Ultrastik 360 Octagonal Restrictor / Happs Concave vs. Convex Review

[dgame]

Hello Everyone,

I have been lurking around this site for many years now [probably from the very beginning] and this is my first post. I remember Lazner’s guide, the yabb board, davesclassics.com, sparcade, insert coin, retrogames.com, classicgaming.com, and others.

Why have I decloaked?

Well after many years of watching the hobby grow one product caught my eye – the Ultrastik 360. I looked at the features and decided to jump in. I bought the U360, Competition buttons, and a jewelry box from Pier 1 Imports to mount it all in. I have since switched to the standard Happs concave buttons. This is my review of stick and the various parts.



The physical button layout is:

1 2 3 7
4 5 6 . . 8 

For MAME I use this for all games:

1 2 3 4
4 5 6 . . S 

The buttons are 1.5” apart on center and the joystick is 4 inches from the buttons on the centerline between the top and bottom rows. The 8th button is the P1 start button which serves as the shift button for 7 possible coin/admin functions.

I see that many of you choose to put the seventh button below the ‘standard six’, but that is where I rest my thumb during Street Fighter. I don’t mind playing on the top row as I like the position of these buttons in relation the joystick’s position. The top four also work well for Neo Geo games.


I haven’t had a lot of time to play test it yet, but my initial reactions are:

The competition buttons are nice and fast. They have a lower profile and shorter travel so it is easier to press rapidly. They are more flat than convex and moving from button to button is easy. I only had one concave button on my controller and that is the player 1 start button. Comparing the action between the two types I found that the concave button required a little more force to ensure engagement than the convex competition button does. You can gently tap the convex button but you have to push the concave one.

As the concave buttons are the old standard I ordered a full set for some play testing and comparisons. Although the claims of slightly superior performance of convex buttons are probably true it did not feel like the arcade. When I put the standard concave buttons in it became like a piece of arcade history in my hands.


The Ultrastik 360 is very nice. I first tried the circle restrictor on it as it reduces the throw which makes Street Fighter moves easier to do. The stock spring is perfect tension for me, no need to be fighting the stick to move it. I use the 8-way map that comes with UltraMap software.

I now use the octagonal restrictor which I found a little difficult to install due to the tight tolerances. Once I got it on and set it to 8-way restrictor in UltraMap it was game-on!




I quickly reeled off several straight victories in Street Fighter (Alpha I think it was) landing specials with ease. Then I fired up Gyruss and went to Neptune without losing a ship. Then I played TMNT for awhile – sweet! Mat Mania – perfect. Magical Drop – rattled of a few victories. Double Dragon – elbow smash city!

The octagonal restrictor shortens the throw and allows you to feel all eight corners and since the U360 is switch-less it provides some tactile feedback. Once I start playing I forget it is there, the moves just flow naturally.

Having played with mostly Gamepads all these years I have always been disappointed with home versions of arcade controls. I know I am preaching to the choir here but using real arcade controls is the only way to play arcade games!


 
The stick restrictors [gates] had the most impact on my game play, but the buttons had the most impact on my enjoyment. In reality both button types perform about the same, but the concave buttons bring back the nostalgia.


Dgame


PS: Thanks for all of your help, and thanks to Saint for keeping this site alive.


EDIT: I just ordered some "Micro-Leaf" switches from GGG to see how they compare with the Cherrys on there now.

[Zobeid]

The octagonal restrictor shortens the throw and allows you to feel all eight corners and since the U360 is switch-less it provides some tactile feedback. Once I start playing I forget it is there, the moves just flow naturally.

That's what I suspected, that's why I was interested in it.

My only qualm is: Have you tried playing any analog stick games with it?  It seems like the shorter throw would be a negative for those games.  (And yet, that's only a relative handful of games anyhow.)

[dgame]

Are there any particular analog games you are interested in? I can test them out.

In analog mode I think the octagonal restrictor would make the same difference; adding eight corners and a shorter throw, which could be a good thing.

The UltraMap software allows you to reprogram the stick for the restrictors so that even though the physical  throw is shorter the full analog range is still available in games.

D

[Zobeid]

Star Wars and Tail Gunner are pretty good for testing analog sticks.

[dgame]

I played both Star Wars and Tail Gunner with the octagonal restrictor on in analog mode and it limits how far you can go into the corners. You can not hit the corners of the screen in Star Wars or Tail Gunner with the restrictor on. The POT test in Star Wars confirms this. They both were still playable; you just can’t shoot anything in the corners.

