Sanwa JLW vs JLF in 4way mode

[severdhed]

hey guys, i'm going to eventually be purchasing a new stick of my Donkey Kong cabinet.  at work, we have a sanwa JLW balltop that we use as a dedicated 4way, and i really like the way it feels.  I have been looking around and i see alot of people using JLF  joysticks as 4way sticks.  i was just wondering how the two of these sticks compare to each other?

i have found more vendors seem to carry the JLF than the JLW.  the only places i can find the JLW are lizardlick and ultimarc.  i love ultimarc, but i'd rather not pay quite that much in shipping if i don't have to.  lizardlick is still several weeks behind, and even though it might be a while till i can order them, the thought of waiting 3 weeks to get them sucks.

do the JLFs feel similar to the JLWs?  or should i just go with the JLW since i know i like the way it feels.

[massive88]

I thought the only difference was the presence or absence of the wiring harness?

Either way im sure they are similar being near priced products from the same company.  I have only used JLF's though.  I did build a 4 way controller out of a Seimitsu, and I really liked the restrictor on that, in fact I want to replace my 4-way happ in my console with one, if only I could figure out how to get my router in there for the proper mounting depth...

[mytymaus007]

Why bother with those other sticks get the original

http://www.mikesarcade.com/cgi-bin/store.pl?sku=TKG-23-50

[Franco B]

I thought the only difference was the presence or absence of the wiring harness?

Nope, they are complately different sticks.

JLFs have a lighter feel to them as the spring isn't as stiff as the JLWs.

You can read more about them [here].

[massive88]

Thanks for the link, good info there.

From slagcoin:

For 4-way games (like Pac-Man), the JLF does not work well because diagonals are very hittable, so look to the JLW or a Seimitsu model.

I can verify the JLF/Seimitsu assessment there, like I said though, ive never trying a JLW.

[massive88]

Why bother with those other sticks get the original

http://www.mikesarcade.com/cgi-bin/store.pl?sku=TKG-23-50

If additional shipping costs is a concern, I would imagine 3x part cost would be a concern as well.

[severdhed]

yeah, i saw the sticks at mikesarcade, but i hate to spend that much money on a stick and not know if i'm going to like it.

i think i'll just stick with the JLW, i know i like the feel of it, it works great as a 4way.

[Ginsu Victim]

yeah, i saw the sticks at mikesarcade, but i hate to spend that much money on a stick and not know if i'm going to like it.

Yeah, if it feels exactly like a Nintendo stick should, it's probably too loose for you, anyway. JLW with a black balltop is the way to go.

[mytymaus007]

  sounds like everyones happy how there stick feels today

[MaximRecoil]

Thanks for the link, good info there.

From slagcoin:

For 4-way games (like Pac-Man), the JLF does not work well because diagonals are very hittable, so look to the JLW or a Seimitsu model.

I can verify the JLF/Seimitsu assessment there, like I said though, ive never trying a JLW.

Doesn't the JLF have an actual physical restrictor that can be set to 4-way mode? If so, that should make the diagonals impossible to hit. Is the restrictor poorly designed on the JLF?

[Ginsu Victim]

4-way restrictors on some sticks don't always keep diagonals from being hit. I HATED the restrictors on the Happ Universals. They were a total nightmare.

[massive88]

Doesn't the JLF have an actual physical restrictor that can be set to 4-way mode? If so, that should make the diagonals impossible to hit. Is the restrictor poorly designed on the JLF?

Its poorly designed on the JLF.  Its just a square gate rotated to a diamond shape, that makes it possible to still hit a diagonal.  Though due to the restrictor, you wont sit on the diagonal like you would in true "8-way" mode, its still less than ideal.

I wish I had a JLW to test, as it looks like its the same method for 4-way as the JLF.  

You can see from the pictures the 4 way restrictor on the Seimitsu looks like a clover, which is what made me think it would have a good 4 way feel, which I was not disappointed with.  Its entirely impossible to come remotely close to the corners with that restrictor.

[Ginsu Victim]

The diamond restrictor on the Ms Pacman stick from Tornado Terry's is perfect. No diagonals and the smallest possible dead spot between switches. If the dead spot were any smaller, you'd hit a diagonal -- it's that close.

[severdhed]

the JLW has a square restrictor that rotates, i have never once hit a diagonal with it installed in 4way mode.  the betson and wico 4way sticks that i have also have this diamond shaped restrictor.  (the betson's throw is too long, and the wico is too stiff).  i can't imagine that a clover shaped restrictor would feel right, but i could be wrong.  i wonder how the seimitsu feels compared to the sanwa sticks.  looking at the pieces of the nintendo stick there were in my DK cab, it had a clover shaped restrictor, so maybe it would be cool with the seimitsu

[MaximRecoil]

looking at the pieces of the nintendo stick there were in my DK cab, it had a clover shaped restrictor, so maybe it would be cool with the seimitsu

Yeah, the Nintendo 4-way restrictors are clover-shaped, and it feels fine. You don't feel as much of a bump when riding the stick along the edge of it as you might think you would by looking at it. Also, the reproduction restrictors that you can get from Mike's Arcade (and that come on his reproduction Nintendo stick) are better than the Nintendo originals. The Nintendo originals were just castings, while the reproductions are actually machined (or laser, waterjet, plasma, or whatever) and they are like greased glass. Even if I had an NOS Nintendo joystick, I'd replace the original restrictor with the reproduction (exact same shape, but far smoother).

[massive88]

The diamond restrictor on the Ms Pacman stick from Tornado Terry's is perfect. No diagonals and the smallest possible dead spot between switches. If the dead spot were any smaller, you'd hit a diagonal -- it's that close.

Whoa, didnt realize this was in the DFW area (well, pretty much).  Its a bit of a drive from NE Dallas, but maybe I should go out there and see if I can check out his Ms. Pacmans as a replacement for my 4-way...

[Ginsu Victim]

Yeah, it's in Keller and it's pretty cool. Terry is a great guy. Got the chance to check out his storeroom.