Had a Cougar about 8 years ago…

[robmypro]

Hey guys, I bought a Cougar about 8 years ago, had nothing but trouble with it, and ended up returning it. Really sorry to return it, as it was awesome to look at. LOL. I am sort of getting the itch to try it again, if i can find one in good shape. Currently using an x52 pro, which isn’t bad. It’s just not a Cougar.

Before i place a “wanted” post in the marketplace here, any thoughts on what I should be looking for? Do i try for a modded one, go for stock, or just come to my senses and keep the x52 pro?

Thanks guys.

[MailMan]

Hold on to your current X52. Cougars are slim pickings, modded or not modded. Your best bet is to watch eBay. Most people put them up for sale there. Some will post here from time to time. You may get lucky and find one selling a stick and another selling a throttle. You could also consider the Warthog or the Saitek X-65. A lot of people are using one or the other. Good luck.

[robmypro]

@MailMan:

Hold on to your current X52. Cougars are slim pickings, modded or not modded. Your best bet is to watch eBay. Most people put them up for sale there. Some will post here from time to time. You may get lucky and find one selling a stick and another selling a throttle. You could also consider the Warthog or the Saitek X-65. A lot of people are using one or the other. Good luck.

Okay thanks MailMan.

[Mike_Bravo]

To tell the truth I would consider Cougar again only if I planned to mod it. From what I see on mine, used second hand Cougar would most probably reguire some parts to be changed and even if you change them, they will break again. As a baseline for a mod project it is OK, but nOK for plug and play experience.

[robmypro]

@Mike_Bravo:

To tell the truth I would consider Cougar again only if I planned to mod it. From what I see on mine, used second hand Cougar would most probably reguire some parts to be changed and even if you change them, they will break again. As a baseline for a mod project it is OK, but nOK for plug and play experience.

Thanks Mike. Yeah, after my first experience I am going modded. Which mods are critical to proper operation? I read that the FSSB is a really good upgrade, but does it really fix a problem?

[Mower]

@Mike_Bravo:

To tell the truth I would consider Cougar again only if I planned to mod it. From what I see on mine, used second hand Cougar would most probably reguire some parts to be changed and even if you change them, they will break again. As a baseline for a mod project it is OK, but nOK for plug and play experience.

Yep, got mine in 2001 and while the concept was good the sub-par manufacturing and crappy pots (should have used hall sensors) killed it.

You may see some Cougar apologists come by soon who seem to be emotionally invested in the Cougar and say otherwise. :wfish:

I am much happier with my force sensing x65f.

I refuse to pay hundreds to “fix” my sloppy Cougar.

[Turkeydriver]

Got mine pre-ordered through flightsimcentral when they were alive. The pre-order was delayed 4 months but I finally got it, S/N 4215. What Mower says is correct, but mine had no construction issues. My wife bought me the UberNXT upgrade with Hall Sensors. That made the stick a “cheater stick” when dogfighting- the control was very precise- better than a stock warthog but the springs were much weaker, so it felt weak compared. The only nice part of the setup, unmodded, is the throttle. It’s perfect immersion for this game. I have a Warthog now (Cougar was stolen during a home burglary), and the stick is much better built and very precise. The dual throttle is amazing but bulky.

[Mike_Bravo]

I cannot comment on FSSB mod as I did all mods myself (improved gimbals + hall sensors in the stick), but people here seem to be happy with it. On the throttle there migh be a problem with broken speedbrake slider guide - spare one can be obtained from TM for a reasonable price.

[vitabutch]

@robmypro:

Hey guys, I bought a Cougar about 8 years ago, had nothing but trouble with it, and ended up returning it.

Cougar makes a perfect base for moddings. I get mine to be a parts donor for the cheap FSSB which I simply love to fly. Check this out - https://www.benchmarksims.org/forum/showthread.php?7047-My-Low-Cost-FSSB!!!&p=332115&viewfull=1#post332115
My Warthog has not been in use since Cougar cheap FSSB came to live. And DCS had been put aside as well togeher with Warthog.

[Mower]

@vitabutch:

Cougar cheap FSSB came to live.

Link please?