D.
 

[dgame]

I did some more testing and was able to increase the analog range of the octagonal restrictor by not using the little spaces under the PCB of the U360, thus moving the board closer to the magnet. I don’t know if I was supposed to have them on in the first place but taking them off gave more analog range in UltraMap and Windows Game Control Panel.

Now all but the very corners are reachable in Star Wars and Tail Gunner. The POT test in Star Wars goes further out diagonally than before and I can reach everything in the green box. I played through the first two levels with no problems. The analog stick makes for quick and accurate hunting.

I tend to leave the joystick in analog mode as it works well with most MAME games without changing maps. I did, however, have to make a custom map in UltraMap with a single ‘+’ sign in the middle because the joystick does not exactly return to center when released. The single + will send the centered position to games when the stick is in that area.

I tried the square restrictor and did not like it. It feels way too boxy for me.

I also have the GGG mini-leaf micro switches on there now and so far so good. They are very quiet and work well. They don’t lock in as tight under the buttons as regular cherries and the connectors are smaller than .187 but they work in the same application. The vertical orientation of the contact pins could also be a space issue with a stand alone controller though I can see bending the contacts to minimize the under-panel height requirements.

This project is my prototype, I am going to play some more and then design something more arcade-like to put the controls in.

[dgame]

I now have full analog range available with the octagonal restrictor installed by using a Custom restrictor setting of 6 in the ultramap.ini file:

# This is the Ultimarc.ini file
UltraStikIniFileFormatVersion=1.0

AutoScanForUltraStiks=True
UltraStiksRequired=1
UltraStiksLastPluggedIn=1
UltraStik1Restrictor=Custom:6
UltraStik2Restrictor=None
UltraStik3Restrictor=None
UltraStik4Restrictor=None

I can now travel the entire range of the screen including the corners with the octagonal restrictor installed in analog mode.
I now use the default analog map because my snap-to-center map “+” mentioned in the above post causes problems with aiming in Tail Gunner.

[urbecrisch]

Interesting review of the U360 dgame.  I recently installed 2 U360's and have been testing them out this past week.  I did not install the octagon restrictor yet but I have replaced the stock spring with the medium springs and it gives the stick a better throw back than the stock springs do.  Here's my dilemma:

When I play a game like Cadillacs and Dinosaurs, there is a move you can make by hitting a directional twice to run/charge at an opponent.  With any other JOY and the keyboard this works fine but doesn't happen with the U360's.  What can be changed to get this to work?

I know of some other games that requires this move to actually jump over ledges/pits/holes and  if you don't you will die.  To some this may not be a big deal cause you can just load up on some more credits but I want to be able to have the U360 recognize this double hit.

[Ummon]

I can now travel the entire range of the screen including the corners with the octagonal restrictor installed in analog mode.
I now use the default analog map because my snap-to-center map “+” mentioned in the above post causes problems with aiming in Tail Gunner.

If you've played a starwars cab before, how would you say the U360 feels compared to an independent axes yoke?

I know of some other games that requires this move to actually jump over ledges/pits/holes and  if you don't you will die.  To some this may not be a big deal cause you can just load up on some more credits but I want to be able to have the U360 recognize this double hit.

If in analog mode, it may be that the tolerance is too tight and it gets bumped too many times?

[urbecrisch]

If in analog mode, it may be that the tolerance is too tight and it gets bumped too many times?

The problem I'm having is that the stick is in 8 way mode and should be able to recognize the double hit but it doesn't.  Any suggestions?

[fjl]

Dont you have to tell the U360 software that it has the octogonal restrictor so it can compensate for it analog and non analog games?

[SailorSat]

I'm using UltraStiks myself (actually 4 of them) and I guess the problem is you don't let the joystick go "center" again.
As they don't "click" when they switch, you can move them from 100% right to 50% right to 100% right, without the joystick registering a "center" move at all.

Thats the only problem I had with them, but I think you'll just need to get used to them.

[Stub]

You could use a custom map with a large center. Only put the directionals on the farthest out rows. That might give the emulation you are looking for.

[Zobeid]

I've been wanting to try these for a while.  At first I ordered the stiffer springs and the octagon restrictors, but was sent the 4/8-way and circular restrictors kit instead.  So. . .  I went ahead and put in the springs, and sent back the restrictors for a swap.

