Wico leaf sticks

[Bonesthedog]

I need some reviews of the wico leaf joysticks, especially the ones made by Censible amusements. i dont care about the leaf swich wearing out factor, or the ball top handle ( i like it), i just want some opinions. including the 4/8 way switchers.

please, review and opinionize.

i need lots of feedback.

[paigeoliver]

I own nearly a dozen original Wico sticks.

There is no real review to give, they are simply the best stick ever made.

I don't think Wico ever made a 4/8-way switcher, so any you see are likely a knockoff, or just using the Happs trick of including a smaller actuator to keep it from hitting the diagonals. (In that case it is not a true 4-way).

[Bonesthedog]

heres what i was talking about..........

http://www.centsibleamusements.com/product.asp?0=217&1=225&3=393

[Nailz]

I LOVE the Wico Leaf joysticks I have, if you like the classics, then this is the stick to have.  I have the 8-ways and even bought a 4-way, but IMHO, the 8-ways offered such great control even on 4 way games that I just stuck with them and have a 4 way as a spare now.

[Larry Smith]

IMHO, on a scale of ten:
happs perfect 360's  9.5 best feel but no ball top handle
wico leaf switch  9.5 needs occasional adjustment
perfect 360's with the handles from the wico's  10 Perfect!
Happs supers 7 precise feel but I hate the clicks
Happps ultimate 5 yuck

[dirt]

where can i find 4 way leaf ball top stick? i looked at wico and didn't see them.

dirt

[Apollo]

That's because they don't make them any more. You have to find NOS or buy one second hand ( I'm sure Paige will sell you one if you offer him enough money, lol, although he has a bit of a thing for them so maybe he won't j/k   )

[OSCAR]

I own nearly a dozen original Wico sticks.

There is no real review to give, they are simply the best stick ever made.

Only a dozen?  From your posts I would have guessed you must have been the chief designer of the Wico leafs and had 100's of them in your closet...    

Seriously, I really like the Wico leafs, too.  I have a filing cabinet drawer full of them and they are the joystick of choice for me for classic games like Time Pilot and of course the Williams games.  My Time Pilot came with a very worn and loose Wico 4-way in it, and it plays beautifully.  I can't bring myself to change it out with one of my NOS Wico 8-ways, I like the sloppy feel of the worn 4-way in it.  Call me crazy...  

[paigeoliver]

I own nearly a dozen original Wico sticks.

There is no real review to give, they are simply the best stick ever made.

Only a dozen?  From your posts I would have guessed you must have been the chief designer of the Wico leafs and had 100's of them in your closet...    

Seriously, I really like the Wico leafs, too.  I have a filing cabinet drawer full of them and they are the joystick of choice for me for classic games like Time Pilot and of course the Williams games.  My Time Pilot came with a very worn and loose Wico 4-way in it, and it plays beautifully.  I can't bring myself to change it out with one of my NOS Wico 8-ways, I like the sloppy feel of the worn 4-way in it.  Call me crazy...  

Well, I see no real reason to hoard 100s of the things. I have a rebuilt pair with new long handles in my Amazing Maze. My Kangaroo still has the original one. I have a pair of nice short handled ones going into my Time Pilot cocktail. I have probably another half dozen of them in the parts bin, along with maybe 3-5 extra bases.

I actually originally tried to go with black Monroe sticks on my Time Pilot cocktail (which was the correct stick), but I couldn't find a good pair of matching ones (I have two of them, but they don't match, and only one is good). I eventually gave up and decided just to go with red Wico's.

[OSCAR]

I'm keeping my eyes open for a good Monroe stick, too.  The one I have is pretty much shot, the Wico one plays much better.

BTW, do you recognize this replacement?  I have a couple NOS ones, but I'm not really sure what they go in.  They look almost like a Joust stick, but the skinny part on the shaft is too long, for one.  For scale, that's a long Wico stick next to it.  Original Pac maybe, but the actuator is wrong?

You can see on the instruction sheet that says it is 4 1/64" long, but that is from the top of the ball.