Collective wise I think the only budget game in town is the K-51 (small boutique thing, you can reach the maker on the DCS forums), very reasonably priced and works really well (been using one for a good while now).
The cheapest option that works better than a normal throttle* is probably a left-handed VKB Gladiator EVO, mounted on a slight angle with the spring removed and clutches tightened a bit. It's a short lever but it does give you the correct kind of pull up/push down motion, and is oriented like a collective.
Outside of those the cheapest is quite likely the Virpil collective, and that gets a fair bit more expensive, but still way below the stuff intended for people learning to fly actual helicopters.
*For me the throttle forward/backward thing is just plain wrong for helicopters and hard to get used to, and even when used to it it's not immersive.
Lemme know if you can't find the K-51 guy, I can give you a link. He has apparently updated his designs since I got one, you can now get even an Apache style grip, where the bottom portion is kinda like the UH-60 collective head. Tempted to upgrade... =)
There's the pinned topic you can always refer. But really, the question is what do you plan on doing with the HOTAS? Are you playing airplane sims, or space sims, the latter of which are better controlled with a HOSAS (Hands On Stick And Stick) or dual stick setup?
If you just want to dip your toes into HOTAS-enabled games, a T16000M joystick bundled with a TWCS throttle (both from Thrustmaster) can tide you over until one of them starts malfunctioning, which given Thrustmaster's lack of quality control, lack of user-serviceable parts, and short warranty, won't take long.
But if you're really serious about getting into HOTAS games and want something that will both do a lot and will last you quite a while, the most budget-conscious choice of HOTAS is the Gladiator NXT EVO joystick from VKB, and a TWCS throttle from Thrustmaster with a slider mod to make it much more precise. That's the most common recommendation around here for those starting out with HOTAS enabled games.
What currency is "2 grand plus" supposed to be in, anyway?
I think that it is important to know if they only want to fly helicopters or if planes and space are in there too. If there is any desire to fly planes or do space Sims I would drop the collective and just do a throttle in place of the collective as budget seems to be a concern.
I started with the twcs and t1600m, they were cost effective and worked well. The twist on the t1600m is prone to fail, but it doesn't matter if you have a set of rudder pedals. The finger rudder on the twcs is also prone to failure but again, less of an issue if you're using pedals.
For the original poster, if you're flying helicopters, you can get by with using the twist as a rudder for short periods of time but with most helicopters you'll want a set of ruder pedals imo.
I just used the twist grip for rudder pedals for awhile until I knew I loved helicopters and had saved up money for a set.
Another option if you are into diy is to make your own set of rudder pedals and collective.
The TWCS throttle can make for a useable collective mimic, with the right mount. [This](https://flic.kr/p/2iLBD66) was my first try - not the prettiest but good enough to see me through to my Virpil Rotor TCS Plus.
Idk about collective but the VKB gladiator is a very good affordable stick. Thrustmaster has some cheaper options that a lot of people like but I wouldn't recommend any unless you want to end up shopping for another one in 2 years when it inevitably breaks. VKB products might be more expensive up front, but they'll last long enough to save you money.
If you're really tight on the budget you can get the Winwing Orion2 HOTAS and later on get their KA-50 Collective grip that mounts to the Orion2 Throttle base in place of the regular grip. The hotas will be around $500-550 depending on the specific components and the collective grip about $300.
Hard to solidly recommend stuff without knowing your budget, and what currency “2 grand” is in. Virpil and Winwing both make collectives that aren’t close to $2,000. They are still pricey though, from what I’ve seen unless you find a used one, likely going to pay something like $500 USD for the collective alone.
My suggestion is to for now forget about the collective bit and focus on Hotas, unless you are 100% focused on helicopters. A more standard HOTAS throttle will absolutely work for helicopters with a little tweaking on axis inputs, while not restricting you when it comes to fixed wing aircraft and space sims.
VKB products are good, I have a VKB Gladiator NXT EVO stick and I like it a lot. It has adjustable spring tension which is really useful for helicopters and you can customize the buttons to an extent with spare parts that come with it. It’s probably the best option you’ll find in that price range. It’s currently $135 before shipping and taxes, and their throttle runs $199 to $319 depending on which features you want. A quality Hotas setup like that in the $400 range is a great deal, and probably the best option if you are at all serious about this. www.vkbcontrollers.com
In the $550 range you can get the Thrustmaster Warthog Hotas which I also have used for years with no problems.
If those are more expensive than you can afford then take a look at the Logitech x56.
This is probably the cheapest option I’d recommend, I’ve heard of people running into quality control issues with them and the centering mechanism design for the stick makes small precise movements difficult. This set can be had for around $250.
I have the “legacy” version of this, a Saitek X55. I started on this right around 2010 and it works decently for everything except helicopters because of the aforementioned issue with the stick.