The stiffer springs were 100% good, I was surprised.  These are not the old super-heavy springs, these are the ones that used to be called "medium".  The super-heavy springs were discontinued because they were too stiff for just about everyone, so now we have only the stock springs (very light) and the medium-heavy springs which many people find are just about perfect.

I figured the heavy springs would be good for 4 and 8-way games, bad for analog games like Star Wars.  After trying them, I found Star Wars actually felt better to me.  There is no down side, everything feels better.  They were also pretty easy to install.

So, this morning I installed an octagon restrictor on stick 1, while leaving stick 2 without any restrictor for comparison.  The installation was a lot harder than I expected.  The big problem was the four aluminum posts that screw into the base of the stick.  The bushings they screw into were canted, they didn't point all the posts exactly straight up -- which means they didn't want to go into the holes in the PCB.  After tinkering a while, I finally had to use some muscle to get all the pieces to go together.

I expected this restrictor to be a big improvement for 4 and 8-way games, and a big detriment to analog games.  The results I got were more ambiguous than that.  The octagon reduces the throw length of the stick a lot, and it definitely makes the stick feel a lot different, but in terms of actually being better or worse it's not so clear.

For Star Wars the octagon restrictor didn't feel as good, it made aiming slightly harder, but the damage wasn't as bad as I expected.  It was still playable.  Similar story for trackball games: they work but are less precise.

For some 4/8-way games, the octagon may have made things slightly easier -- but the U360 with the heavy spring and no restrictor was already working very well for me with most of those games, so it's really hard to pin down any improvement.

I think the short throw is most useful for what I might call "tappity-tap" games, where you are just entering a bunch of discrete nudges into the stick.  Frogger would be a good example.  It's great for Frogger. . .   But most of us are not crying out for the perfect Frogger stick, and that game was already controlling pretty well before I put the restrictor in.  So it's not something to get excited over.

It felt pretty good when playing Bosconian, this was one game where the eight "notches" may have helped me a little -- but again I have to note I wasn't doing badly at all with that game before putting in the octagon.  It's hard to pin down an actual improvement.

I suspect it might be really good for fighting games. . .  but I'm not into fighting games, so that means nothing to me.

This is one of those things where there is no definite right or wrong answer, it's a question of what you're used to and your personal preferences.  My suggestion would be. . .  If you are already a fan of short-throw sticks, or if you already know you like octagon restrictors, then go for it.  If you aren't, and you don't, then don't sweat over what you're missing.  It's not a Big Deal.  I thought it would be a Big Deal, but it just isn't.

If it were possible to get a wider octagon restrictor that reduces the throw much less, but still provides the "notches" in all 8 directions, that might be the perfect compromise for me.  But you know, I think I'll probably take it off and go back to no restrictor.  I've been playing that way for a couple of weeks now and I've gotten used to it, it feels smooth and good.  The U360 with heavy spring and no restrictor reminds me a bit of the old-fashioned Wico leaf-based sticks, so there's nothing to complain about.

[Ginsu Victim]

I had no trouble installing the restrictors whatsoever. They lined up great. I just had to screw the posts into each PCB hole before I installed them to widen the holes a little. (Do this a few times until the holes are widened enough for you to slide the screws in and out before installing.)

I love the circular restrictor. I felt the throw was too long without it.

And, yes, the stiffer spring is a must. Feels perfect with it.

[csa3d]

Last night I received my circular restrictors for the u360.  My restrictors cam without instruction on how to install them, but with a quick trip to ultimarc.com, It was 90% clear.  After beginning the retrofit, it only took me two wrong attempts until I figured out which end of the post went in the base, and in what order everything needed layered to work properly.  I'll chalk one of those mistakes up to be too excited to install the parts too quickly.

Each kit comes with 4 metal posts.  Now, these posts from a quality standpoint, are not what I'd consider timeless manufacturing.  The post material is way too SOFT (aluminum perhaps?).  This probably would not have been a problem, if the screw threads actually FIT the existing joystick base threads better.

