I own and use both. Here is how I feel about the two:
We'll start with the pedals.
The MSFFW has what I consider the best pedals available in a consumer-class
controller. They are comfortable and reliable. They have optical pots. In
2 years they have never stuck, jumped or presented ANY problems whatsoever.
The Logitech pedals, however, are nearly as bad as the originals. They
still should have "International Harvester" written on the side because they
feel like tractor pedals. The pedals have a tendancy to stick, and
sometimes don't return to the top-most position completely. There are
various fixes for this out on the net, but it just emphasizes the poor
design and construction in the pedals. The swivel pedals are an attempt to
correct for the nearly straight-down thrust of the pedal shafts, IMHO. Nice
try. No matter how you swivel it, the thrust-angle of the Logitech Pedals
is better reserved for Tractors. The swivels are also hinged at the wrong
geometry point (IMHO) but I suspect it may not be any better anywhere else.
This is a shame considering this is a $200 Wheel/Pedal set. I truly find
the Logitech pedals disgusting for a $200 controller. Finally, the cable
that goes from the Logitech pedals to the wheel is WAY TOO SHORT! If you
have a very large desk like I do, this WILL be an issue for you. I know of
no way around the problem at this time other than to fit within it's
constraints, however you have to do it. The MSFFW has a much longer cord,
and in fact may be just a standard telephone cable. It looks like one.
I've never had a problem with the length so I've never had to address it
with the MSFFW. Please - Just because it _looks_ like a telephone cord
don't change it based on my comments here :) I could be wrong!
If you drive with your chair real high, and your legs dangling down to the
pedals, and like pushing nearly straight up and down on them, then you may
like the Logitech pedals :) Personally, I prefer to use my feet only,
swiveling at the ankle. I think that makes me normal :)
Now, on to the Wheel's.
The MSFFW is a lot more solid than initial impressions give. It feels
"Plastiky", but as you use it you forget about it. It's solid, and
extremely reliable. It also uses optical encoders so I've never, in several
years, experienced a single jump, skip or other typical problem you'd have
with potentiometers. The shifters are reliable, though larger paddles would
be nice. The shaft has little play in it, and it remains this way after 2
years of hard use. I have to admit, this suprises me a bit. The power is
fine, and should be sufficient for anyone. It has gears, so it inevitable
that it has a bit of grind to it, but it wears in nicely and you don't
notice it after a while. It can tend to chatter a bit when neutral and with
light or no hand pressure. I think this is just because the tolerances
inside the mechanism are very tight and there is no slop. The clamping
system is as easy as they get, and in 99% of the cases strong enough to keep
it in place. However, if you get into hard-wrangling with the wheel, such
as trying to correct a snap-spin, it can move around on the desk on you. It
is, however, very easy to just slide back into position. I had a little
trouble with this at the Dover race yesterday when I spun the wheels on a
restart. In my efforts to correct the spin, the wheel moved considerably on
me and prevented me from stopping from going all the way around. Had it
stayed put, I would have just left a snake on the track and went on about my
business. The higher you have the FF torque set, the more likely it is to
be a problem in a circumstance like this. This is NOT a really big deal,
and like I said 99% of the time the mounting system is fine. It is
definitely convenient.
The Logitech Momo wheel is a class-act all the way. There is absolutely
ZERO slop in the shaft, and I suspect this is due to the Ball-Bearing
supports. The leather wrapping is ok, but IMHO if it would cut way down on
the cost of the wheel could be done without. The buttons are well placed,
but are a much longer reach than the MSFFW and take a bit of getting used
to. The shifter padels are first-rate. The are metal, and terminate
solidly agains stops built into the system. I hate paddles that use the
travel-limit of the switches as their stops. It doesn't feel right, and
can't help but increase wear on the assembly. Logitech did this very well.
The FF is smooth and powerful. Again, it is gear driven, so a small amount
of grind is to be expected. It wears in well though and you don't notice it
after a while. The Logitech doesn't seem to suffer from the centered,
light-touch rattles that the MSFFW does. I suspect this is because of the
bearings and the heavier weight of the Logitech's metal basis for the wheel
assembly. The mounting system is not as quick as the MSFFW, but it will
definetely stay-put. There is an option for a third bolt-down, but I don't
think it's necessary and don't particlarly won't to drill a hole in my desk
:)
The Profile Software
This one is easy. The Logitech wins HANDS-DOWN!
