Question about joystick sensitivity?

[Eskapade]

I picked up a couple joysticks here:

http://www.paradisearcadeshop.com/levers-paradise-arcade/672-paradise-black-top-joystick.html

After setting them up in my bar top I have tested them on quite a few games and have noticed them to be very sensitive. It's hard to perform fine tuned movements in platformers for example. It's almost as if the buttons are registering to be held a second longer then pressed, so I have to perform quick taps of the joystick..
Is this the norm for arcade sticks? Are more expensive sticks going to give me better results? I thought I should at least be able to have great control over simple games such as mario or in my hyper spin menu (the spinner is to even sensitive occasionally skipping a few games at a time during game selection)

[behrmr]

Those look a lot like Zippy joysticks.  They're decent sticks. Are you sure what you are describing is not input lag? What is you setup in your bartop?

[BadMouth]

Is this the norm for arcade sticks? Are more expensive sticks going to give me better results? I thought I should at least be able to have great control over simple games such as mario or in my hyper spin menu (the spinner is to even sensitive occasionally skipping a few games at a time during game selection)

The chances of the problem being the sticks is pretty slim.
You should hear a click when the direction engages and disengages.

+1 on the lag.  The problem is probably in your emulator, interface device, or the most likely culprit is the monitor.
If the input passes through any other software on the way to the emulator, you can add that too.

Are you satisfied with the control if using a gamepad instead?

[RandyT]

Those definitely aren't Zippyy sticks.  We ordered a bunch of that model from our supplier a few years back, and they didn't re-center properly.  I shelved them until I could figure out a mod to improve them and never could.

Connect a multi-meter directly to the switch contacts and turn on the audible continuity test.  If the stick isn't breaking the switch connection when you release it, or doing it very slowly, then that is the issue.  About the only thing you can do in that case, is to replace the switches with some which have a larger actuation force, as it may help to re-center the stick.