I ordered 2 kits for my two sticks.  The first stick, three of the four posts screwed into the base with hand power alone.  The fourth hole required plyers to screw the post in far enough so the PCB mounting pegs all aligned properly.  Not only do plyers chew up the post material, but I end up with a bent post.  Thank heavens the post material is soft enough to bend back into alignment with your hands.  The 2nd stick required all 4 posts to be screwed in with plyers.  I was quite worried two of these posts were going to snap off in the base before screwing in far enough to actually support the PCB properly.  I'm 100% convinced that given the effort it took to install these bases, that I will never be able to actually remove the posts and use the default plastic stand-offs nor the screws that came with the unmodified stick.  Be prepared to make this a permanent part of your arcade experience.

After you finally get all your posts screwed all the way in without snapping any off, your next challenge is to get the PCB to mount on the opposite threaded ends of each post.  With both of my kits/sticks, the PCB didn't just SLIP down over the 4 posts.  As a matter of fact, gentle force isn't quite what I'd call it either.  The first stick, I pushed hard enough to become concerned that that PCB was going to snap in half, chip, or something bad.  You figure you've invested 100$ into the sticks/springs/handles/tops BEFORE even getting this kit.. it becomes scary thinking that you can mess this up in a number of ways, due to poor manufacturing.

Your best bet is to get a rounded file, or exacto knife, and try to scrape away some of the PCB holes to make seating the PCB a gentle process.  I did this for the 2nd stick.  The first one wasn't coming off after having it half way on.  Now that your PCB's are over the posts properly, enjoy the cheap plastic "washers" which fit just about as good as the posts screwing into the base.

At the end of the day, and 1.5 hours later, I'm happy that everything works.  The kits do exactly what I had hoped they'd do - shortening the throw of the sticks.  I'm also an avid frogger fan, so the throw is just about perfect for said twitchy games.  My only complaint thus far is that I now have to get used to a plasticy feel of the stick contacting the restrictor plate, which now feels cheeper then it originally did oddly enough.  Should the restrictor be made of a harder metal, I feel that the stick wouldn't now feel as flimsy as it does.  Maybe I'm being overly picky, but it's worth noting.

I hope others have a better installation experience then myself.  Doing it over again, installation probably would have went better if you completely remove the stick from your control panel, and use vice grips with a soft padding when installing the posts.  Then again, you probably just upped the potential to snap off the threads in the base permanently.

Happy moddin'
-csa

[SailorSat]

As a side note:
I've used those white caps to screw the new posts in.

[Ginsu Victim]

After you finally get all your posts screwed all the way in without snapping any off, your next challenge is to get the PCB to mount on the opposite threaded ends of each post.  With both of my kits/sticks, the PCB didn't just SLIP down over the 4 posts.  As a matter of fact, gentle force isn't quite what I'd call it either.  The first stick, I pushed hard enough to become concerned that that PCB was going to snap in half, chip, or something bad.

Did you miss my advice above?

I just had to screw the posts into each PCB hole before I installed them to widen the holes a little. (Do this a few times until the holes are widened enough for you to slide the screws in and out before installing.)

[csa3d]

After you finally get all your posts screwed all the way in without snapping any off, your next challenge is to get the PCB to mount on the opposite threaded ends of each post.  With both of my kits/sticks, the PCB didn't just SLIP down over the 4 posts.  As a matter of fact, gentle force isn't quite what I'd call it either.  The first stick, I pushed hard enough to become concerned that that PCB was going to snap in half, chip, or something bad.

Did you miss my advice above?

I just had to screw the posts into each PCB hole before I installed them to widen the holes a little. (Do this a few times until the holes are widened enough for you to slide the screws in and out before installing.)

Yes, I didn't read the review section prior to installing.  So w/o reading this post, I've recreated a flaw in the design of the posts.  Since these are custom manufactured items, I see no reason why they weren't designed to fit the PBC which was meant to be seated on the pegs.  Good tip, but in my mind it's still poor product execution. 

[Ginsu Victim]

After you finally get all your posts screwed all the way in without snapping any off, your next challenge is to get the PCB to mount on the opposite threaded ends of each post.  With both of my kits/sticks, the PCB didn't just SLIP down over the 4 posts.  As a matter of fact, gentle force isn't quite what I'd call it either.  The first stick, I pushed hard enough to become concerned that that PCB was going to snap in half, chip, or something bad.

Did you miss my advice above?

I just had to screw the posts into each PCB hole before I installed them to widen the holes a little. (Do this a few times until the holes are widened enough for you to slide the screws in and out before installing.)

