It's the best piece of gaming hardware I ever had a chance to lay my hands on. The design and the hardware implementation are top notch. The level of customization, the number of combinations between various cams, springs and dry clutch tensions is amazing and will satisfy any armchair pilot out there.
Now I'm looking forward to the long-awaited release of TECS throttle.

This thing is built like a tank. Daunting at first, but the youtube instructions made it an absolute breeze to assemble. I bought two of these and don't regret that at all. Once clamped to the desk, they're completely solid.
Very impressed.

Best joystick I have ever used. Build quality is impressive. Very easy and unbelievably smooth to use. Makes flying a real joy! Amazing amount of buttons and axes plus 2 encoders.

Great service from the Australian team, thanks to Luke and the guys. Hassle-free ordering and arrived within a week.

Endless programming and calibrations options is out of this world. The only suggestion for improvement is the configuration manual and software is extremely complex and very difficult to follow. Have been trying to reconfigure the encoders into axes without much luck?

I was looking for a good reliable joystick for some time. didn't know much about the vkb brand until i read some recent reviews and got the gladiator
joystick and boy was i in for a surprise. well constructed , solid and robust with ton of features just what i was looking for, the vkb software did require a learning curve but with some IT background and a few tutorials found the features set to be abundant of options and with an impressively customisable feature set to suit my need .

Worked with FS2020 straight away with tons of buttons to assign and all worked smoothly. All my other logitech and tm stuff looking like kids toys now and are heading to the junk . I plan to build up with the nxt modules soon which is on order. just hoping they are as good as not much reviews avail.

Luke from vkb was also excellent to deal with prompt knowledge-full replies and great service , which won me over as a big fan of vkb sim products. keep it up.

Excellent sticks, absolute pleasure flying with them! (seriously, couldn't go back to my old retail brand hotas)

Now, if only VKB would start selling branded covers to keep the dust off when not in use...

I did a lot of research before buying the Gladiator NXT Premium and extremely happy I chose it. The cheaper sticks were, well, cheap and plasticky and felt cheap in the hand. The Warthog was nice but had no Z axis, fewer controls and was kind of expensive for something a little too aircraft specific. The gladiator feels really nice in the hand, is super smooth and well damped with great customisation options. I was a little disappointed that Microsoft flight sim didn’t have a profile for it but it didn’t take long to figure out how to bind the controls. Noob error. Can’t wait for the throttles to come out next year. In all this was a great purchase with fast shipping and I highly recommend it to anyone after a high quality but mid priced stick.

Arrived today, been playing with it. The difference in quality compared to my old Logitech is like night and day. Gonna take me a while to get used to, but damn, now I need to buy the rest of the VKB kit!

Can't recommend enough!

Delivery was quick. The feel of the joystick is nice and I love that the buttons are adjustable. Very happy with the purchase.

This is my first high end joystick and I have to say it has exceeded my expectations. A real "joy" to use.
Bought the gunfighter and 200 mm extension at the same time. Really like the bend as it helps to clear my seat as intended. Some other brands don't have this and would be an issue with elevator travel.

Easily the best piece of gaming hardware I've ever owned. Period.
Backed up by amazing support. Very happy with the purchase. 10/10 would shop again.

Just picked up the Gladiator NXT Standard (Left) to go with a Premium on the right for HOSAS setup. This stick is incredible value, it feels like a stick three times the price. The solid base plate and sticky rubber feet mean zero movement even when getting aggressive on the controls. Every button feels great to push and the fidelity on the analog axis allows for the tiniest precise movements.

Looking forward to the add on throttle sections.

I was initially hesitent for the price as to if this was the stick for me. Having used it extensively in DCS it has performed outstandingly, making control of the plane that bit easier and more accurate. I spent a day getting the feeling exectly how I wanted it but since then it has been bulletproof. I have recommended this stick to everyone who has asked about getting a new stick for their HOTAS setup.

Affordable and better than other more expensive brands.

Sorry for the long review, but I thought it would be worthwhile for someone who is in the same position I was about a fortnight ago.

Bottom line - this stick is awesome and you should seriously consider purchasing one.

Now for the long story:
I have been using HOTAS for over 25 years starting with the TM F-16 FLCS and WCS Mk.II. Over the years I have tried many other joysticks, but none of them ever matched the FLCS/WCS combination. I eventually converted the FLCS/WCS to USB and that worked perfectly until last year. Since then I have tried the TM T16000M and the Logitech X56 - neither of these came close to the FLCS/WCS setup in terms of build quality and functionality.

So, I thought I'd try the Gladiator NXT Premium.

I had a few questions before I committed to buy the stick. The answers were provided on the same day and were very helpful. This customer service and information I got ultimately led to me buying the stick (Thanks Luke :-) ).

First of all, this stick is in a class of its own. It's not just an end user product - but also a product for serious simmers who like bespoke setups. The spare parts allow you to personalise the stick how you want it - so, having no need for it, I immediately converted the mini-stick to another 5 way hat switch. With the guidance on VKB YouTube page, the whole process was simple and took less than 30 minutes. The VKB YouTube page also has many other helpful videos on it.

Things I like:
Postage time - The stick was dispatched on the same day I ordered it (Friday) and arrived Wednesday of the next week.
The number and positioning of buttons - There's more buttons than you can poke a stick at. I love how all of the HAT switches have a centre push button. I especially love that the pickle button is beneath and to the left of all the HATs - right where your thumb is.
The size of the stick - I don't have small hands/fingers, but on the FLCS/X56/Warthog I found it a stretch to reach the pickle button and coolie hat. The Gladiator does not have this issue - all the buttons and HATs are easily accessible, in very convenient locations and seemingly specifically designed to the dexterity of the human hand. This is with the standard hand rest attached.
Connectivity - The Gladiator is plug-and-play and doesn't require specific software. This is great for me as I use it with AutoHotkey to play old games.
The feel at the central position of the stick - It's very positive and has no signs of the springy bounce that you get when releasing other sticks back to the centre position. It eases back to the centre like a real aircraft control stick. This feature is quite possibly the best of all.

Things I don't like:
The action of the HAT switches is a little more clunky than the FLCS, but their convenient positioning more than makes up for it.

As an Air Force pilot and instructor, I use a HOTAS every day. The Gladiator NXT is the best gaming stick I've used - ever.

Looking forward to the release of the Throttle.

Picked the kosmosima left hadn stick with base, the delviery was quick and fast, the product looks and feels great, was able to use it right out of the box on splane 11 sling-2 plane. Additonally bought the 20cm extension it is one perfect setup been looking for. Now to get the right hand stick for the heli setup.