Bought these through Amazon as used but in almost new condition. I was very happy with the service from the seller, "sniperwolfsguy" and they were delivered promptly, in good shape. I've got more confidence in Amazon than I have in E-Bay.

I'm using them with X-Plane, which is a great simulator. I used to be a professional pilot, lots of time stick and rudder crop-dusters as well as more sophisticated equipment. This unit is responsive with as authentic "feel" as you can expect in something that's hooked up to a computer rather than strapped to a real airframe and powerplant.

Lots of programmable buttons and things for simulating anything from trim to radio to guns to water drops. Rudder controls under the throttle take a bit of getting used to but you can always flash out another $150 for rudder pedals?

If you're trying to fly any simulator with a mouse and keyboard, take a step up and try something like this.

Just recieved the x45 and I must say it is far more responsive than the newer x52 and x52pro! The rudder control on the throttle is much better than a twist joystick. No problems downloading and installing the drivers orSST software from Saitek. The CD software is no good. Up and running with FS2004 in 10 mins. The x45 is better suited for the tight stick and responsiveness. I hate a sloppy stick. Overall I will use this one until Saitek comes out with a better model. Hopefully fixing the problems with the craftsmanship of the x52, and placing the rudder control back on the throttle. SST programming was very easy to do. Made programs for 10 games in little over an hour.

I bought this joystick for use in the BF1942 mod: Desert Combat. I had to hunt down a special file to get this joystick to work with this game though, which was actually a limitation of BF1942.

The controller itself is pretty bulky, but I guess that's to be expected from a joystick/throttle combo. I'm used to gamepads, so this took a little getting used to.

The reason I give this 3 stars and not 4 is because of the rudder control. It's inconviently located on the thottle control in such a way as you have to bend your wrist down almost 90 deg to reach it. Using the rudder control for more than 10 minutes and you'll start to experience pain in your wrist.

Fortunately, the controller comes with a great Profile Editor utility which lets you bind the controls to pretty much any keystroke imaginable. So, you can use this in any game, but it takes time to either hunt down an existing profile on the web, or building your own.

To be fair, this joystick is probably better for flight sims than combat.

TIP: There are notches on the bottom of these two devices, find a surface you can hammer nails into and align them with these notches. This way, the joystick doesn't move around on your desk and you have much better control.

This is the best fighter throttle and joystick combo out there. The product is easy to install (follow the directions, the throttle plugs into the joystick and the joystick plugs in to the computer.) and the configurability is excellent.

I am a GA pilot and use this for both combat sims (IL2, LOMAC, Aces High), X-Plane and FS2004. The construction is rock solid (it is not made of cheap plastic like most joysticks on the market) and the ability to change the tension on the joystick and throttle are an added bonus.

Bottom Line: If you're an avid flight sim fan looking for a joystick, skip the rest, buy the best.

This HOTAS has more promise than any other joystick or gaming peripheral I've used so far. The programmibility of the stick is awesome by itself. I love the look, the price point, and the button placement design of the hardware. It doesn't work for everyone, so test drive it first before you buy. I've been using this setup for about 5 months now...

When I took this thing out of the box, installed the software (use the saitek site, not the CD!!!) and loaded Mechwarrior 4, I was somewhat dissappointed. The weight of the joystick and throttle cause them to slip and silde with stronger game movements. The rubber pads on the bottom don't really work all that well. With this setup out of the box, in spite of everything I love about it, I give it an unremarkable 1.5 stars.

However, EVERYTHING changed when I decided to mount the two pieces to brackets I fashioned for desk or chair use. By using the mounting holes below the stick and throttle, the x45 became a serious gaming peripheral and buttons that were hard to use before (rudder rocker switch) became easy and almost effortless! The biggest shortcoming of the x45 for me is stability. The mounting bracket solved this.

This is not a joystick for everyone. My hands are a bit smaller, so I had a reach a little more but not uncomfortably for certain buttons. Out of the box, this piece is something of a letddown because of its instability for practical, more aggressive gaming. Slap the HOTAS on a wood and steel bracket, you're ready to rock.

Just don't forget to make a hole for the tension screw on the throttle! I had to take my bracket apart last week to make this change and it's a pain.

Saitek x45 out of box == 1.5 stars
Saitek x45 mounted on bracket == 4.75 stars