sorry about unneeded new thread came across these forums n didn’t read all stickies yet…
ended up finding a sf4 tournament edition, the red one, for $70. Used but in good shape and even if i have to replace the stick and buttons at that price i don’t mind. I’ll probably get a brand new and perhaps more lavish one when i have some extra money to blow
Thanks very much for everyones input!
If your stick and buttons are problematic, just replace the microswitches. Much cheaper, and extremely easy (no soldering unless you want to replace individual switches on the joystick).
Button microswitches: http://www.focusattack.com/sanwa-sw-68-button-micro-switch/
Joystick microswitch assembly: http://www.focusattack.com/sanwa-tp-ma-pcb-assembly/
Individual joystick microswitches: http://www.focusattack.com/sanwa-ms-0-2p-micro-switch/
If anyone is looking for a new joystick, my recommendation is this…
I has a question (for kittens). I have the Mad Catz Arcade Fightstick Tournament Edition S and I’m curious if using a different stick will actually make me more accurate with my moves? I’ve been looking at the Razer, as well as the Hori Fighting Edge. Will using either of these (or any other stick you can think of) actually help me with more accuracy with my moves? I’m also a little dissapointed that the guide doesn’t have preferences listed regardelss of price. The only preferences the OP has are his budget and easily modable choices. What about regardless of price? I’m curious as to what the OP (or anyone’s) stick preference is regardless of price - just your favorite, best stick without mods. Also - I don’t really know anything about mods. Do they actually make the stick “better”? Or just look cooler. In addition, what does having a better PCB do? I understand having less connectivity issues but will one PCB make moves more responsive than another? I was under the impression that the only thing that really mattered were the parts, and the TE-S has all Sanwa parts. By that logic, is there really anything ‘better’? Excluding things that help with stick stability like a thicker chassis or something like that.
Sorry for all of the questions! I’d love some good solid answers though.
The Mad Catz TE-S, and The Razer Atrox both uses the Sanwa JLF
the Hori Fighting Edge uses the Hori made Haybausa joystick.
Most Japanese style joysticks, those with the 5 pin wire harness are almost interchangeable with any other type.
Few arcade controllers will have issues, mostly older hori sticks are unable to mount Seimitsu joysticks correctly without modification.
Also read the guide on Page 1.
Nah, it’s called practice. There’s lots of alternatives if you don’t like the sanwa jlf though.
The ls-32 is probably the most popular one - it’s old and has a weird pivot, but lots of people swear by it. If you want slightly faster actuation, a little less throw, larger diagonals and a slightly heavier spring go for it.
General wisdom seems to be that less features (turbo, switch select etc) means less input lag. There’s a few latency tests on youtube if you look around.
Comes down to practice more than anything, but there are a couple of simple, cheap mods you should try before buying new sticks. Get an octagonal gate, an oversized actuator (no more than 1mm oversized), and a 2 lb jlf spring and see what those do for you.
I now own five total sticks, I purchased 3 MadCatz TE’s from E-Bay all together (and then my 2 HORI EXs which I probably will have trouble even giving away lol).
A round 1 which is just a spare one that I’m going to pimp out with some custom artwork and colorful buttons when I have some extra money – so far all I got is a red ball top. This one is my spare because it was the most worn, the microswitches need replaced. When I buy new buttons will new microswitches also come with them or do I need to actually get new buttons AND new microswitches? I have ideas flowing about what I want to do with this stick, but I’m not certain yet… Either a set up with contrasting colors, a Virtua Fighter 5 stick, a custom SFIV stick, or just making the buttons the generic XBox colors. We’ll see.
A round 2 which is my girl’s primary stick. Came in pretty good playing shape, switches still feel nice and clicky and responsive, though the artwork and bezel have what seem to be razor cuts in them. Put a 2lb spring, an octagonal gate, AND a (red) bat-top in place of the ball top. She decided to use the bat because she likes to hold the stick a bit lower and tighter… I actually like the feel and look of it more than I thought I would though (A bat really makes a stick look more distinct). I’m debating whether or not to put a bat on one of my sticks now.
And, my baby, a Marvel vs. Capcom stick. I can’t believe that I got this stick for less than $80 because it literally feels and looks brand new. For the time being I’m leaving the aesthetic details of this stick alone because it looks great and I really like the artwork. All that I did to this stick is put a 2lb spring in it and it feels GREAT!
