Sanwa or Seimitsu - Two stick enter, one stick leave!

[VanillaGorilla]

have you tried both and drawn a conclusion of your own after comparing them? All I find is devout fanboyism when I research. Any detached observations of quality,fucntion,design? Are the knock offs any good?

[SNAAKE]

seimitsu is a good mix of both jap and american sticks. sanwa is little too lose/sensitive. my opinion of course.

seimitsu all day

[opt2not]

Which particular sticks do you want a comparison for, and what games would you primarily play?

I ask this because A.  models of sticks feel differently, for example a JLW doesnt have the same feeling than a JLF.
And B. I would use a Sanwa stick for fighters, but a Seimitsu for shmups/shooters...so it depends on their primary use.

[emphatic]

Neither is the best, but I'd go with an LS-32. Best is to have two cabs, one with JLF and one with LS-32. This way you are unknowingly paying more attention to the game as the stick feels "different". I've had SUZO 500 as my favorite for a long while now, but I've found something new now. That's all I can say at this juncture. 

[VanillaGorilla]

I sould have posted this in Main , but oh well. My main application would be shooter/platformers more than fighters, but they will be in the mix also. I was really comparing the JLF with the LS-32, those seem to be the 2 most popular/in common use joys.

[LeedsFan]

If you are mainly into shooters and platformers then I'd go with Seimitsu. I have the LS-32's in my latest project and they are great for shooters. I read many. many pages on both Seimitsu and Sanwa sticks. The people who play fighters most tend to go with the Sanwa's as they are more sensitive. But the LS32s are also light and can play fighters just fine.

One thing to watch though is that the restrictor on later JLF Sanwa sticks (not older JLW) does not give a proper 4-way. You can still hit the diagonals. On the Seimitsu sticks you get correct, full 4-way option. This, plus me playing around on the Candy cabs at R3play expo last year (and talking to a couple of owners) made me go with Seimitsu.

I did get to use the older Sanwa JLW stick on a Turnarcades cabinet at the same expo and I have to say that felt lovely in 4-way mode for classic games.

You can collect opinions in this thread but to be honest it's all about personal preference when it comes to joysticks.

[Donkbaca]

Personal choice, buy one of each, sell the one you don't like on the forums.  You'll probably only be out like 10 bucks or so, and you will for sure know which is best for you

[Yvan256]

And if you can't decide between the two, make a rotating control panel with the two setups, including matching buttons from the two companies!

Then when you show the two "different" configurations, people will say "hey wait, it's the same thing on both sides?!" and you'll be able to laugh all by yourself. 

[opt2not]

I was really comparing the JLF with the LS-32, those seem to be the 2 most popular/in common use joys.

In that case, LS-32 vs. JLF for shooters/platformers = go with the LS-32. It has a nice solid feeling, and the parts seem to be sturdier in quality. Plus it's much easier to switch to and from 4/8-way, than the JLF.  The only caveat is that the LS-32 when compared along-side, is "clickier" than the JLF. If that doesn't bother you then you're fine with going Seimitsu on this one.

[VanillaGorilla]

I dont mind when a Japanese stick clicks, thats what they've always done. If it were a Wico, I'd have a problem!

Gonna go with the Seimitsu LS-32 styled stick, as I have no intentions of ever getting 'good' on a fighter style game, at least not good enough where the joystick manufacturer is an impediment to my gameplay...I like smashing buttons as much as the next guy, but for me its a tension release, more than a skill test.

I'd rather spend my time improving my Missile Command or Tempest scores 

[emphatic]

Just a word of warning. If you plan on playing classics that DEMAND long throw, stay away from Seimitsu. I tried playing Ninja Kid II (Rad Action for you in the US) and I was furious after a while. In that game, pushing up changes weapons from the inventory, and bringing up the "fire" weapon takes 2 seconds. That's 2 full seconds where you can't defend yourself against attacks.  I have to play this with a HAPP or something like that. Same goes for Solomon's Key I guess. And no, Ninja Kid II is not a 4 way stick game.

[LeedsFan]

I dunno if you are gonna mix/match Seimitsu sticks with Sanwa buttons. I did this because I wanted Sanwa buttons with the lightest touch. But when I ordered my red buttons to go with Seimitsu sticks with red ball tops I found that the colours didn't match at all. Maybe I'm being a bit OCD with that but I wanted the ball tops to match the buttons. At least the ball tops are totally interchangeable between the two manufacturers, so I just got red Sanwa ball tops to go on the Seimitsu sticks. Just a heads up if you are gonna mix/match.

[Epyx]

Having tried both the JLF and JLW im a huge fan of the JLWs...perfect throw for the kind of games I play (Shooters/classics). Also the 4 way is great for classics like Donkey Kong/Ms Pac Man/Ghost N Goblins etc and 8 way great for Fighters (although not my personal favourite style of game).

[borals]

Having tried both the JLF and JLW im a huge fan of the JLWs...perfect throw for the kind of games I play (Shooters/classics). Also the 4 way is great for classics like Donkey Kong/Ms Pac Man/Ghost N Goblins etc and 8 way great for Fighters (although not my personal favourite style of game).

Yep, I agree. I also play a lot of fighters and I love the JLW, tis a good all rounder.

(edit, had JLF instead of JLW)

[LeedsFan]

Having tried both the JLF and JLW im a huge fan of the JLWs...perfect throw for the kind of games I play (Shooters/classics). Also the 4 way is great for classics like Donkey Kong/Ms Pac Man/Ghost N Goblins etc and 8 way great for Fighters (although not my personal favourite style of game).

Yep, I agree. I also play a lot of fighters and I love the JLF, tis a good all rounder.

But the JLF isn't really a good all rounder because it cannot do 4-way correctly. Great for fighters but that's about it. The JLW is a better all rounder than the JLF. Seimitsu is also a good all rounder.

For an all rounder it's more like JLW versus Seimitsu. I'd say the easier switching between 4/8 way on the JLW (you just turn the plate underneath) probably gives it the edge.  Seimitsu need the restrictor plate to be removed and turned round and then secured with the screws (I tried without the screws but it kept dropping off. But it wasn't designed that way to be fair). Both need access to the underside of the panel to achieve this.

For a truly great all rounder it probably has to be the U360 (based on the JLW)... but that wasn't part of the OP.

[borals]

LOL, yes my mistake, i meant JLW. hahahah

[mgb]

I love the Sanwa JLW.
My JLF was a waste of money for my needs (classics).
I've only heard positive things about Seimitsu

[amendonz]

about 4 years ago this would have been "Happ Comp or Happ Pro".


i like sanwa personally, but i play fighters mostly