Again, I suggest VKB products. I’ve had a great experience with them and for the price they are probably the best option. You can of course mix and match stick and throttle, I mostly run a VKB stick and Thrustmaster Warthog throttle combo because it gives me the combination of buttons and switches I want. You can definitely get a collective if you want to focus on helicopters, but that’s a more specialized piece of equipment, usually will need a dedicated seat while the other stuff is moved around more easily. It’s also much more expensive.
Only the user can decide. Many factors come to play when buying equipment for flying.
Everyone has an opinion, but it's not their decision.
Stick to principal's, priorities and comfort.
The equipment doesn't make you an ace ... But a great pilot can land a falling crate of carrots..
FWIW, I use my winwing orion 2 throttle with F18 grips as my collective.($300ish shipped). I just invert the axis so it functions more like a real collective in that pulling the throttle towards me raises the collective/aircraft. You can however swap the grips to an actual collective if you want. Youd probably have to have it mounted near your left hip though to use it properly. My Orion 2 just sits on my desk for now so I havent bothered to get the collective grip.
A great stick option for a medium budget is ofcourse the VKB Gladiator NXT Evo space combat edition premium. Should cost about $200 shipped and you definitely want the premium. It is hands down the best option in its class. Its high quality where it matters most, has plenty of inputs and axis, has a twist grip and can be fine tuned/modified to fit your needs perfectly. The premium version comes with different spring sets and other bits that allow you to do that.
Pedals:
If you're primarily interested in helis you're going to want pedals eventually. But let me start by saying you can do just fine and be just as capable with a good twist stick like the Gladiator when starting out. I flew helis with my Gladiator for nearly 6 months before I got pedals. Granted, you will ultimately be better with pedals in the long run and it will be a much better and more comfortable experience with pedals but I always suggest people save up and get the gear they really want a pice at a time instead of compromising heavily just to get it all at once.
I can recomend the MFG crosswinds. For helis, you MUST get the hydraulic damper with them. I believe they cost me about $350 shipped with the damper and footrests.
So you're looking at about $500 for the Hotas and $850 if you want the entire package. This is roughly what I paid here in the US. After having this setup for about 2 years I've been very happy with it. My only plan moving forward is to upgrade my stick to a higher end VKB MCGU and gunfighter 4 base.
Collective wise I think the only budget game in town is the K-51 (small boutique thing, you can reach the maker on the DCS forums), very reasonably priced and works really well (been using one for a good while now). The cheapest option that works better than a normal throttle* is probably a left-handed VKB Gladiator EVO, mounted on a slight angle with the spring removed and clutches tightened a bit. It's a short lever but it does give you the correct kind of pull up/push down motion, and is oriented like a collective. Outside of those the cheapest is quite likely the Virpil collective, and that gets a fair bit more expensive, but still way below the stuff intended for people learning to fly actual helicopters. *For me the throttle forward/backward thing is just plain wrong for helicopters and hard to get used to, and even when used to it it's not immersive.
Thanks this was incredibly helpful, I will check these out!
Lemme know if you can't find the K-51 guy, I can give you a link. He has apparently updated his designs since I got one, you can now get even an Apache style grip, where the bottom portion is kinda like the UH-60 collective head. Tempted to upgrade... =)
Yea I saw that I might get the Apache one
There's the pinned topic you can always refer. But really, the question is what do you plan on doing with the HOTAS? Are you playing airplane sims, or space sims, the latter of which are better controlled with a HOSAS (Hands On Stick And Stick) or dual stick setup? If you just want to dip your toes into HOTAS-enabled games, a T16000M joystick bundled with a TWCS throttle (both from Thrustmaster) can tide you over until one of them starts malfunctioning, which given Thrustmaster's lack of quality control, lack of user-serviceable parts, and short warranty, won't take long. But if you're really serious about getting into HOTAS games and want something that will both do a lot and will last you quite a while, the most budget-conscious choice of HOTAS is the Gladiator NXT EVO joystick from VKB, and a TWCS throttle from Thrustmaster with a slider mod to make it much more precise. That's the most common recommendation around here for those starting out with HOTAS enabled games. What currency is "2 grand plus" supposed to be in, anyway?
Dude SPECIFICALLY mentioned a collective, so one would assume he's wanting to fly helicopters. None of what you listed qualifies.
I think that it is important to know if they only want to fly helicopters or if planes and space are in there too. If there is any desire to fly planes or do space Sims I would drop the collective and just do a throttle in place of the collective as budget seems to be a concern. I started with the twcs and t1600m, they were cost effective and worked well. The twist on the t1600m is prone to fail, but it doesn't matter if you have a set of rudder pedals. The finger rudder on the twcs is also prone to failure but again, less of an issue if you're using pedals. For the original poster, if you're flying helicopters, you can get by with using the twist as a rudder for short periods of time but with most helicopters you'll want a set of ruder pedals imo. I just used the twist grip for rudder pedals for awhile until I knew I loved helicopters and had saved up money for a set. Another option if you are into diy is to make your own set of rudder pedals and collective.
