I’m looking at building a new stick from scratch. I’ve thought about building my own case, but concluded that I’m honestly too lazy, so I’ve been looking for a case to buy. I’ve known of the Tek-Innovations TEK-CASE S1-B (http://www.tek-innovations.com/arthobbies/?loc=products&cat=12) for quite some time, but I’ve been skeptical of it’s durability. I’ve been recently shown the Panzer Fight Stick Arcade Joystick Case (http://www.focusattack.com/panzer-fight-stick-arcade-joystick-case/), but I’m also skeptical about durability.
I slam on my sticks at times… My first Japanese stick was an SE back in 2009, and it is now slightly concave as I tend to slam my fist on the buttons out of frustration from time to time. I’m curious as to how well these cases will hold up to a beating. If anyone can give me some insight on this, or suggest another possible alternative, it would be greatly appreciated! I just don’t want to buy one of these cases, only to break it weeks/months down the line from giving it the same treatment that I have all my other sticks.
I currently own 2 SEs and a Round 2 TE, but have previously owned a HORI HRAP V3 SA, Qanba Q4, and Madcatz Soul Edition stick. All the sticks I’ve ever owned have held up to my abuse and stayed in acceptable condition.
Also, I’m honestly more interested in the TEK CASE, but I’m more skeptical about it too. More info at that case in particular would be greatly appreciated!
Each PFS is built using 14 Gauge Cold Rolled Steel (.075" thick). This is thicker than the sheet metal used in most cars today and at least twice as thick as compared to the metal used in the HitBox™ case by my eyeball comparisons. It weights nearly 9lbs and is strong. You can not hurt this things slamming down on the buttons or joystick. All of my tests and abuse involve 7 year old kids at a game show who beat the crap out of one of my personal sticks and it’s got no signs of wear, tear, or problems. I am 100% confident that you would break the JLF or the plastic Sanwa buttons before you could hurt the Panzer Fight Stick Case.
Acrylic is plastic. It will be subject to the exact same problems of any other plastic case over time. It flexes and can crack. It is strong when at the proper thickness (1/4" starting) as I used it for years when I built Fish Tanks, but I dont think it will hold the same sort of abuse that a metal stick would.
Short of hitting one of my cases with a hammer, I doubt you could do damage to its structural integrity.
I haven’t had the opportunity to own a Tankstick yet, but I have used Tek-Cases.
Tek-Cases are indeed made with acrylic, but are by no means fragile. They take a friggin’ beating as well. That being said, I’m sure a Tankstick is EVEN MORE durable.
Unless you Hulk-smash your way through rage-quitting, or are chucking your arcade sticks like a football, I don’t think any retail- or well-known-mass-produced-custom-sticks will break on you. It’s a matter of size/weight/design/style preference.
While I don’t own a Panzer Tank Stick, i can say that the work ‘Tank’ in the title is no lie, especially if it is using 14 gauge steel. I worked in a sheet metal shop for 12 years. Looking at the design of the case I can tell it can withstand a lot of force and abuse. You could probably take a hammer to the case and would barely leave a dent in it. Hell, I’ve hit plenty of things made of 14 gauge steel with a hammer and barely even scratched it.
I have a Tek-B case and a Panzer tankstick. I have no reliability issues with the Tek case, but it has a bit of a flex to it since the main support is coming from the top, bottom and sides with a little support coming from the support layer plexi. I’ve had no problems with the Tek case, but its fairly lightweight and if it ever fell I’m pretty certain one of the panels would crack. One thing about the Tek that always concerned me was that the JLF is mounted into plastic. Again, never had any problem with it but if you are rough on your stick, or if you ever dropped the case on the balltop, you might have a problem. The tek was the first time I’d played on a panel that wasn’t made of wood or steel and you can tell right away. The customization options are amazing on the Tek case. Another consideration would be build time. The panzer comes apart with 8 screws. The tek case will take you at least 30mins to assemble, and you’ll still have to install all your parts.
The Panzer tankstick is a steel beast. There’s no way you are denting the panzer unless you are deliberately trying to dent it, and i doubt you could do it with your fist. The case has amazing weight to it, better than anything except maybe the Hori VLX. My 15 month old frequently pounds on it, stands on it, sits on it, and its as perfectly in spec as the day it arrived.
I love both sticks, but I would take the Panzer over the Tek case. It’s about $50 more expensive if I am remembering the Tek cost + shipping, but it’s worth it in my opinion. I have some side-by-side picks of the two sticks, I can send them to you if you’d like.