I highly recommend a MadCatz Tournament Edition stick to anyone looking for a first or looking to upgrade from a low-end… However, if you’re looking for that authentic arcade feel, you’ll probably want to invest the $1.25 to get a 2lb tension spring. Also, I had no experience whatsoever modding a stick or any sort of controller or anything of that nature, and I had very little difficulty switching out the spring (and the ball/bat top and gate)… the hardest part is getting the little e-clip back on.
Few questions/thoughts for you guys;
I was having some issues with true up, true down, true left, true right. Like I would think that I was just going left but I would actually be left and up or down just slightly; and even if I wasn’t far enough to make it click up or down it would still cause issues with certain moves. Just putting in the 2lb spring definitely helped. I was thinking that if I were to also use an octagonal gate that it would help even more because I could feel the groove to tell if I were exactly one true direction… But I don’t know if that is necessarily wise; Maybe I should just continue to practice and not alter anything else.
Does anyone use the Kowal oversize actuator? If so; how do you like it, does it make a big difference, etc? Basically, should I get one? 
What kind of lubricant can you/are you supposed to use on the white pivot head?
And does anyone happen to have a box and/or the stick artwork, in GOOD condition, for a Round 2 stick? Willing to pay.
Also I just have to say that I’m so glad that I found this site (and Focus Attack through finding this site)!!! I probably would’ve bought another HORI over a MadCatz, and even if I would’ve bought a MadCatz, I probably wouldn’t have had any idea how easily customizable they are. This forum has opened me up to an entirely new world – just modding and planning mods is quickly becoming a hobby of mine. Thanks to everyone! 
Yes, new buttons will come with micro switches.
Practice is the key, but if you like the octagonal gate better, or if you just want to try it, go for it. They’re cheap.
I like the Kowal. Faster engage and shorter throw. Again, cheap - worth trying.
Silicone grease, most use shin-etsu.
Or Moly kote grease (same specs, different brand)
Moly Kote also easier to get in the US compared to Shin Etsu.
Found a Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Hori NX on eBay. This is one of the more rare versions of the newest RAP case. $119 plus $20 for shipping ain’t bad. Damn good looking too.
Short answer: what PresidentCamacho said, both are relatively cheap and have a noticeable effect on the feel so you might as well try them out.
Longer answer: Well you already put an octagonal gate on your girl’s stick so try it out, the bat top will change the feel a bit itself but it should give a good enough sense of what it’s like. Or just swap the gate into your stick for a little bit. I play shmups and it definitely helps me when holding directions, I accidentally slide around a bit sometimes when playing on a square gate. One thing that bugged me at first was that it extends out the throw of the cardinal directions to match the diagonal throw. I got used to it but it’s something to keep in mind if the current throw distance bugs you at all.
…and that’s the main reason I got the Kowal actuator recently. Worked to reduce the throw and seemingly increased the feel of the spring tension. Not sure if that was cause the actuator shape or if the inner diameter is taller (to compress the spring more) or what though.
So I currently have a few sticks. 2 TEs, Injustice and a Brawl stick. Most of them are dual modded. I was debating on picking up the fighting edge but wondering if there might be a better stick worth that investment. Just wanted to get some opinions.
Even if you don’t like the parts inside the fighting edge is a good investment.
Worst case scenario you don’t like it, you can sell it off for another stick
Thanks for the guide Darksakul. I came across your thread while I was browsing for recommendation threads for arcade sticks.
I’ve never actually owned a stick before and after trying out my friend’s stick (which I think it was Hori pro 3 or something), despite having a little bit of trouble of getting used to the new “controller” I really enjoyed playing with it more than when I use gamepads.
However, after reading your guide and looked at various reviews for certain sticks, I seriously don’t know which to choose from as there are variety of sticks available. So many choices from each of the companies you’ve mentioned and with both positive and negative reviews, it’s really hard to pinpoint the right stick for me.
I was wondering if I could get some recommendations based on the preferences below:
Thanks, help would be appreciated it.
Well the only thing on the top of my head that comes with reliable parts would be a Madcatz Pro stick for $130. The only PS4 stick, Hori V4, is out in Japan and can be purchased for $145 plus shipping. Any other stick sometimes come with questionable parts as some people on this forum has said that Qanba PCB’s are not all reliable.
However if you can wait until a tournament major, Madcatz will often usually sell the Pro stick for $100 after getting a code by watching the streams of the tournaments.
Mad Catz Pro or if you can find it on the trading outlets a TE are you best bet.
So far there only one stick out for the PS4 and thats the Hori V4, its only released in japan right now
I ordered this stick, and I waiting for it to arrive
Madcatz Pro is on sale on Amazon for $99.
Even better…