Joystick: Sanwa JLF

[Dal1980]

This isn't a review but more of an advise seeking post.

When it comes to software it's quite easy to test and make your mind up. When it comes to joysticks it seems to be very difficult to read up on them and make a decision. Luckily I've kind of got something to base it on when reviewing these joysticks but would love to hear about how other people got on with this particular stick especially those whom have had/got other sticks.

So reading up across various articles and sites I've made a decision on what I think will work for me. I know this has a degree of personal preference so it's not going to be down to recommendation alone but here's the features I don't like about the current Happ Competition.


Probably worth mentioning that this will be used on BarTop/Barcade for all types of games but I do like my fighters (Street fighter II)


Happ Competition

Sound 
The clicks are quite loud and annoying to some degree. If this was a joystick I loved then I'd put up with the noise so this ones just a picky point.

Throw Distance 
I enjoy a little more space to throw the joystick around. It feels quite restrictive for how much of a throw I have. I mean I don't want it to be like a gear stick but I do want it to feel more like a defining direction if you know what I mean. I'm thinking since the Happ has a medium throw (  ) I would want far throw for my next stick. This is confusing though, I don't think the statistic is right and I think it's likely that the Happ has actually a short throw. Can anyone confirm this?

Engage Distance 
I think this is very difficult to gage with the Happ due to the throw distance being so short. I image that I still want a joystick to have a short to medium engagement to help with fighting games like Street fighter II.

Bat top 
I think I'm one for holding the joystick in a reverse manner (i.e. hand up and have the bar between the fingers) opposed to hand over in a standard palm grip fashion so therefore I would prefer ball top.

Tension 
I'm guessing that Throw and Engage distance change this stat a lot! If I prefer a bigger throw then I can imagine a lighter tension would be better.

Durability 
There's a lot of other stats but not sure if there's any more to worry about particularly. I was going to put durability down but I don't see this as very important for a non-commercial environment.


From what I've described and from the table found on SlagCoin (http://slagcoin.com/joystick/attributes_brands.html) the SANWA JLF seems like the clear winner.

http://www.arcadeworlduk.com/products/sanwa-jlf-tp-8yt-joystick-with-awuk-aluminium-ball-top-handle.html

(I don't know anything yet about the plate types but I don't think these effect any of the statistics).


 

One last question is, how do I illuminate this type of stick? (still wondering if a stick needs illuminating or not?)
Any suggestions (I'm a complete noob to all of this so any suggestions are welcome)

Thanks 

[Dal1980]

39 views later and no-one had anything to comment?

Maybe I'm over thinking it again 

[opt2not]

Well if you're looking for Japanese style parts, then Sanwa JLF's are good for fighting games and beat-em-ups (loose action, large throw).

Seimitsu LS-56/58's are good for shmups (tight action, short throw)

Sanwa JLW's are good for classics and can be used for most games, but it has a medium throw that requires heavier throw pressure than the JLF's and LS sticks. I usually recommend these ones for a good jack-of-all type stick.

All of these have loud clicky switches.  For the JLF you could opt for the silent version, but this makes the stick a lot lighter and loose feeling when throwing it around.  It takes a bit getting used to.

[deezdrama]

Im running jlf's for players 1 and 2 .... paradise led sticks for players 3 and 4.

Paradise has hollow shafts and extended hollow shafts for $15.

Im running extended hollowshafts.... be sure to pickup stronger springs if you get extended shafts. Im running 3# springs and they feel perfect.
The leds are only like a dollar each.
The stock jlf's are very clicky but nowhere as loud as the other joysticks im running for p3 and p4.
I upgraded to cherry switches and they are great, and almost inaudible.

[diggso]

I recommend this.http://www.arcadeworlduk.com/products/sanwa-jlf-tprg-8ayt-sk-silent-arcade-joystick.html
Its the jlf and fits all accessories but is totally silent. Feels a bit looser with a slightly longer throw than the regular jlf.

[big10p]

I hear on the grapevine that JLWs are being discontinued.

[mgb]

personally for a bartop, I think the jlf is a better fit and look than a happ stick.

JLFs can be heavily modified if needed.

if its used for 8-way, you can install a round gate
you can install a larger actuator.

you can go with a completely silent option instead of micro switches or you can simply remove the boards with soldered switches and just install soft touch micros in its place.

[opt2not]

JLFs can be heavily modified if needed.

Yes! I would say if you're like me, and don't mind spending the extra time to tweaking your controls for perfect performance, the JLF is probably the most diverse for modding.  If you check out paradise arcade, or focus attack you'll notice they have a bunch of parts options for different tension springs, actuators sizes (great for eliminating "dead zone" space), shaft lengths and switches. Also, the JLF's small form factor helps for smaller panels like a bartop CP.

[BadMouth]

My $.02 on the JLF

Sound  If the clicking on a Happ annoyed you, then don't even consider using the stock switches on the JLF.  It's much worse.

Throw Distance  I'd say it's probably medium to long.  Definitely way longer than the short throw sticks like the Suzo 500 or Seimitsu LS-56

Engage Distance  The JLF is known for being one of the best sticks for fighting games, so you'll probably be fine with it.

Bat top  JLF can do ball top, or (smaller than happ) bat top with an adapter.  I highly recommend the Hand Candy balltops sold by GroovyGameGear.  You don't really notice how nice it is to not having any seams or mold marks until you use a balltop that doesn't have them.  ...and then there's no going back.

Tension  If you want a light spring, then the JLF is your stick.  When I first received mine, I described them as "dainty".  It was way too little for my taste.  I think I ended up with 3 or 4 pound springs.

Durability  It's made for a commercial environment and parts are readily available.


As for illumination, I don't like anything lit up except for the screen and marquee....and I don't even want the marquee lit up if it is in my field of view.
That's your call though.  Paradise Arcade shop sells an illuminated JLF.  (as far as I know, the hand candy balltop I mentioned earlier can't be lit up)


I love my JLFs, but I'm not a fan of them in stock form.
I've spent over $200 testing and modifying them. 

I've added:
Godlike controls adjustable optical switches (to get rid of the clicking)
Circular restrictors
Stiffer springs
Hand Candy balltops

I've been playing more shmups lately which would play a little better with a shorter throw.
I bought oversized actuators and round restrictors from focusattack.com, but haven't tried them out yet.
It's going to be a bit more of a PITA than normal to swap them into my setup because I'll have to recalibrate the optical switches.

[Dal1980]

Thanks so much for taking the time to post guys!

I chose the Sanwa JLF-TP-8YT over Sanwa JLF-TPRG-8AYT-SK as the stalk/rod seems to be a better thickness but also looks a lot better in chrome than it does in black.

As for the sound, I think I'll buy stock first and see how I get on with it, then improve by modding the switches, length and springs as per all your suggestions. I think at the price of illuminated sticks vs style/quality I'm going to knock the idea of lighting it up on the head.

Thanks again