Simquip

[Drewsta]

Hi Guys, it's great to see a new company like Simquip making good progress in the sim industry and I wish them well. However I did think some of their prices were a little steep.

Example:

PUSH BUTTON ILLUMINATED LED
$12.00
THESE ARE A CHEAP COPY OF THE HMS AML 20 SERIES SWITCHES WITH A RED LED INSTALLED INTO THE LEGEND.IT IS A LATCHED ALTERNATE SWITCH.
ACTION: ALTERNATING ON-OFF
TACTILE CLICK:YES
CAPACITY:3 AMP @ 250VDC
MOUNTING HOLE:19MM(.75”)SQUARE
TERMINATION: SOLDER PINS
DELIVERY:IMMEDIATE
MANUFACTURER: NOT SPECIFIED

This switch is a great switch and forgive me if I'm wrong, they have it advertised for $12 per switch? I just bought 50 of these exact switches off ebay for $44 Australian with free posting.

I certainly don't want to upset anyone or start a war, I'm just wondering wether or not this company knows how cheaply these switches can be purchased.

Hopefully a diplomatic
Drewsta

[davek]

Drewsta I saw the link to the site as well and thought we might have a reasonable sim parts shop here in Oz but their prices are ... well ... expensive.

Certainly wont draw me away from ebay purchasing thats for sure.

I bought an electronic checklist from a USA ebay store. All up including postage was under $30. Even if i didnt want the checklist function I could get hte soldering iron out and have 11 switches available as well as 10 LEDs.

Hopefully they will check the market and adjust prices to become somewhat more competitive.

[fsaviator]

Drewsta,

I just checked out this site. I'd never been there before.

Like you, I don't set out to upset people, or start wars (I do finish them though). I'll jump on this grenade. They're kidding right? Are they serious with those prices? Landing Light switches for $300???

$28 for a knob? Must be the high speed name... KNOB, GRIP PULL WITH REVERSE ORIENTATION FLAT. I'm in the military... so I'm not impressed with high-speed naming conventions... for instance, take a "static-line slack retainer band". If you jump out of functional airplane's for a living, you know what that is... it's a rubber-band, although I won't tell you what Uncle Sam pays for that rubber band.

$6 for a "small-form-factor cooling fan"? What is it, a real world avionics cooling fan? No, it's a small computer cooling fan you can get anywhere online for a buck.

I'm all about supporting a company that further's the hobby. Are FS items expensive. Yes, but we understand why the costs are high. These high costs are un-merited.

A real-world diplomat,

Cheers, Warren

[Anderson/SBSP]

I Think that the people of this company had lost the notion! They sell real parts of airplanes? For God! 18.000 for a chair?

Maybe the parts come from Boeing!! hehehehe

[Westozy]

Hi guys, I thought I had ozzie competition but I was just dreaming!!! I welcome Simquip to the market and wish them good luck with their sales!

My new prototype yoke column head product is nearly finished! It's an 80mm PVC elbow housing encorporating a hollow axle for yoke button wiring mounted in a needle roller bearing, a geared potentiometer drive with a wired pot, a flat flange for mounting a yoke handle, 180 degree rotation with limit stops and a pulley on the back of the axle for linking double column set ups - pics coming soon...

Cheers Gwyn
www.aerosimsolutions.com.au

[awarmack]

Hi Drewsta,

Do you have any thoughts on where I could get an Airbus sidestick controller (real or very authentic) to make into a gift for the dean of our business school? Price should be very reasonable...

Thanks,
Awarmack

[cliff707]

I can shed some light on the subject of simquip as I have seen products in the flesh and had lengthy conversations with chris the owner.

Simquip might not be for everyone building a sim at home. The first time I stepped foot in a simquip 737 device i was astonished at the level this company is operating at. It's much higher than the home simulator market. This company is in the real simulator market. Chris has made many high fidelity devices for customers that need real training devices to meet particular standards. I love the concept of being able to buy the cheap plastic "almost a copy but not quite right" stuff from the famous usual suppliers..like flightdecksutions etc.. It's great we have many suppliers to choose from. But simquip is a step above again. It's all about context. High end knowledge and exact parts that meet particular CAA/FAA etc criterior cost alot.

The other thing I would like to say is that chris is a terribly nice bloke. He has spent years in the simulator industry and has a formidable span of industry knowledge.

