When my friends and I started out in 1985 we were quite fond of the QuickShot II it was more solid and durable than the QuickShot II Turbo even though it didn´t have microswitches. We tried a lot of other sticks, but werent satisfied.
One of us bought a Competition Pro 5000 and we did´t look back. Within months we didn´t use any other joystick anymore. While the Competitions were affordable and easily repaired, they felt like a quality product. I still own two of the originals and two of the more recent Speedlink-USB-variants. While the latter needed them opened and "repaired" (i.e. tighten the screws on the microswitches) the old ones have been in constant use for years and are still practically in their original condition.
The one I like best is still a model with a rubber instead of a spring, which makes operation somewhat smoother. Also it has no microswitches for the fire-buttons, which is an advanage, as the mechanics are less likely to jam.
The Competition Pro mini is workable, but less desirable than the full-size versions.
I have not tried Wico or Konix more than once, but found it hard to adapt to their feel. In the end your personal experience makes a huge difference. When you are young your habbits are sort of programmed. Its hard to get rid of them. Maybe this is the readon we still use Amigas?