[Icarus]

What Mower says seems to be true for many, except I should say mine is 8 years old, original pots no issues. Paint is all worn off on the throttle from use.

On the other hand my Warthog stick PCB died after two months and the stick broke off in my hand two months ago. Paint is mint though. Luck of the draw I guess.

I have FSSB and it sure fixes the gimbals problems.

[Red Dog]

Link please?

No way Mower, we’re not going to tempt you and be responsible for breaking your vows

You may see some Cougar apologists come by soon who seem to be emotionally invested in the Cougar and say otherwise.

lol. We Cougar apologists may say the same about you
The only difference is that we don’t have to voice our frustration over the forums for the last 10 years We’re happy with our decisions.
Should you have done so 10 years ago, you’d be as happy as us

[vitabutch]

@Mower:

Link please?

Its in my post above. Pls let me know if I need to make it more detailed. I am usting it couple of months already. Maybe not the most fancy design, but I started it as a concept tester. It turned to be so good so I cant make myself to build a better looking version

[robmypro]

Thanks guys.

[Thommo]

I’d check that the mods you are thinking about are still available. For example Cubpilot (http://cubpilotshangar.net) is no longer online and that means no more hall sensor kits for the U2Nxt either, so no more U2Nxt. So there are fewer options.

Buying replacement Cougar parts from Guillemot is now more expensive as they now come from France and the postage charges are a lot higher.

I was quoted 57 Euro ($61 USD) for a Z pot and a microstick. Last time I ordered a microstick (delivered from the US) it was $7 USD including the part and shipping.

I live in Australia, but someone in the US posted on another forum they were charged 30 Euro for shipping a part. So just be aware the parts have gotten more expensive.

[Icarus]

@Thommo:

I live in Australia, but someone in the US posted on another forum they were charged 30 Euro for shipping a part. So just be aware the parts have gotten more expensive.

That was me, and yes they quoted me minimum 30 Euro shipping for a 6 Euro, 1.5 cm square plastic part. That’s almost $40 US for a small piece of plastic! Its not the parts that are going up, its the shipping. Buy all the parts you think you will need in the future one shot I guess.

[hoover]

I was very lucky to pick up my cougar at a local dept. store for 99€ new. Yep, you read that right. They had three Cougars in stock and they occupied the shelves like lead because back then, people were after FF in joysticks and nobody was willing to pay 250€ or so for the stick. When the store decided to get rid of them for 99€ apiece two of my mates and me lined up first thing in the morning, so to speak.

I have to say though that one of them was DOA, but it was replaced by the store without any issues; mine had a very wobbly stick base, but I’ve gotten used to that, even using the stock pots, no force sensing or what have you.

My only gripe is the seemingly random failures of the device, having to re-flash it every couple of months, the small throttle range before the first AB kicks in (yeah I know this can be modified, but I’m afraid to break the thing even further by opening it), and I haven’t found a good setting for throttle axis resistance yet, either.

Apart from that I can’t complain considering the money I paid for the stick at the time.

Cheers, Uwe

[robmypro]

Thanks for the help, guys. So if I do the mods (assuming I can find them), the overall feeling is that the Cougar is very reliable with them? Because reading the comments here sort of helped me recall the reasons I returned it in the first place. It was the most amazing PITA I have ever owned. Amazing to look at. But always gave me trouble. Things just didn’t work too often, and I seem to remember needing to reload the firmware. Are any of these mods going to help this stuff?

[Icarus]

I think I am saying it is luck of the draw. Some are some aren’t. If you are buying used I would think the luck goes down.

New ones are rare indeed. Most people say the Warthog is very reliable, I’ve had several big problems with it. There are no guarantees. You roll the dice or you don’t. All I can say is I am pleased with mine with all the mods after 8 years.

[robmypro]

@Icarus:

I think I am saying it is luck of the draw. Some are some aren’t. If you are buying used I would think the luck goes down.

New ones are rare indeed. Most people say the Warthog is very reliable, I’ve had several big problems with it. There are no guarantees. You roll the dice or you don’t. All I can say is I am pleased with mine with all the mods after 8 years.

Thanks for the feedback. It is a thing of beauty. It’s unfortunate the first one I bought had so many issues.