Yes, I didn't read the review section prior to installing.  So w/o reading this post, I've recreated a flaw in the design of the posts.  Since these are custom manufactured items, I see no reason why they weren't designed to fit the PBC which was meant to be seated on the pegs.  Good tip, but in my mind it's still poor product execution. 

Agreed.

[Ummon]

<edit>

[Ummon]

I'm kind of surprised at the basic design of the PCB supports. I would think a single (perhaps cast or molded) piece with legs that connect to the stick base, and that the PCB fits on the bottom of, would be a given. Simple, sturdy, and safe.

Then I fired up Gyruss and went to Neptune without losing a ship.

And by the way, you shouldn't ever lose a ship before Neptune no matter what kind of stick you're using.

[AndyWarne]

Just seen this post, apologies for not spotting earlier.

We will look at the production of the posts. I am not sure why one of the posts should be a tighter fit than the others as they are all CNC-produced but we will check all of them to ensure the threading is within tolerance.
The posts are made from aluminium as they need to be non-magnetic. We also had a choice of nylon or stainless-steel and maybe a better alternative would be the nylon option, but more expensive. A harder aluminium alloy might be another option.

The PCB holes were always intended to be a tight fit on the threaded part of the posts because the PCB needs to be exactly centered for the stick to work properly. We tested the fit to ensure that, although tight, could be fitted without enlarging the holes, but again, we will look at this and maybe reduce the thread diameter of the pillars slightly at the possible expense of accuracy, which the automatic calibration of the stick should cater for.

Andy

[Ginsu Victim]

Thanks for the response. It's a great stick otherwise, but the installation is scary sometimes because with the posts not fitting the holes well, some people force the PCB on (which they shouldn't do!). I just had to widen the holes a bit by taking a post and screwing into each hole a few times until it was loosened up enough for the post to go on easier.

[csa3d]

Agreed that the stick is quality, and support you provide is top notch.  As expensive as these sticks are when you add up all the accessories, I don't think that paying a bit more for an improved design would break the bank.

-csa

[AndyWarne]

This is the plan to address these issues:

We have a part-time person coming in tomorrow to go through all the pillars and ensure they can all be screwed in quite easily, using one of the thumb-nuts for assistance if required. Any that don't will be discarded.

The PCB holes are 3.9mm diameter. I dont want to go to 4mm as thats too large so we have ordered a special set of 3.95mm drills.

The picture on the website instruction page does show the orientation of the pillars but I will add text describing the correct fitting.

Andy

[Ginsu Victim]

It seemed pretty easy to tell which way they went. I think that 3.95mm drillbit will do the trick.

[Ummon]

Ah. I also PM'd Andy about this. Yes, cnc is what I later thought to add but hadn't been back to do so. As for the design I had in mind: think of it like an upside-down table, where the legs fit to the underside of the stick base, and the pcb fits on the underside of the table (the top as it were) like an inset or something. Does that make sense? The only issue I can see is the restrictors, as those would increase the distance from the magnet to the sensor - unless the restrictors were drilled (or made) for the legs to go through?


And while I'm thinking on restrictors, perhaps they could be re-designed in a modular sense: one outer piece and you snap in different types of inner parts - square, round, octagonal, small round. I don't know if this idea would economically be feasible vs separate restrictors.

[RoomTenONine]

Re: the convex v. concave pushbuttons...

Yes the concave buttons "feel" like the majority of American and European (AFAIK) arcade machines we played growing up.  For general "pushing" of the two styles there isn't much difference aside from a slight tactile feel.  However, the convex buttons do offer a serious advantage given the right game (namely modern fighters) during certain moves requiring a quick successive tapping of one or more buttons (a double tap).  Here it is easier to use two fingers to alternately tap the same button quicly and this is much easier to pull off on convex buttons.

[Ummon]

Re: the convex v. concave pushbuttons...

Yes the concave buttons "feel" like the majority of American and European (AFAIK) arcade machines we played growing up.  For general "pushing" of the two styles there isn't much difference aside from a slight tactile feel.  However, the convex buttons do offer a serious advantage given the right game (namely modern fighters) during certain moves requiring a quick successive tapping of one or more buttons (a double tap).  Here it is easier to use two fingers to alternately tap the same button quicly and this is much easier to pull off on convex buttons.

That would make a certian sense. My candy has flat buttons. Due to technical issues, I haven't tried it out enough to see a difference. (The original Seimitsu sticks, on the other hand, only take a game or two to notice the wild throw they have. I might put U360s in this cab.)

