EG STARTS American Style Arcade Competition 2Pin Joystick BLACK Switchable From 8 Ways Operation, Elliptical Black Handle, Precision 8-Way 187" (4.8mm) terminal

This is a great stick. I had no trouble playing Ms. Pacman with it, it felt pretty good. I then went on to play Ghouls and Ghosts and beat it for the millionth time. It worked flawlessly. Never got stuck ducking when I didn't want too. The stick let me move the way I wanted without any issues. Of course the games were MAME Arcade emulator games. The stick is pretty silent, it is a 8 way stick, but it played Ms. Pacman just fine. I've used many controllers that can't do this. It seems to be hard to find a good stick that will play Ms. Pacman as well. This stick isn't going to fit a store bought joystick, unless it's at least 3"+ deep. The problem is, the shaft sticks out the bottom of the stick a good ways. I had bought the New Arrival DIY Arcade Panel Acrylic Inclined+Joystick Case Replacement for Arcade Game,Black but it's too shallow, and the stick is to close to the wall of the box. The Acrylic box is nice though, a Sanwa like stick works nicely in it though. The stick has to me a short throw, and snaps back to center quickly. It's also not a loose stick, the stick has a good tension to it. Now, If I can find a deep enough box to install in it.

The fit exactly matched the Happ joystick that I was replacing. It works great and was easy to assemble and install

I recently upgraded my arcade cabinet with the EG STARTS American Style Arcade Joysticks, and I couldn’t be happier. These joysticks deliver that authentic, rugged arcade feel reminiscent of old-school American arcade machines. The build quality is solid, with a heavy-duty base and responsive action that makes gameplay smooth and satisfying. I like that they use the Happ style replaceable switches. The installation was simple and straightforward, even for someone like me who's not a tech expert. The joystick’s spring tension feels just right—not too loose, not too stiff—and it holds up well during long gaming sessions. The compatibility with various arcade setups is a huge plus, and I appreciate that the kit includes everything needed for easy setup. If you're looking to bring that nostalgic arcade experience back to life or just want a reliable joystick for your DIY project, EG STARTS delivers in both quality and performance. Highly recommended!

Great unit… well made, very tough… should last forever. Larger than I expected, this stick is just what you would expect on a true arcade machine… built to put up with the abuses of the most enthusiastic gamer. Because of this, this stick is not “sensitive”… it likes to be yanked around… the spring force (return to center) is quite assertive. Making an arcade machine? This is your stick.

Using this to build a custom panel for flight simulator. The bomb site tool on the free plane on DCS uses keyboard and this is a cheap option to have it mounted on the side. Not this products fault, but I wish it was a little bit smaller. This is pretty big for what I'm using it for.

The Good: This is a solid joystick. It is a great all-purpose cheap joystick. It plays old school games pretty well. Old school meaning 4-way games like Pacman and Dig-Dug. The Bad: I've been using this stick for about three months now on just about a daily basis. I can feel the spring loosening up a bit. Gives the stick a mushy feeling. Overall: I think you can't find a better stick for the money. I am comparing this to my X-Arcade sticks as well as some HAPP knock off sticks I have in another cab. I plan to rebuild the control panel on my other bartop and put two of these in to replace the HAPP sticks.

I bought two of these for a control panel replacement. One performed decently. The other had a bit of 'stickiness' to the internal spring, leading to longer throws towards the opposite direction and the occasional loud thud when it gets unstuck. It still worked, but perhaps not as smoothly or ideally as I'd have liked. Also, the dust washer on one of the sticks had too small an opening. I had to sand it down with some low-grit sandpaper to fix it. They're definitely stiffer than sticks I'm used to. But that might fix itself over time. Know you'll have to remove the complete stick (e-ring and all) to install it. Not a big deal unless you want to switch out between 8 and 4 way often. Also, they are deep. Expect to have about 3-4" of clearance underneath the panel. They work. But if you're competitive, you may want to spend a few more bucks on a Sanwa. For a basic replacement stick for casual play, they're not terrible. I will use them again in another project as a backup for guests.

For a last minute fix this did the trick. Not the best Happ stick I’ve owned but it gets the job done. Ended up just using the guts and left the red lever on.