Rudder pedals..?

I think I’m in the market. My CH Pro Pedals have served me well for…well, a decade now (had to look up when I got them!)… So 10 years is a pretty good run. I’ve noticed in the past few months they are spiking and “drifting” for lack of a better word. If I look at the calibration the left pedal starts a very slow input without any mechanical action by me…which results in uncoordinated flight and other Bad Stuff ® happening. I slid a compressed air nozzle in there and tried blowing out the insides thinking something might be causing the drift, but it didn’t seem to help. Next step (I guess) is to take the screws off the base and see what the insides look like.

If that doesn’t work - what’s the gouge on the latest and greatest? Given my CH Pro Pedals have served me well for ten years, I might be tempted to replace them with those… Any opinions?

BeachAV8R

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To Toe or Not To Toe, that is the question! :smile:

The first decision point is if you need toe-brakes or not (and I’m guessing you do, what with the flying and all), and then a question of how much to spend. :frog: (hey, I found a frog emoticon)

The Crosswind’s look very nice, and they are taking orders again…

http://mfg.simundza.com/mfgcrosswind.php

T-rudder Mk.II look a more reasonable price (I think, but no toe brakes?)…

http://flightsimcontrols.com/store/available/t-rudder-pedals-mkii/

Plus of course the Saitek’s

http://www.saitek.com/uk/prod/compedals.html

…and of course, the Slaw Device looks like pretty much top-end stuff?

…that Oneeyeddog got here: Articles - Mudspike Forums

I’m in the market for some new ones too, so interested in what people think.

Here’s a quick table. I’ve turned this post into a wiki page so anyone else can edit it - please add what you think is good in a separate post, but perhaps we keep this table up to date (more an experiment really)

MFG Crosswind Rudder Pedals | $280
T-rudder Mk.II pedals USB   | $200
Saitek Pro Flight Combat    | $200
Slaw Device (F16?)          | $500

Plus I guess shipping and local taxes.

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I have Milan’s MFG Pedals and I absolutely love them. If you have the money go for it. I also used CH Pedals for over a decade. When I compare them, CH Pedals feels antique. There has been some real progress (build quality, resolution of the sensors, ergonomics). Also I feel definitely more in control than with Logitech or Saitek pedals.

Progressive spring resistance is the way to go.

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I can’t really recommend anything. I can just state that my saitek set has trouble with centering after a year. Will try to clean the internals.

I’m in the market as well, I really want the MFG’s but that requires withholding money for a long period of time without the wife finding out… and she probably already got notified that I just typed this :smile:

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I have the Saitek ones, which incidentally were my upgrade path from the CH Products ones. They are good pedals and will serve you just as well, if not a bit better than the CH Products ones.

I didn’t realize that the Crosswind pedals were $280. That’s a nice upgrade as well, but it starts tipping into the expensive category.

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I run the Saitek Pro Flight Rudder pedals.

Linkage

I have had them for at least 5 years. Never had an issue with them. The center dial adjust tension, which I can actually turn with my feet, Nice pedals at least for what I use them for.

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I have the MFG Crosswind pedals for just over a year now and i still find them brilliant. Had the saiteks before, but i was never satisfied with the precision i could achieve with them. The crosswind pedals are superior on every regard save their price.

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Thanks for all the suggestions. Gonna sit here and make a list of pros and cons today and put in a order tonight I think. Many thanks for all the input (pun intended!)…

BeachAV8R

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It still boggles my mind that rudder pedals are so dang expensive. Compare the $120 CH Pro Rudders to a $50 Thrustmaster joystick - why is the three-axis ZERO-button device so much more expensive?

Slaw’s pedals look amazing - definitely a labor of love. I have no doubt they’re worth the $500, but I just have a hard time coming to grips with that much money for three input axes. The MFG pedals would be my personal choice, but I’m glad I don’t have to choose: my 10+ year old CH Pro pedals are still flying fine, although the brake axis pots are getting a little noisy, which drives FSX crazy.

Your feet are a lot stronger than your hands, so a rudder unit has to cope with much higher forces than a stick.

If you want a unit that does not noticeably twist/bend under the force of your feet, the materials need to be a lot stronger. Higher forces also means that the joints will need to have ball bearings if the device is to move completely smooth. Rudder pedal movement is also relatively complex compared to a stick, as you have two plates spaced far apart that need to move antiparallel. Then there’s the small production numbers that these private guys run, they need to charge you more to recoup the development costs. I’m sure there’s more reasons, but those are the most obvious to me.

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@BeachAV8R let us know the winner :wink:

@BeachAV8R gostratojet.com

I have a review unit if you are interested.

Jason

i want to get new pedals aswell… i really dont know what i should get =\ … CH pedals or saitek combat ?
the now thing is that i got to pay delivery on it both come around 290$ ch abit less of course …

So today I took apart my old CH Pro Pedals (apparently someone at the CH factory has stock in the screw factory…holy cow!) and pried apart the two halves. Springs went spronging, parts went flying, but I had a pretty good feel for how it all went back together. I took some compressed air and blew out all the components…there was some dust and dirt in there. I reassembled everything, put the dozen or so screws back in and just plugged her back in. At this point - the noise in the center is gone…but I only tried it in X-Plane (which was clearly showing the center rudder drift prior to the cleaning). So I’ll give it a test the next few days and see where we stand. I’ve had the Slaw pedals in the shopping cart for a week now, but just can’t bring myself to hit the button yet…LOL…but if I see any drift on these CH pedals…I’m gonna do it.

(Part of me is hoping for drift!)

BeachAV8R

Anyone have experiences with the Saitek PZ35 PRO Flight Rudder Pedals?

Still running my original saitek pro flight pedals, bought them many many years ago and its still doing very well and precise.

Best bang for your buck of any item IMO (if you don’t require the best quality build materials). If these old pedals ever give up the ghost, and they are showing no signs yet, I will buy another pair.

Admin Edit: Moved, had the title ‘MFG Rudder Pedals’

I don’t have em yet, but I do intend on getting them. Thanks to a post I read on Tapatalk from a guy who showed me the new meaning of “yabut”…anyone? Bueller?

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@sobek really likes his, i.e. Rudder pedals..? - #9 by sobek