Joystick questions

[XtraSmiley]

I've finally decided to slowly start building my own VectorMAME system.  Now comes some questions I hope you guys can answer:

1.  What type of Joysticks did Black Widow have?  (I know they were leaf, but what brand?)
2.  Do you guys like leaf joysticks?
3.  Is Wico the best leaf joystick?
4.  I've seen cheap leaf joysticks on ebay, are these really bad or will they work?
5.  Oscar spinner or SlikStik version?  Cost is not a factor.

Thanks!

[GGKoul]

www.retroblast.com -- Hardware/Joystick review...

[JODY]

Stay away from the Wico clones on Ebay.

[XtraSmiley]

I've read retroblast, but Kevin only reviewed one leaf stick as far as I can tell.  He also didn't reaview but one microswitch one with a ball top.  I really want to go with the ball tops on my VectorMAME system.  Anyway, any help would be great.  What kind of sticks did Smash TV have?

[NoOne=NBA=]

The cheap "Wico-STYLE" joysticks you see on ebay are a poorly done knockoff of the original Wico sticks.
They CLAIM to be 8-way, but they copied the 4-way base, so have a diamond shaped restrictor on them.

Robotron and Black Widow both shipped with Wico 8-way grommet/leafswich sticks on them.
I'm not SURE about SmashTV.
It may have shipped with the newer Wicos (either grommet/micro, or spring/micro) on it, given its release date.

[paigeoliver]

I have personally owned or tested essentially every variation on Wico sticks (there are like 20+ variations), and I can confidently say which ones are the absolute best.

And yes, technically NONE of the sticks in my top 4 actually use leaf switches, but they are still Wicos and still the best.

#1. Wico leaf stick with optical conversion kit installed. All the feel with none of the problems.

#2. Perfect 360 (Happs) with the handle exchanged for a wico one (the P360 is a Wico class of joystick, despite being made by happs). I can't remember if I swapped in stronger springs or not, order the stronger spring just in case.

#3. The Wico sticks with the rubber grommet and the square actuator (microswitch).

#4. (These seem to be rare), the same basic stick as #3 but with a spring instead, swap the spring for a "Happ's heavy spring" from Bob Roberts. You HAVE to swap the spring, without the spring swap they become the WORST instead of the best.

#5 The classic (most common) Wico leaf with leaf switches and rubber grommet comes in 5th place.

Honorable mention goes to the Wico rotary leaf.

You might also want to experiment with the long hangled and short handled sticks as they have different feels as well.

[namedos]

Paigeoliver, I know you can set up the perfect 360's in 4-way mode but do they work as well as a Galaga reunion leaf?  Currently I've got a T-stick plus for my 4-way but was considering moving to the reunion stick.  Thanks.

[JODY]

If you are talking about the Ms. Pacman / Galaga reunion stick it isn't leaf.  It is microswitch.

[mahuti]

On the topic of spinner.. both Oscar and SlikStik are fine. SlikStik touts its rediculous amount of spin time, which I find to be overkill. That being said, that spin time isn't necessarily a boon or a detriment... just a choice. The Oscar has a reasonable spin time, and a good feel. The SlikStik has more than enough spin time and a good feel. I made my choice on cost, and on where I could combine my purchases (I thought about a slikstik spinner, but had no interest in their spinner knobs). If you want to spend more money, go for it, my friend swears by his SlikStik spinner.

[XtraSmiley]

On the topic of spinner.. both Oscar and SlikStik are fine. SlikStik touts its rediculous amount of spin time, which I find to be overkill. That being said, that spin time isn't necessarily a boon or a detriment... just a choice. The Oscar has a reasonable spin time, and a good feel. The SlikStik has more than enough spin time and a good feel. I made my choice on cost, and on where I could combine my purchases (I thought about a slikstik spinner, but had no interest in their spinner knobs). If you want to spend more money, go for it, my friend swears by his SlikStik spinner.

Thanks for the info PO.  As for the above, I checked into the cost and since the SS comes with a knob and Oscar doesn't, the cost is only a few dollars difference, what do you think now?

[mahuti]

You can get a spinner / knob combo at Oscarcontrols for about $48 bucks (with an ugly knob) or $54 with a simple metal one. The difference between $89 and $54 is more than a few bucks. I'm not a cheap guy, I just don't see the extra VALUE in spending more on the SlikStik product, but that does not make it a bad product. I don't like their spinner knobs which to me seem to be the largest point of differentiation between the 2 companies offerings (that and the irrelevantly long sping times)

Ultimately it comes down to design choices, footprint, and whether or not you like to watch a spinner go  for 3 minutes (which does have some entertainment value ). If you buy the most expensive oscar spinner / knob combo, it has more features and less cost than the SlikStik spinner. Do you need the features of one over the other? It's a toss-up for the basic spinner, really. They both do the job.

[XtraSmiley]

You can get a spinner / knob combo at Oscarcontrols for about $48 bucks (with an ugly knob) or $54 with a simple metal one. The difference between $89 and $54 is more than a few bucks. I'm not a cheap guy, I just don't see the extra VALUE in spending more on the SlikStik product, but that does not make it a bad product. I don't like their spinner knobs which to me seem to be the largest point of differentiation between the 2 companies offerings (that and the irrelevantly long sping times)

Ultimately it comes down to design choices, footprint, and whether or not you like to watch a spinner go

[NoOne=NBA=]

what's $20

The price of a "push-to-fire" kit.

Coincidence?

[JODY]

I'd spend the $20 extra if there was a good reason...I wouldn't pay more than Oscar is asking because his product is great.  Look at the features and what others on this site have had to say about playability.  I know which one you'll get if you do your homework...

[PaulG]

I'd spend the $20 extra if there was a good reason...I wouldn't pay more than Oscar is asking because his product is great.  Look at the features and what others on this site have had to say about playability.  I know which one you'll get if you do your homework...

Exactly.  I'll admit I've never played a SlikStik, but I would have paid more for Oscar's if I would have had to.  What more could a person want than a Tempest replica spinner and knob? I suppose some people might find something, but I couldn't.

[NoOne=NBA=]

What more could a person want than a Tempest replica spinner and knob?

That's easy.

A DOT replica spinner and knob.

[mahuti]

Yeah, that was my first spinner purchase and that hurt. Pricey, but worth it.

[mahuti]

Oh, and it sounds like you want to overspend, so....

I give you my permission. Blow the extra $20 on a similar quality item.