Joystick Questions: 1st build Planning w/Budget.

[ZappBrannigan]

After getting approval from the wife, I'm currently in the planning phase of building the cabinet.  Outside of a ton of other info, one of my first problems is revolving joysticks.  Currently plan is to use the Ultimate Arcade II cabinet from North Coast arcades.

For the joystick question I have:
X-Arcade Tankstick + Base  or just go with the pre-built Controller setups.
I've heard bad-ish reviews on the X-Arcade sticks; How much of that is from use vs. purist hype?  Like a car, functional, but won't get me there in style/comfort?

Option1:
http://www.mameroom.com/Products_Tankbase_Kit.asp $150
http://www.xgaming.com/store/arcade-joysticks-and-game-controllers/product/x-arcade-tankstick-includes-usb-cables/ $199

Option2: 
http://www.mameroom.com/Products_ClassicController.asp $749
http://www.mameroom.com/Products_QuadController.asp  $899

Are the pre-build controllers of high quality?  I think buying the individual buttons and getting the pre-drilled base would be a bit much for me.

Keep in mind the following:
1.  Don't have unlimited Budget;  I'll likely have the funds to do some upgrading down the line, but the system should cost around 1/2 to 2/3 of a retail one to be worth the effort to build myself, or pass the wife test.
2. Not a purist;  It doesn't have to be authentic, as long as I'm having fun. 
3. Not exactly skilled;  Using a kit is probably the best;  IKEA kits are pretty much my upper limit of construction power.
4. High PC skill level; One of the few positives for me. Odd computer setups won't likely be a problem.

Am quite excited for this project, and hope to have something fun by Christmas if I'm lucky.

[HaRuMaN]

My own personal opinion...  stay away from the X-arcade controls if you can.  I have never been impressed with their quality.  Spend the extra money and get something nicer.

[BadMouth]

If you have no building skills, the x-arcade isn't as bad of a choice as some make it out to be.
It's pretty much plug and play.

I have one that has been abused by guests for three or four years now and haven't had any problem with it, although the trackball rollers are in dire need of lubrication.

The joysticks are about as good as any happ/IL knockoff.  Likewise for the buttons.

The biggest shortcoming is the encoder.  The buttons can be remapped, but you're required to press a button on the back of it twice every time the computer is started to load the alternative settings.  This can get annoying.
If you only plan to use it for MAME, then it will be fine. 
A few other emulators won't accept input from keys like CRTL, ALT, & SHIFT though, so you may want an alternative mapping.

Definitely don't buy it if you don't have a PS2 keyboard input on your computer.
The USB input is limited to a certain number of simultaneous key presses (6 IIRC), including joystick directions.
There is a long thread about it here in the main forum you can search for in interested.

No way I'd pay $150 for a square box to sit it in.

[ppv]

For 150$ shipped, I got myself two Happ Comp (which I do like), 22 (sold as) Happ buttons with micro switch (they work fine), a 2,5 inch trackball (not the best, but it'll do for me) two speakers and two speaker covers and a two-player xin-mo controller.  But the wood is not bought yet.

Make of that as you wish, but I think that buying the X-arcade is not really a compromise...

[ZappBrannigan]

Thanks for all the advice so far.

If the x-arcade is so horrible, and I don't necessarily want to build the whole controller set myself, are there really any good options besides the pre-built one from North Coast Arcades?

Thanks