TLDR: I want an tournament lvl stick for less then 100 dollars brand new, I would also like some tips on which type i should get, I would also like to know what type you have and why you like it?\
TLRA:
I checked the stickys and read what sticks i should get, but I wanna hear from the community, I wanna know what stick your using and why you like it, and i would love to know if theres any good deals going on right now.
I just bought a 40 dollar Marvel vs fight pad, and its breaking (piece of shit) I’m done with spending a good chunk of cash on something that will break, I want an arcade stick that will last me forever. (or at least a few years)
When I say cheap/expensive, I’m basically saying i want a good deal on a great stick, Im thinking of spending 100 dollars, but I would prefer an 100 dollar stick for cheaper if theres any deals anyones aware of (deals within canada only please)
Tournament Edition or equivalent arcade stick for $100 brand new in Canada? Never gonna happen.
You have to understand that the MSRP for these sticks are about $170 CAD, the Hori Real Arcade Pro V3 goes for $132 CAD and don’t forget about applicable taxes. For your price range, you can get a Madcatz SE fightstick(if you can find one new), not as good or big as the TE stick but at least it comes with quick disconnects so you can easily mod the buttons and the stick.
A better idea would be finding a second hand HRAP or TE stick in the local classifieds. $100 for a used TE stick is possible but very unlikely in Canada.
I’ve taken in account his situation from a Canadian’s point of view:
He wants a new TE equivalent stick for under $100(from his first post).
As a response to my post, he is now willing to spend more than $100 now.
90% of shops in the US that offer free shipping only apply within the US. Shipping an item as heavy and big as a Madcatz Tournament Edition Fightstick or Hori Real Arcade Pro can cost as much as $45 not including duty fees. The site he linked is Dell USA and the TE stick is “temporarily out of stock”.
Amazon.com now ships up to Canada(as I recently heard). Again, you might find a stick for about $100 but shipping and duty is gonna cost you. In the past, they wouldn’t ship any of their electronics and other products across the border due to warranty problems, I dunno why they’ll allow it now.
Goto Amazon.ca, buy a Hori Real Arcade Pro V3(PS3) SA for $131.99($141.99 for Xbox 360/HRAP VX), pay the taxes and get free shipping and the stick within less than 2 days.
The main problem about stick availability in Canada is that it is limited(both local shops and local online shops), Gamestop/EB Games Canada doesn’t really stock any Madcatz Fight gear(from initial release to now). Importing a stick will definitely cost you possibly $60(shipping and duty), that’s how Canada works, anything that crosses the border, customs will tag you with the fee. Yes the HRAP3 SA used to sell for under $100 but how is the availability? The HRAP EX SE used to sell for $90 but it’s long gone. Newegg used to sell the HRAP V3 for $100 with free shipping before as well, there used to be a 2 for 1 TE stick deal but it only applied to America. I want to buy the Hori Real Arcade Pro Travel bag for my VLX but it’s a Hori Shop exclusive and they don’t ship to Canada.
To answer the question regarding Hori Real Arcade Pro/HRAP, Hori is the original company that started making arcade replicate sticks and have a better reputation than Madcatz. Madcatz’s quality control is still pretty bad IMO which is why I don’t own a Madcatz TE stick. In a nutshell, HRAP rival TE sticks.
Spend the money and get a good stick. See why you spent $40 on a Marvel VS fight pad and you’re stuck with crap. Save up a bit more and plan on spending more than $100. Why? So you don’t think gee, I could have spent a little bit more to get what I wanted. It’s all fine and dandy to get a cheaper stick and upgrade it, but seriously, it’s a waste of time and money. Just stick with the suggestions in the thread. Don’t go cheap and buy one with crap stuff that you have to modify. It’s not for everyone. I’d recommend starting out with a good TE or HRAP 3 SA that is great out of the box.
True, I’ve spent a lot of time researching available sticks and prices in Canada. I bought a second hand SE stick for $110 with a JLF stick included back in early 2009. Didn’t like the weight and dimensions of the stick so I started researching yet again until I took a chance with the Wireless Qanba Q3 for $99 from Play-Asia. Total came out to $160 at the time but in the end, the Q3 was pretty much what I was looking for. Later on I got it dual modded and came across the HRAP V3, as great as it was, I had a buddy coming up from the states grabbing me a HRAPP EX VLX from the Black Friday Sale so I sold the HRAP V3. Thanks to local casuals, I’ve had a good grasp of how most of the sticks on the market plays.
SE, HRAP and TE sticks are made to last, if there’s no other options then I suggest looking into a second hand stick. I’m really tempted to get a lightly used HRAP EX-SE for $90. That stick is amazing!
I love it when Canadians ask for cheap sticks So far the cheapest stick i’ve managed to buy in Toronto was the TvC stick for $20 during boxing day, but other than that you’re not going to find anything like syn13 said.
My first sticks were gently used TE’s that I got for $150 each last year just before SSF4 landed. If you buy a used quality stick you wont really notice a difference between new and used. Just try it out before you buy it and you’ll be fine.
So far the cheapest stick i’ve managed to buy in Toronto was the TvC stick for $20 during boxing day, but other than that you’re not going to find anything like syn13 said.