So next time you look on his site at an $18,000 seat, just think who that equipment and those prices are aimed at. It's for the big end of town. We are pretty lucky chris keeps his bonds with the home sim community and I thank him very much.

[Matt Olieman]

Just a side note.... Some of our suppliers, like Flightdecksolutions (since they were mentioned above) and others, do manufacture parts for "Real training devices" or in other word FTD's. I've seen and have in my possession parts from vendors made for the Home Cockpit Builders and the Professional arena. My point is, Simquip is not alone in providing professional like parts to our community of sim builders.

Matt Olieman

[jskibo]

Not to nitpick here but FDS's customer include my previous and current employers (Boeing and GE Aviation) as well as the FAA and other customers that require real training devices..... I'm failing to see an 18k seat on their site. getting pretty close to IPECO wolesale prices there...

[cliff707]

guys...thanks for the valid responses.

The majority of Simquips gear is leaning in the direction of pro-level (we are talking level d stuff here not pro level fixed base training devices)......where the other suppliers have lines for the home builder as well.

Im sure Chris could knock up cheap "close to" plastic fantastic versions and charge way less, but thats not the type of service his business provides.

what if fds only had their pro level prices on their site....you would recoil in aghast!!

its not about fds....it could be any vendor. I thought sim quips prices might have given at least a small hint about the background and market they play in.

im kind of stunned about this thread.

The Porsche car sales yard pops up amongst the Toyota sales yards and all us Toyota drivers have a dig at it?

Really fellas?

[jskibo]

I still think you're painting a false picture here.

The FDS Gear I have in my house as well as the MIP and other gear we have at work (GE Aviation) is the same stuff. There's no "Cheap plastic line". Hence the prices you see posted there is the same Gear.

[Matt Olieman]

I'll go back to what I said earlier. FDS and many other vendors provide PRO level products. I've seen, do it your self-ers make panels that are as good as the real aircraft, you can't tell the difference.

Not fair to say one company is the best when it is not so.

Matt Olieman

[cliff707]

Hi guys,
I think I have to put this blatantly.
I'm not saying they are the best.
The thread was based on home sim builders wondering at simquips pricing. Am I going to buy an 18000 dollar seat for my home sim?.... No.... Because it's not supposed to go in a home sim!!!.
I've opened two separate shipments containing Factory pre wired pro level complete cockpits from fds. I'm saying that they are great for the entry level fixed base device scene. They are a great company and provide great service.

[cliff707]

Can't sit hear and chat, I have to go downstairs and scrape the twenty year old paint off my new(old) webber crew seats. Sob sob. :-(
Such is the life of us sim builders. :-)

[choffmann]

Did someone here actually buy any part from simquip and can tell us about his / hers impressions about quality?
I found the B737 shell there (fibre glass) and I think at least that price (1,210 EUROS) is adequate, so I am making my mind up...
It looks much closer to the real thing than the FDS counterpart. But is it sturdy enough?
(I don´t want to go into discussions about health risks from fibre glass or "it doesn´t matter what it looks like on the outside when you´re sitting inside"..., please leave that aside).

[vamaral]

Hi Choffmann I think i have what you are looking for send me pm to vamaral@portugalmail.com Cheers ;))


Did someone here actually buy any part from simquip and can tell us about his / hers impressions about quality?
I found the B737 shell there (fibre glass) and I think at least that price (1,210 EUROS) is adequate, so I am making my mind up...
It looks much closer to the real thing than the FDS counterpart. But is it sturdy enough?
(I don´t want to go into discussions about health risks from fibre glass or "it doesn´t matter what it looks like on the outside when you´re sitting inside"..., please leave that aside).

[OmniAtlas]

Choffman did you end up buying the shell? I would save considerably in shipping (none!) when it comes down to buying the 737 shell

GLB have also just brought out liners for very reasonable prices.

[steveeverson]

Hi Chris,
I bought some cast yokes from simquip a couple of years back. Really nice quality and the guys there were good to deal with.
cheers
Steve

[Cmt_Eduardo]

Do not buy in Simquip, search the internet and forum. There are several claims for dishonesty of this dirty business. I was another that was stolen by them, beware.

[gurpalsc]

Do not buy in Simquip, search the internet and forum. There are several claims for dishonesty of this dirty business. I was another that was stolen by them, beware. I totally agree with you. I have lost thousands of Euro's to them. I had bought sidesticks from them. its been almost 1 decade and i have got nothing.but.only false promises from Chris. And now from past couple of years they stopped responding to my emails...