I finally upgraded from my very very old X52. I'm so glad I did and especially going for the Gladiator, the difference is night and day. The build quality is excellent, the grips are comfortable and it's so much more precise, I couldn't have asked for a better upgrade, I'm just sad I didn't do this earlier. If you're sitting on the fence, don't, excellent sticks and quality.

Speaking as someone who's just upgraded (and wow, SUCH an upgrade!) from a Logitech X52 Pro this stick is sublime. The feel, the heft and the configurability of this stick leaves everything else at a comparable price point dead in the water. Where the X52 felt loose and downright janky, even after 3rd party, after-market accessories to make the spring in the (floppy and limp) stick have a little more resistance to it were added, this stick glides and flows through every roll, pitch, and yaw as to make the Logitech offering downright anemic in comparison.

Hell, even the base of the Gladiator leaves Logitech in a distant 3rd place (with daylight in the middle) given how the flight stick barely budges on my desk despite how hard I thrash at the contols - The X52 Pro, on the other hand, readily leans into whatever maneouvre you're engaging in as the base lifts from the table (again) DESPITE those sticky feet trying to help keep things on an even keel. Chuck a fit and rage all you want when some mum's basement-dwelling ganker uses you as their favourite, new chew-toy outside Deciat, the Gladiator is going nowhere.

The calibration and configuration software (VKBDevCfg-C.exe) has an even more steeper learning curve than Elite: Dangerous (which can be accurately described as a "learning cliff-face"), so if all you want to do is just plug your stick in, set it up with whatever auto-calibration works out of the box and then go get blasted by Thargoids, then maybe the Wizzo configuration software will be more your speed; it certainly was for me.

In closing, if this is VKB's defintion of "Entry Level" then I'm kinda intimidated by what their idea of "Professional" could be...

Recently purchased the EVO Premium and my observations so far are:
- Found the software and calibration a bit confusing and clunky but got there in the end and saw that the joystick was working properly.
- The stick allows for adjustments to the different axis before securing the base plate which was simple and a great touch. I love the way the dampening affect works and really makes it feel high end.
- Tried it out in Microsoft Flight Sim 2020 and it went haywire. After a bit of google searching found that I had set the bindings incorrectly in the game, adjusted it and got it working perfectly.
A really great experience so far with this controller and love the way it is built and all the options such as the various buttons and hat switches within easy reach. Highly recommended.

First off though, the fly in the ointment when buying this stick; Australia Post. Dunno how (or why) but when I requested my delivery be redirected to my local Parcel Locker (about 1.6km from my home address, line of sight) through their app, Australia Post took it upon themselves to add the distance of a return journey from Melbourne to Perth (and an extra 2 days) to that redirection. Not blaming Luke in this, his service is/was top-notch.

On to the flight stick itself - Speaking as someone who's just upgraded (and wow, SUCH an upgrade!) from a Logitech X52 Pro this stick is sublime. The feel, the heft and the configurability of this stick leaves everything else at a comparable price point dead in the water. Where the X52 felt loose and downright janky, even after 3rd party, after-market accessories to make the spring in the (floppy and limp) stick have a little more resistance to it were added, this stick glides and flows through every roll, pitch, and yaw as to make the Logitech offering downright anemic in comparison.

Hell, even the base of the Gladiator leaves Logitech in a distant 3rd place (with daylight in the middle) given how the flight stick barely budges on my desk despite how hard I thrash at the contols - The X52 Pro, on the other hand, readily leans into whatever maneouvre you're engaging in as the base lifts from the table (again) DESPITE those sticky feet trying to help keep things on an even keel. Chuck a fit and rage all you want when some mum's basement-dwelling ganker uses you as their favourite, new chew-toy outside Deciat, the Gladiator is going nowhere.

The calibration and configuration software (VKBDevCfg-C.exe) has an even more steeper learning curve than Elite: Dangerous (which can be accurately described as a "learning cliff-face"), so if all you want to do is just plug your stick in, set it up with whatever auto-calibration works out of the box and then go get blasted by Thargoids, then maybe the Wizzo configuration software will be more your speed; it certainly was for me.

In closing, if this is VKB's defintion of "Entry Level" then I'm kinda intimidated by what their idea of "Professional" could be...

Great quality. Highly recommended product.