Current sticks
I currently use the Virpil Constellation Alphas with WarBRD Bases

Logitech Extreme 3D Pro (~$30) (Personal experience)
For the most part, this is my recommended “getting your feet wet” stick. It’s cheap enough that it’s not a huge investment, but it’s also not a bad stick for what you pay. If you’re not sure you’re going to like sticks, than this is my recommendation for getting a feel, but you’ll want to move to something like the VKB pretty soon.

  • Pros
    • High quality for the price
    • Good for getting your feet wet
    • Modable without too much fear of ruining them since they’re pretty cheap
  • Cons
    • Most people quickly upgrade to VKB’s which could make these a “waste” of money
    • Definitely not a high quality stick, pretty run of the mill sensor and all plastic
    • Only right hand without modifications



Thrustmaster T16000m (~$130 for both ~$70 individule)
I can really only recommend these if you’re getting a good deal on them. With all the issues I’ve heard about the twist axes, I cannot recommend these.

  • Pros
    • X and Y axes use high quality sensors
    • Both right and left
  • Cons
    • Notorious for issues with the twist axis
    • Not many buttons
    • Generally just low quality for what you pay



VKB NXT Gladiator Premium (~$350 shipped) (Personal experience)
VKB can at times have shoddy quality control, but that’s mostly weighed out by their very good customer service. All in all, if you ask for my recommendation, this is it. Good build quality, they’re smooth, they come with a lot of features, and for what you pay - they can’t be beat. Compared to Virpil they’re about 85% of the stick for 1/3rd the price. Definitely my highest recommendation by far.

  • Pros
    • Very high quality for the price
    • Good customer support should you have any issues
    • Changable springs
    • Smooth centering
    • VKB Side modules are awesome
  • Cons
    • Quality control could be better though they do have good support
    • Center stop can be harsh



Virpil Constellation Alphas (~$1000) (Personal experience)
Virpil’s are fantastic with very good build quality. They definitely get into the realm of diminishing returns though. Extremely smooth action, all metal internals, extremely high build quality, and they are constantly updating their design to make them better and better. I love my Virpils, but man are they expensive.

  • Pros
    • Extremely good build quality
    • Metal components
    • Changable springs
    • Changable cams
  • Cons
    • Very pricy
    • Are very tall so not super easy to desktop mount



Warnings
Logitech
The only stick worth buying is the Extreme 3D Pro mentioned above. All the other sticks are basically just reskins of this one anyways. I have only ever heard good things about these sticks from people who have not owned something better.