I have one and it is perfect in my opinion. Lightweight, super rigid, and looks cool. I am 6' tall, 200 lbs and it fits me very well. There is a lot of room to adjust. I couldn't be happier with it. I did go with a different seat however.
@@eddierare I went with the Next Level Racing ERS3. It came with a slider and it also reclines. It fit perfectly too with the seat mounts that came with the cockpit.
It's nice to see someone who bought the product for a review unlike some other much bigger and richer channels who refuse to buy product for review even though viewers ask them for a review.👍 And you can see how the CSL cockpit performs at high FFB with CS DD+ in my latest video on my channel.🙂
I appreciate the kind feedback and thanks for highlighting that you've taken some footage of your own - as a 'real world' user your experiences are super valuable, more so than mine. I may have purchased it myself, but I'm keen to point out that I'm not entirely selfless/righteous in this regard - I create reviews about interesting hardware with the aim of recouping that time/money investment by earning your views, subs, referrals and ultimately trust, by producing a (hopefully) quality video that helps answer questions and give people a clearer idea of what it is they would be buying. I will likely be selling it on once I've collected all the footage I think I'll ever need of it, as I don't think there'll be much more to say about it that hasn't already been said, and I don't have the spare storage (or cash) to hang on to it.
Very good review. Appreciate you doing the work that Fanatec seem to be stopping a lot of reviewers doing. Been wondering why they’ve refused to allow many TH-camrs to review this, and that only severed to increase suspicion in folks like me , especially given all the other issues they’ve been having of late. It makes no sense to release this and then not allow the traditional crew of established and trusted guys to review it. It’s a seriously bad look when goodwill from us to them is in very short supply, yet there are many positives to be had here. Another nonsensical stance from a company who has been busy shooting itself in the feet for many months.
i mean i would never buy this as i believe its overpriced and i got a gt omega wheel stand that can be upgraded to a full cockpit and im gonna upgraded eventually and its gonna come to 500 euros and you can buy the wheel stand then in a few months the extension for the seat and then after few more months the seat and then boom you can assemble it all and you paid it in 3 times and not all at once and if you can't afford that maybe work harded or save longer idk also in the meantime you can use the wheelstand by itself .
Just bought a gt omega prime light (Danny Lee promo code ofc). Placed order on Thursday received on Tuesday (sweden). Since you compared prices with that one. Super happy. Took me two day to build though so fanatec might win in the build part. ;)
Still don't understand why I cannot find the L/W/H specifications anywhere on Fanatec's site for this!! I am very space limited so it could be a option. If you are able to tell us the full length, that would be great
By my measuring tape: 150cm LENGTH, 75cm WIDTH (around 70cm if you don't use a shifter but bear in mind screen width), 120cm from floor to the top edge of the monitor
I like your reviews Dan. This cockpit is a strange product, I have to admit. Aesthetic-wise, it does not appeal to me but this is very subjective. Functional-wise, it does like it hits the spot perfectly if you consider who could be a potential target audience - entry level sim racers with their CSL DD wheel base. Those who have a bit more money so they avoided Logitech and Thrustmaster but either not on the budget (or not yet much into that hobby) to invest in Simucube or Asetek. Those people would definitely enjoy the lightweight nature of this rig as it might be not used so often and the space might be limited. Pre-drilled holes seem to give enough adjustability and it does look that assembly might be slightly easier than aluminum profiles. However, I think the price of it is a bit too much. As you mentioned GT Omega offers much sturdier solution for similar price and they are not the only company who does offer good products in that price point. Simlab GT1-Evo is currently priced at £340. Overall, I guess some fanatec fans will go for this product but it is hard to not feel that there is some missed opportunity to make this product better (nicer look, better utilization of the tube system to hide the cables)
I think this cockpit is there to capture the potential sales of people that are already at the point of buying a Fanatec setup - cockpits are often a bit of an afterthought, and if people can see a cockpit available at the point of purchase then a lot of people would just get it out of simplicity. It's not a bad effort for a cockpit at all and real effort seems to have gone in, but as you point out it's a bit limited in scope.
So, uh, it wobbles under the weakest base in the lineup and the seat mounts flex is terrible. And it costs the same as an aluminum profile rig. What an amazing product.
A very well articulated review! I have a particular eye for functional design and I noticed the wheel base mount has two separate mechanisms for tilt adjustment. This seems unnecessary and adds an extra point of slippage and/or hassle with adjusting - is my assessment fair or am I overthinking it? It seems like they could have combined two brackets into one and saved money on fasteners, space on packaging, and difficulty to the user.