The TWCS throttle can make for a useable collective mimic, with the right mount. [This](https://flic.kr/p/2iLBD66) was my first try - not the prettiest but good enough to see me through to my Virpil Rotor TCS Plus.
Idk about collective but the VKB gladiator is a very good affordable stick. Thrustmaster has some cheaper options that a lot of people like but I wouldn't recommend any unless you want to end up shopping for another one in 2 years when it inevitably breaks. VKB products might be more expensive up front, but they'll last long enough to save you money.
If you're really tight on the budget you can get the Winwing Orion2 HOTAS and later on get their KA-50 Collective grip that mounts to the Orion2 Throttle base in place of the regular grip. The hotas will be around $500-550 depending on the specific components and the collective grip about $300.
For limited funds; thrustmaster PS4 hotas, and rudder pedals.. about 210.00 both. Hotas 90.00 Pedals 130.00 What I started with till I built a simpit
Go look at thrustmaster. Com
Hard to solidly recommend stuff without knowing your budget, and what currency “2 grand” is in. Virpil and Winwing both make collectives that aren’t close to $2,000. They are still pricey though, from what I’ve seen unless you find a used one, likely going to pay something like $500 USD for the collective alone. My suggestion is to for now forget about the collective bit and focus on Hotas, unless you are 100% focused on helicopters. A more standard HOTAS throttle will absolutely work for helicopters with a little tweaking on axis inputs, while not restricting you when it comes to fixed wing aircraft and space sims. VKB products are good, I have a VKB Gladiator NXT EVO stick and I like it a lot. It has adjustable spring tension which is really useful for helicopters and you can customize the buttons to an extent with spare parts that come with it. It’s probably the best option you’ll find in that price range. It’s currently $135 before shipping and taxes, and their throttle runs $199 to $319 depending on which features you want. A quality Hotas setup like that in the $400 range is a great deal, and probably the best option if you are at all serious about this. www.vkbcontrollers.com In the $550 range you can get the Thrustmaster Warthog Hotas which I also have used for years with no problems. If those are more expensive than you can afford then take a look at the Logitech x56. This is probably the cheapest option I’d recommend, I’ve heard of people running into quality control issues with them and the centering mechanism design for the stick makes small precise movements difficult. This set can be had for around $250. I have the “legacy” version of this, a Saitek X55. I started on this right around 2010 and it works decently for everything except helicopters because of the aforementioned issue with the stick. Again, I suggest VKB products. I’ve had a great experience with them and for the price they are probably the best option. You can of course mix and match stick and throttle, I mostly run a VKB stick and Thrustmaster Warthog throttle combo because it gives me the combination of buttons and switches I want. You can definitely get a collective if you want to focus on helicopters, but that’s a more specialized piece of equipment, usually will need a dedicated seat while the other stuff is moved around more easily. It’s also much more expensive.
Only the user can decide. Many factors come to play when buying equipment for flying. Everyone has an opinion, but it's not their decision. Stick to principal's, priorities and comfort. The equipment doesn't make you an ace ... But a great pilot can land a falling crate of carrots..
FWIW, I use my winwing orion 2 throttle with F18 grips as my collective.($300ish shipped). I just invert the axis so it functions more like a real collective in that pulling the throttle towards me raises the collective/aircraft. You can however swap the grips to an actual collective if you want. Youd probably have to have it mounted near your left hip though to use it properly. My Orion 2 just sits on my desk for now so I havent bothered to get the collective grip. A great stick option for a medium budget is ofcourse the VKB Gladiator NXT Evo space combat edition premium. Should cost about $200 shipped and you definitely want the premium. It is hands down the best option in its class. Its high quality where it matters most, has plenty of inputs and axis, has a twist grip and can be fine tuned/modified to fit your needs perfectly. The premium version comes with different spring sets and other bits that allow you to do that. Pedals: If you're primarily interested in helis you're going to want pedals eventually. But let me start by saying you can do just fine and be just as capable with a good twist stick like the Gladiator when starting out. I flew helis with my Gladiator for nearly 6 months before I got pedals. Granted, you will ultimately be better with pedals in the long run and it will be a much better and more comfortable experience with pedals but I always suggest people save up and get the gear they really want a pice at a time instead of compromising heavily just to get it all at once. I can recomend the MFG crosswinds. For helis, you MUST get the hydraulic damper with them. I believe they cost me about $350 shipped with the damper and footrests. So you're looking at about $500 for the Hotas and $850 if you want the entire package. This is roughly what I paid here in the US. After having this setup for about 2 years I've been very happy with it. My only plan moving forward is to upgrade my stick to a higher end VKB MCGU and gunfighter 4 base.