[erictrumpet]

I use two fingers on one button for fast repeat firing/whatever. It has been an essential part of my Asteroids technique for years. I thought I invented that

Eric.

[RoomTenONine]

Re: the convex v. concave pushbuttons...

Yes the concave buttons "feel" like the majority of American and European (AFAIK) arcade machines we played growing up.  For general "pushing" of the two styles there isn't much difference aside from a slight tactile feel.  However, the convex buttons do offer a serious advantage given the right game (namely modern fighters) during certain moves requiring a quick successive tapping of one or more buttons (a double tap).  Here it is easier to use two fingers to alternately tap the same button quicly and this is much easier to pull off on convex buttons.

That would make a certian sense. My candy has flat buttons. Due to technical issues, I haven't tried it out enough to see a difference. (The original Seimitsu sticks, on the other hand, only take a game or two to notice the wild throw they have. I might put U360s in this cab.)

It honestly makes more of a difference than one would think just from hearing the explanation.  Talk to any real serious Capcom or Namco fighter players and they'll agree.  Being able to consistently hit double taps is essential and much easier on convex.

[isucamper]

I'd like to echo the restrictor installation problems that have been stated in this thread.  I ordered two sticks from divemaster, and I got 1 circular restrictor and 1 octagonal restrictor because I wanted to try them both out. 

I spent a good hour and a half last night installing just the circular restrictor and ran into all the problems stated.  3 of the posts went into the base just fine, but I had to use a pliers on the 4th.  Fortunately I was able to do so without mutilating the post too badly.

Then, the PCB wouldn't fit back onto the posts.  2 of the 4 holes seemed big enough, but it was no go on the other two.  I tried to force it on as hard as I could and was very concerned that I was stressing the little PCB and might damage it.  Finally, I was able to widen them one at a time by simply spinning the entire pcb around the post, as if I was threading a screw.  After doing this one at a time, the PCB fit over the 4 posts with a reasonable amount of effort. 

I'm going to install the octagonal tonight, hopefully it doesn't take me as long.  I've got to say, these sticks are really great once you get them installed (I was very relieved when I hooked the stick back up and it still worked!), but holy hell this was a frustrating experience.  I also had problems removing the ering in order to install the harder spring.  I'm not handy at all, and I had no idea how to do this.  After some research, I ended up using a very small flathead screw driver and wedged it into one of the little gaps between the ring and the shaft and pried it off.  Getting it back on was another test of my might, but I got it. 

[Martijn]

Just to add my two cents to this old thread.

I also have a lot of bad experiece installing new restrictors and getting it back together
i almost have to break the pins to get everything together

then a lot of centering problems during boot. Always resulting in bad game experience or even menu navigation. I have to reset the sticks in the ultrastick menu just to get the centering perfect

no more u360 for me 

[Ginsu Victim]

martijn:
Octagonal restrictors or any restrictors?

I've installed the circular ones on four U360s and never had a single issue.

[Martijn]

all of em, eveything is just to tight, i had to bend a lot

[Ginsu Victim]

Weird. Never had any problems whatsoever.

[Martijn]

well thats not the main problem. the calibration is the main problem.

[Ginsu Victim]

When you screwed on the balltops / battops, did you damage the slot where the screwdiver goes? That can create problems right there. It can cause the magnet to not sit flush.

[LeedsFan]

Interesting thread. I've tried all three restrictors in various projects. I have to say that my personal fave is the circular one. But that's just me. Like someone said before there is no right or wrong. It's all personal preference.

I even made my own circular restrictor this morning with an even shorter throw. Of course the circular one is easy to make. I just used emery to smooth out the inside edge of the smaller hole (19mm) and used an existing restrictor to get the mounting holes drilled out to the exact positions. Works great! I can't get that really nice bevelled inside edge though like on the original. And I wouldn't attempt to make the square or octagonal even if they were my faves. 

It was interesting to note the comment about the "plasticky" feel to the joystick. I was gonna make my restrictor out of metal for this reason, but then I figured that this wouldn't help. Because the cap on the end of the shaft is still made of plastic then a metal restrictor won't help surely? Both of these parts would need to be metal. Of course this isn't an issue for me really at all (or for many people at all I would think) but I kinda see what the guy is getting at.