Cheers - I think they have done this to facilitate the 'karting style' layout that this cockpit can also do, though I never touched upon it in this video. I found there to be no hint of slippage or 'slack' in the brackets so they must've thought it through.
Hey there, I love your videos, you manage to add a comedy side to reviews! Anyways quick question, I currently have a thrustmaster t248 and I'm looking for the move up to direct drive with fanatec. Should I go and get a Clubsport DD and never have to upgrade again or should I save some money by getting the 8NM CSL DD? Or should I go for the Simagic Alpha Mini since I heard wonderful things about it? Or should I look at other brands like asetek?
Thanks for the compliments! I think the Asetek La Prima bundle is excellent for the money, I'd go for that if you can stretch to it. Out of all the 12nm 'bundles' I've tried, La Prima was the most 'high end' feeling kit My only contact with Simagic so far has been the P1000 pedals which were great, but more expensive than the La Prima and the load cell failed not long after my P1000 review released, so not a clean sheet so far!
@@dannyleeracing Thanks for the quick reply! The bummer though is that the La Prima bundle doesn't have a clutch pedal, and that I would have to pay more for it. And if I just wanted the wheelbase and wheel, it is £1100 which is £200 more than the Fanatec. Well thanks for the suggestion, I'll be sure to keep a good look out for it! 👍👍
That would just mean you have to dismantle the cockpit to get the wires back out if you ever had to change them. Either way it's just not quite on target
Yep, in part to fund buying the CSL Cockpit and enable the next video (this one) though maybe I didn't think that one through as it'd have been nice to slap something properly powerful on it and see how it did, but there we are. I'd probably only buy a CSDD or CSDD+ again if fullforce actually gets a proper release on iRacing and I feel it's worth casting an opinion on it.
@@dannyleeracing Yes i was thinking that you sold the CSDD cause it is not worth the money to keep it in stead of the csl dd I mean are you happy with the csl dd enough?
I'd say the Titan would be the better choice between the two just because of that open-platformness, I'd say they're pretty similar in strength but the CSL Cockpit seating posture is definitely better, and that integrated monitor mount is excellent - I've not tried the Titan's newly available monitor mount, though. Remember, in my position selling something doesn't equate to it being bad, the CSDD was excellent. If it had been a review unit (free) then I'd for sure keep it, but it wasn't, so that'd be cash sitting on a shelf I could use to turn my focus onto new things. I'm sure me and a CSDD or CSDD+ will meet again.
@@dannyleeracing thanks Danny. So far I’m loving the titan. Just liked the look of this. But it would be a downgrade as such. Thanks for the reply. Excellent review as always ✌🏼
It looks like they've taken a "how little material can we get away with" approach. I hope nobody is genuinely considering this cockpit when you can get an aluminium rig for a similar price
It gives that impression, but at the same time one of the things that kinda surprised me was that all the nuts, screws, washers and bolts are really good quality. That's one of the things they could easily have skimped on to save costs, but seemingly didn't. Same thing with the 2 spanners that were included in the box, MUCH higher quality than what you typically get. If this was truly a cut-costs-at-any-cost thing then those things would also have been supplied at minimal possible effort, but they didn't do that. Ultimately for all the practical reasons listed, you have to really WANT this cockpit to pick it over similar third-party options but it's definitely not out of the running, it's more competent than I imagined it would be.
I have one and it is perfect in my opinion. Lightweight, super rigid, and looks cool. I am 6' tall, 200 lbs and it fits me very well. There is a lot of room to adjust. I couldn't be happier with it. I did go with a different seat however.
What seat did you go with?
@@eddierare I went with the Next Level Racing ERS3. It came with a slider and it also reclines. It fit perfectly too with the seat mounts that came with the cockpit.
It looks very cool!
It's nice to see someone who bought the product for a review unlike some other much bigger and richer channels who refuse to buy product for review even though viewers ask them for a review.👍
And you can see how the CSL cockpit performs at high FFB with CS DD+ in my latest video on my channel.🙂
I appreciate the kind feedback and thanks for highlighting that you've taken some footage of your own - as a 'real world' user your experiences are super valuable, more so than mine.
