On 4/18/2021 at 6:41 PM, fppilot said:

???
Even the least of my flight controls over the years allowed me to land smoothly.  Way back to the early days of flight simulation. All about controlling power and trim, and then flaring at the end.  Just like actual flying. The yoke/joystick is only about the flare.  No brand or flight controls model allegiance required!

It is about flying, not about buying.

I have to disagree with the premise yoke quality doesn't impact precise control such as during an instrument approach, or when landing. No matter what I did to try to fix the problem, my Saitek yoke was very sticky in pitch which made it almost impossible to smoothly make tiny pitch changes during the flare. Very unlike my real world flying experience. I have found the Fulcrum yoke to be light years ahead compared to the Saitek yoke when it comes to fine pitch control. I also like the Fulcrum yoke's more realistic pitch axis travel distance.

For me, the quality (performance) of the yoke has a direct impact on my sim flying enjoyment. To each his own.

Al

Edited May 23, 20215 yr by ark

8 hours ago, SergeyPe said:

I have both and IMHO trying to compare them doesn't make any sense- they are in totally different leagues. Alpha: very short and too stiff pitch travel while the roll is too light, rubber cords for axis loading, plastic body, regular (not long-life) potentiometers on both axis, 8-bit (256 points) controller resolution, switches on the main body. Fulcrum: realistic pitch travel and loading forces on both axis (which makes the biggest difference), all-metal construction, contactless sensors, 12-bit (4096 points) controller resolution, springs for axis loading, no switches on the main body. But to feel the difference you need to try both...

I'd say that Alpha is the best mass-produced, relatively low-cost yoke (Saitek/ CH class), while Fulcrum is the best high-end tabletop yoke twice cheaper than the nearest competitor.

Thank you for the excellent response. Looks like it's time to order. 

 

Even though I still have my FFB2 connected and  sitting on top of the Fulcrum, and I do miss the Force Feedback when I use the Fulcrum - I find myself doing almost all my flying on the Fulcrum.  The precision is amazing.