Hello everyone. I’m in the process of building my Panzer FightStick 3i and I have a few questions. I should mention that my primary experience with this sort of arcade stick hardware is those Sanwa parts included in MadCatz TE type sticks. I’m building my Panzer primarily for fighting game use as well as any retro-style arcade titles (emulated/MAME or otherwise) that would benefit from an arcade stick.
First I’m trying to decide on a lever. My research has seemingly revealed that Korean type levers, even those that are modded (I seem to hear Golden Fanta / Infiltration stick are the top of this echelon) are best for very specific 3D fighting game use and not preferred by many for much else. This, combined with my previous experience with a Sanwa lever, suggest a Japanese style lever is the way to go.
Having looked into the varying levers available, it seems that there’s a significant price gap between the standard offerings and the more specialized versions that are typically silent types with upgraded components, like the Sanwa Silent 2017 High Tension, Hori Hayabusa Optical, or Magenta. Of these three it seems the Magenta is probably the most full featured, but given that my current experience level may not be sufficient to really be able to take advantage of what Magenta offers, I figure I’ll add one later. So for the moment I’ve been considering a "starter " standard lever to get my build off the ground with a solid, high quality performer.
With this in mind, I’ve primarily been considering the Sanwa JLF stock, the Sanwa JLF w/ Cherry Switches, and the Hori Hayabusa . I’m open to Seimitsu as well, but given the large selection of sticks and their differences, I figure I may stick with Sanwa or Hori unless anyone can give me a particular reason to choose a Seimitsu model. I’m assuming Sanwa JLFs bought today are the latest version and if I’m correct contain Omron microswitches. Does anyone feel that there is a benefit to choosing the Cherry switch modded variant instead of the one with stock Omrons? Lastly, when it comes to Hori Hayabusa I’ve read a lot of varied opinions that seem pretty split - some feel it an improvement on the JLF while still maintaining compatibility with mods etc…while others feel that it is equal or perhaps even falls short. In the knowledge and experience of those here, how does the Hayabusa compare to the JLF (stock or Cherry modded)? Are its components and build quality equal or better? How about feel/response during play? Any other differences I should know? I know that a certain amount of lever choice is personal preference, but input is appreciated.
I also have some questions about button selection and the various colors/shades, but getting the lever taken care of would be a good start. Thank you!
Since I’ve not had the chance to try many different kinds, I’m going on hypotheticals and relations to what I already know - the Sanwa JLF model included in Madcatz TE.
Generally, I think the Sanwa JLF is a good place to start and overall I like it and don’t particularly find its performance lacking in any way I can tell. Then again, without a significant basis of comparison perhaps I’m missing something.
In any event, I like overall responsiveness and feel, high quality switches, the ability to be modded with relative ease (ie there are lots of gates and compatible features, both cosmetic and otherwise for it), and generally. I’m pretty sure I’ll stick with my default square gate because its nice for diagonals, at least for now. Same thing for other springs or actuators etc. Audio wise silent options seem neat but not required and overall upgraded internals like optical or hall effect seem in theory to be bonuses, but all of these are facets of the kind of “advanced” more expensive lever I’ll probably pick up later when I can justify the price and benefits.
Does anyone know what will change with the Cherry switch modded JLF vs the default JLF? Likewise, how do either of these compare to the Hori Hayabusa in feel and performance?
Indeed that was something of my default if I wasn’t able to find enough info to deviate from it. Still, I would like to know how they differ from the others I mentioned though.
Clearly there must be some reason for the Cherry modded variety or else Paradise wouldn’t be offering it. I’m unsure if it is accuracy, feel, reliability or something else but it seems that PAS offers Cherry switches on their upgraded JLF mods (ie the LED and RGB LED modded JLFs), so there must be something to it.
Hayabusa has some claims made on paper such as
" The “Hayabusa” is a square gate Joystick Unit with the input load cut by 5%~15% in order to achieve faster and more precise inputs and The “Hayabusa” Joystick Unit is smoother and more responsive compared to other joysticks in it’s class "
Is this accurate? . i’m unsure how its switches compare to stock JLF or especially Cherry JLF, and if the plastics included in its construction are a benefit or a detriment, as well as overall performance, reliability, and quality. It also advertises a “V” shaped cam design as an advantage. Price wise it tends to be at a slight premium over the JLF but within the same price range, so there must be those buying who feel it justified. Then again, if it totally outclassed the JLF I would think it would have gained a reputation as the lever to buy of its type/price
Thus I was hoping for more clarification on the aforementioned differences before making my choice.
Because your experience is primarily with a stock JLF. Better to go with what you know, or are used to, than trying out different combinations, simply based on what people say on the internet. It’s pretty easy to mod a JLF anyway in the future.
I have a JLF, a Hayabusa and a Seimitsu Ls-32, and there really isn’t much difference between them. The Seimitsu does feels a bit too loose for my taste, The Sanwa and the Hayabusa sticks feel almost identical but I feel the Hayabusa a bit more precise. Read some people saying the opposite about them so it just comes down to preference, but there’s not really a noticeable difference between them. If you’re just starting you should just get the cheapest of the ones you said and go with it, all of them are great anyways.
Can anyone clue me in on the reason for Cherry switch mods? Applied either to JLF or Hayabusa, there must be some rationale for and/or difference between the stock (Omrons in both cases I think?) and Cherry?