I may have purchased it myself, but I'm keen to point out that I'm not entirely selfless/righteous in this regard - I create reviews about interesting hardware with the aim of recouping that time/money investment by earning your views, subs, referrals and ultimately trust, by producing a (hopefully) quality video that helps answer questions and give people a clearer idea of what it is they would be buying. I will likely be selling it on once I've collected all the footage I think I'll ever need of it, as I don't think there'll be much more to say about it that hasn't already been said, and I don't have the spare storage (or cash) to hang on to it.
Man i love your videos . Such good info on the equipment as somebody who is 7 months into sim racing and looking to start upgrading .
Cheers man, thanks for the kind feedback
Very good review.
Appreciate you doing the work that Fanatec seem to be stopping a lot of reviewers doing. Been wondering why they’ve refused to allow many TH-camrs to review this, and that only severed to increase suspicion in folks like me , especially given all the other issues they’ve been having of late.
It makes no sense to release this and then not allow the traditional crew of established and trusted guys to review it. It’s a seriously bad look when goodwill from us to them is in very short supply, yet there are many positives to be had here.
Another nonsensical stance from a company who has been busy shooting itself in the feet for many months.
I from the netherlands, I got my Fanatec wheel & base & pedals all within 4 days from Germany. So it's possible.
Thanks for the input on these rig set-ups, makes window shopping much easier.
i mean i would never buy this as i believe its overpriced and i got a gt omega wheel stand that can be upgraded to a full cockpit and im gonna upgraded eventually and its gonna come to 500 euros and you can buy the wheel stand then in a few months the extension for the seat and then after few more months the seat and then boom you can assemble it all and you paid it in 3 times and not all at once and if you can't afford that maybe work harded or save longer idk also in the meantime you can use the wheelstand by itself .
Just bought a gt omega prime light (Danny Lee promo code ofc). Placed order on Thursday received on Tuesday (sweden). Since you compared prices with that one. Super happy. Took me two day to build though so fanatec might win in the build part. ;)
Thanks for the feedback! How are you doing with the Prime Lite?
Still don't understand why I cannot find the L/W/H specifications anywhere on Fanatec's site for this!! I am very space limited so it could be a option. If you are able to tell us the full length, that would be great
By my measuring tape: 150cm LENGTH, 75cm WIDTH (around 70cm if you don't use a shifter but bear in mind screen width), 120cm from floor to the top edge of the monitor
I looked at the pictures of the product, decided that a aluminum frame is fore. It is compact for sure but I don't like the idea of round tubes.
I like your reviews Dan. This cockpit is a strange product, I have to admit. Aesthetic-wise, it does not appeal to me but this is very subjective. Functional-wise, it does like it hits the spot perfectly if you consider who could be a potential target audience - entry level sim racers with their CSL DD wheel base. Those who have a bit more money so they avoided Logitech and Thrustmaster but either not on the budget (or not yet much into that hobby) to invest in Simucube or Asetek. Those people would definitely enjoy the lightweight nature of this rig as it might be not used so often and the space might be limited. Pre-drilled holes seem to give enough adjustability and it does look that assembly might be slightly easier than aluminum profiles. However, I think the price of it is a bit too much. As you mentioned GT Omega offers much sturdier solution for similar price and they are not the only company who does offer good products in that price point. Simlab GT1-Evo is currently priced at £340.
Overall, I guess some fanatec fans will go for this product but it is hard to not feel that there is some missed opportunity to make this product better (nicer look, better utilization of the tube system to hide the cables)
I think this cockpit is there to capture the potential sales of people that are already at the point of buying a Fanatec setup - cockpits are often a bit of an afterthought, and if people can see a cockpit available at the point of purchase then a lot of people would just get it out of simplicity. It's not a bad effort for a cockpit at all and real effort seems to have gone in, but as you point out it's a bit limited in scope.
So, uh, it wobbles under the weakest base in the lineup and the seat mounts flex is terrible. And it costs the same as an aluminum profile rig.
What an amazing product.
A very well articulated review! I have a particular eye for functional design and I noticed the wheel base mount has two separate mechanisms for tilt adjustment. This seems unnecessary and adds an extra point of slippage and/or hassle with adjusting - is my assessment fair or am I overthinking it? It seems like they could have combined two brackets into one and saved money on fasteners, space on packaging, and difficulty to the user.
you are thinking wrong
@@rema1242 well, I'm convinced now 😂
@@DrAlanQuan you can go right now to the goodwood festival in the WRC tent and try the cockpit for yourself
Cheers - I think they have done this to facilitate the 'karting style' layout that this cockpit can also do, though I never touched upon it in this video. I found there to be no hint of slippage or 'slack' in the brackets so they must've thought it through.
