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I went with the FLY 5 because i am very pleased with CYBORG's RAT7, both hardware and software. Thrustmasters T.16000m was also a strong contender, but when comparing product descriptions, FLY5 was a better fit for my needs (on paper anyways). While i am not completely happy with the stick, considering my budget and requirements i am pleased with my purchase. The FLY5 comes in around US$40 on Amazon.
LOOKS
My fiance LOL'd for some time when she saw this stick sitting on my desk. It is now refereed to as my "robot peenis". The stick is very "future", it looks mech, it even has transformer-like aspects. You wouldn't know from the pictures it but there is a blue LED at the stick head; it seems cool at first but might have it's wires cut in the future as it is a little distracting. Furthermore the light doesn't do a great job of illuminating the faces of the thumb buttons, but it does a great job of illuminating the wires that power it... candy.
CONTROL
Most of the buttons have very little slop. The exceptions are the 4 thumb buttons which by themselves are very responsive but way they are mounted on the stick is questionable(see below).
There is some twitch at center in the X and Y axis. This causes some issues with aiming in MW4 but increasing the deadzone by just a hair has solved the issue. Past this twitchy spot the axis respond very well. Like my RAT7 the stick is very sensitive and smooth.
The spring and plate system is not as bad as Logitech's Wingman, the transition from " a hair over there" to "center" is pretty smooth, all things considered. There is a nice degree of tension/resistance; out of the box it's a bit stiff but it has broken in nicely. The stick travels around 40 degrees in any direction; throws are light and maintain smoothness.
CONSTRUCTION
This stick is 95% plastic, there is a bit of a metal plate the vertical bar of the T shaped base.
Stick throws will cause one of the base sections to pick up but I have to try hard to make it move across the table. I usually keep both hands on the stick so this is not an issue personally.
The sticks head is adjustable; it can be moved closer to or farther from the thumb as desired. This requires a small mounting surface and it causes some give in the 4 thumb button mounts. The wheel and hat switch, being near the center of the mount, don't have a noticeable amount of give, but the buttons are a bit squishy.
ERGONOMICS
Modifiability is a major selling point for CYBORG and the stick does live up to it. i've been able to make it fit my right hand very precisely. The shape of the stick allows for a good grip, facilitating accurate stick twist. Overall the stick sits a little high, maybe 5 inches from the table top. This may cause arm fatigue but it's no worse than what i experience from using a mouse for hours on end. The users right hand has been treated very nicely by Saitek here.
But the left hand got the shaft. If you consider that the throttle goes under your left hand finger tips this places the 12th button (the designated shift button) just under the tip of the thumb if you have big hands. Buttons 10 and 11 are on the front of the base, making them basically pinky buttons. In order to press these you must move your hand forward. The other base buttons (6~9) are easy for the thumb and a bit more difficult for the index finger. However, this whole scheme makes very difficult to use shift functionality with other buttons on the base of the controller; shift 6~9 means you have to completely change the shape and position of your hand and you can just give up on the idea of using Shift 10 or Shift 11. On paper this stick has 22 button functions but in reality it has only 17...
The whole package can be stowed in relatively small space but i've never really been a stickler about that.
CONCLUSION
I had a set list of requirements when i went shopping:
<$50
Stick Twist
>=5 buttons on the stick itself, as well as a hat switch.
>15 button functionality over all.
The FLY5 has met those requirements... but they didn't do the best job at it. I don't have a real problem with the accuracy and construction, but for all it's glory, the ergonomics are what really hurt this stick for me. While i got a nice throttle it's at the expense of accessible left hand buttons. I am heavy handed though and i worry that the stick heads button mount may not stand up to my abuses for long. The twitch on the stick at center and the poorly placed base buttons are real buzz kills, but at this price I don't think i would have found a better fit for how i like to hold and use a stick.
EDIT: the clinical word for 'that certain part of a mans body' is disallowed, so i misspelled it.
Edited by DEHK, 15 July 2012 - 01:18 AM.
