Which one is better?

[Aleksei]

Seimitsu LS-56 Arcade Joystick with Seimitsu PS-14-K 30mm Pushbutton

or

Sanwa JLF TP-8Y (stick), Sanwa OSBF 30 (buttons)


Which one is better for shmups and why? I have tried both, currently using the first set up but did remember liking the second set.

[gray117]

Whatever you like best ... some people swear by their trusty keyboard

But seriously - most shmup people prefer the seimitsu setup; smaller twitch compatible throw on joystick and nice but not super sensitive buttons (sanwa buttons are more sensitive, possibly leading to more accidental bomb releases etc.).

That being said I still more feel at home with sanwa sticks and buttons - but that's probably due to also playing fighters more in the past...

[moh]

I appreciate the the shorter throw on the seimitsu, but the JLF feels like it has higher build quality. And i prefer the sensitive sanwa buttons. gotta bomb at the last second

[voona]

i pref. the sanwa joystick but i don't like the buttons because they aren't clicky.

I use happs buttons because they have cherry micro-switches in them

As someone said, all comes down to personal preference

[Aleksei]

Thanks for the input, I asked b/c I have the first set at home and the second set is on a DDP:DFK cab @ Arcade UFO in Austin (they told me over twitter) and I remember liking the buttons but wasn't sure about the stick.

[Muchi Muchi Spork]

Both of them are damn good sticks for shooters. I've cleared lots of Cave games with both. I prefer the Seimitsu but not by much and I made a modification to it to make the throw even shorter and to remove some of the dead zone. As for buttons I still haven't found/built the perfect setup yet. I use my thumb for button 3 and ideally would have 1,2,4 on index,middle,ring in a formation like Neogeo controllers but more space between the lower and top 3. I grew up with concave buttons but have some convex here for experiments too, just don't feel like building a controller.

[casualcoder]

I have a bit of a stronger opinion on the JLF vs Seimitsu options. I find the throw on the JLF WAY to long and loose and makes super-fast micro-adjustments much harder (for me). I can play pretty reliably on it, but in a swarm of bullets I far prefer the Seimitsu.

As for buttons. Doesn't really matter to me but I do prefer the sanwa's because you can really feel the engage and they seem a bit more sensitive and responsive.

[ThEmperorIsDead]

Hi, First post here.
I agree that the JLF is better suited to the fighting genre due to the longer throw, in my experience you sometimes need far more accurate execution using a Seimitsu for certain fighting games (SNK) than a Sanwa. Just my opinion of course.
I use a LS-40 for everything these days, shmups or fighters, as for buttons I prefer the Seimitsu PS-14's just because Sanwa didn't used to have any clear buttons that you could put artwork in. Also you can rest your fingers on the Seimitsu's without actuating them by accident, plus I'm a bit ocd and couldn't stand mixing a LS-40 with Sanwa buttons.