Hey there, I love your videos, you manage to add a comedy side to reviews! Anyways quick question, I currently have a thrustmaster t248 and I'm looking for the move up to direct drive with fanatec. Should I go and get a Clubsport DD and never have to upgrade again or should I save some money by getting the 8NM CSL DD? Or should I go for the Simagic Alpha Mini since I heard wonderful things about it? Or should I look at other brands like asetek?
Thanks for the compliments! I think the Asetek La Prima bundle is excellent for the money, I'd go for that if you can stretch to it. Out of all the 12nm 'bundles' I've tried, La Prima was the most 'high end' feeling kit
My only contact with Simagic so far has been the P1000 pedals which were great, but more expensive than the La Prima and the load cell failed not long after my P1000 review released, so not a clean sheet so far!
@@dannyleeracing Thanks for the quick reply! The bummer though is that the La Prima bundle doesn't have a clutch pedal, and that I would have to pay more for it. And if I just wanted the wheelbase and wheel, it is £1100 which is £200 more than the Fanatec. Well thanks for the suggestion, I'll be sure to keep a good look out for it! 👍👍
You probably have to wire before you put the bolts in the tubes, so re assemble it with the wiring in place already
That would just mean you have to dismantle the cockpit to get the wires back out if you ever had to change them. Either way it's just not quite on target
did you sell your clubsport dd base?
Yep, in part to fund buying the CSL Cockpit and enable the next video (this one) though maybe I didn't think that one through as it'd have been nice to slap something properly powerful on it and see how it did, but there we are. I'd probably only buy a CSDD or CSDD+ again if fullforce actually gets a proper release on iRacing and I feel it's worth casting an opinion on it.
@@dannyleeracing Yes i was thinking that you sold the CSDD cause it is not worth the money to keep it in stead of the csl dd I mean are you happy with the csl dd enough?
Nice video dude
Cheers man
How would u compare to Gt omega titan? Little shocked u sold ur clubsport dd its a great base.
I'd say the Titan would be the better choice between the two just because of that open-platformness, I'd say they're pretty similar in strength but the CSL Cockpit seating posture is definitely better, and that integrated monitor mount is excellent - I've not tried the Titan's newly available monitor mount, though. Remember, in my position selling something doesn't equate to it being bad, the CSDD was excellent. If it had been a review unit (free) then I'd for sure keep it, but it wasn't, so that'd be cash sitting on a shelf I could use to turn my focus onto new things. I'm sure me and a CSDD or CSDD+ will meet again.
@@dannyleeracing thanks Danny. So far I’m loving the titan. Just liked the look of this. But it would be a downgrade as such. Thanks for the reply.
Excellent review as always ✌🏼
Definitely looks like it was designed by German engineering But if I were involved I'd lose the tubing for HSS tubing
It looks like they've taken a "how little material can we get away with" approach. I hope nobody is genuinely considering this cockpit when you can get an aluminium rig for a similar price
It gives that impression, but at the same time one of the things that kinda surprised me was that all the nuts, screws, washers and bolts are really good quality. That's one of the things they could easily have skimped on to save costs, but seemingly didn't. Same thing with the 2 spanners that were included in the box, MUCH higher quality than what you typically get. If this was truly a cut-costs-at-any-cost thing then those things would also have been supplied at minimal possible effort, but they didn't do that. Ultimately for all the practical reasons listed, you have to really WANT this cockpit to pick it over similar third-party options but it's definitely not out of the running, it's more competent than I imagined it would be.
It’s hot! I want it for flying sim. But my wife won’t take it if I don’t like it. I sent her the video since she used the 8Nm dd. We shall see…
The 6sigma 6s-slim is $250
$400? lmfao
Sucks no buttkicker mount
you can mount the buttkicker anywhere, because the buttkicker has a round grip up to 43mm, and the tubes are 40mm
It sits way too low for me.
It's so flippin' low
Shaky impression on a rig
haha if you know what i mean
This thing is pure junk. The frame is weak and flimsy, seat has basically no cushion, and the addons are over priced and cheaply made!
That's a great review, but I've got to say that your poor dog looks as bored as hell.
She's a ride-or-die GT Omega fan so basically wasn't interested
@@dannyleeracing She's spot-on there; I'm super pleased with the Prime. But what's her name?