The MS Profile Software (SideWinder 4.0 - USB Devices Only) is old, creaky
and hasn't been truly updated in years. Not even minor patches! The
SideWinder software has the crudest method for changing profiles that I've
ever seen or likely ever will see. You actually have to open the Game
Controllers control panel, and set it from there. There is a taskbar icon,
but it's useless. You cannot change profiles from the Taskbar icon! You
can unload any loaded profiles, but not reload any. Whoever thought up this
idea is an engineering idiot.
The SideWinder 4.0 USB software will install and work fine in Windows XP and
2000. However, you will get an installation warning telling you that the
software isn't compatible, and is designed for Windows 98 only.
Here's a funny oddity. Though the SideWinder 4.0 software warns that it is
not compatible, it has been WHQL certified by Microsoft... With the error IN
PLACE! That's right, Microsoft's own software that tells you it is not
compatible with other than Win98 systems has been WHQL certified for XP by
Microsoft, and they didn't even bother to issue a patch to clear up the
installation warning.
I guess when you write the rules, and run the Lap, you can get away with
anything :) I'd like to see any other manufacturer try that!
The Logitech Profiler Softeware (Wingman) is about the best there is. Not
only does it make creating and loading profiles easy, but it _automatically_
switches the proper controller into slot-1 in the system so you don't have
to unplug/plug in controllers manually. This is saved with each game
config. If I had to make one complaint about the Wingman software, it's
that setting the preferences takes some study. They are scattered amongst
several different dialogs, under different menu items. It can be confusing
until you get used to it. In some cases, you can change the same setting in
more than one place. Or, at least it seems that way. In all cases, there
_is_ a difference in how the setting is applied, it's just not readily
apparant. If Logitech were to go to a single-dialog preference system, with
a tabbed dialog probably, the Wingman software would be perfect.
There is one issue with the Momo Wheel that you should be aware of. There
are varying opinions on why this problem exists, but the cure is the same.
Use the latest Wingman software. The problem is that the Momo is, by
default, off-center by about 5 degree's. IMHO, this is a design flaw in the
default-state of the mechanicals. The folks on Logitech's Wingmanteam.com
site (a first-class site for support) don't necessarily agree with me, but
I'm not the only person that holds this opinion. The reason I say this is
the _natural_ position of the mechanicals when the USB port is plugged in,
and when the system resets the USB ports at start up, has about a 5 degree
tilt to it. IMHO, if the mechanicals were designed and calibrated properly
internally, a zero-state reset of the USB ports should result in the wheel
resetting to a perfect centered position. This is all before the driver
softeware is even loaded. Every other device I've ever owned, including the
MSFFW, has a natural, default zero-driver reset state with the wheel
perfectly centered. Another reason I say this is an engineering calibration
issue is that the original CD software that came with the wheel did not
compensate for this, and there was NO WAY in the software to reset the
centering of the wheel. You had to live with it. However, the Wingman
software team worked hard an long on this and eventually corrected the
problem by using offseting techniques in the software. First by patch, and
later by a new release of the software. It took several releases to get it
right because it took a few to get it centered perfectly. Each release was
a bit better until it was just right. I haven't used it yet, but I also
understand that there is a new feature in the latest Wingman software that
has a manual slider for centering the wheel on your particular computer. I
actually requested this from the very start, but it took them a few releases
to get it in there :) I haven't seen a recent Momo wheel, but I suspect
they continue to have this problem. I don't think they can fix it now,
because it's too late. It's been adjusted for in the Wingman software, and
if they re-calibrate the zero-state of the mechanicals the Wingman software
will just pull it back out of center again. Again, I cannot say this for
sure because I have not seen a recent wheel. Mine is an initial-shipment
wheel.
Please bear in mind that while I have talked to several others who share my
opinion on the above subject, it is MY OPINION and may not be accurate. It
is just the logical conclusion I come to given all the facts. I have a
pretty good background in syncro/servo/resolver
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