with your arm in the air and right in front of your face, but it isn’t billed as a desk mounted stick so you won’t want a T50 unless you are mounting it to something or using one of their hangers. And I must say Virpil’s desk hanger thingy looks like a very good option... but I will probably just go to the garage and make my own as I did for the VKB.
Wonder how much longer the never ending “sale must end soon” sale will go on for.
EDIT:
Someone else reviewed them with video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hFivQyfWv8
That's exactly how my Gunfighter is set up too, (although with my own clamp setup).
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