Is a CHEAP sim racing handbrake worth it? Unboxing, installing and first impressions.

Рет қаралды 2,759

Күн бұрын

Expensive sim racing equipment is better, or so we’re led to believe. Whether it’s a direct drive wheelbase or load cell pedals, the general consensus is that spending more money will get you a better product and improve your driving…but is that also true for a handbrake? To find out, I bought the cheapest one I could find on eBay and tried it out. Here are my first impressions including the unboxing, installation and setup.
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🦾 Get the HANDBRAKE here: www.ebay.com.au/itm/355241809336
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0:00 Hello and welcome!
1:45 Unboxing the handbrake
4:49 Mounting the handbrake on my rig
6:26 Connecting, configuring and adjusting the handbrake
10:00 First drive and first impressions using the handbrake
13:58 My detailed thoughts on the handbrake
21:14 My final thoughts on the handbrake
#Handbrake #SimRacing #RallyVR

Пікірлер: 41

@l1nussimracing981 Ай бұрын

Was waiting for the review, when you talked about it on the livestream! Glad you enjoy the handbrake, I am considering it as well.

@DDFRacer Ай бұрын

I was tempted to make this video as soon as the handbrake arrived but thought it would be better idea to get that race out of the way first 😉 definitely worth the wait though, really impressed with it so far and looking forward to giving it a proper test soon! I'd definitely recommend this if you're still undecided, the build quality is superb and it doesn't feel like a cheap product at all.

@chadchase1052 Ай бұрын

I have this handle as well. I read some of the bolts back out. So before I even installed it to my rig I went and put blue locktite on all of them, since then I have had zero issues and over 200+ hours in Rally racing games. I did have mounting issues like in the video, however I only used two bolts in a diagonal fasion, so the brake is slightly towards me and not straight up and back.

@curtissloan 18 күн бұрын

I've just purchased this and this is the most honest video! Is it still performing well?

@DDFRacer 16 күн бұрын

Can confirm still going strong and hasn't missed a beat 👍 for some reason which I'm yet to figure out though, occasionally I need to unplug and reconnect the USB for the handbrake to be detected in game. No biggie since it's right next to me, but I noticed a couple of times I'd be parked on the start line of the rally and the countdown wasn't starting despite having the handbrake fully in.

@bogy912 Ай бұрын

I have the same one mate! 👌 It's really awesome and great build quality! You'll love it 😊

@DDFRacer Ай бұрын

How long have you had yours mate? Really impressed so far but it's only been with a few stages here or there, looking forward to giving it a proper test on Friday in the RBR Rookie Cup 😎

@bogy912 Ай бұрын

@@DDFRacer mate I have mine for ages, like 2 years or so and I'm totally satisfied! No problems what so ever. I also use it as a starting clutch for road racing, because I don't have the proper clutch pedal installed on my wheel stand 🙂 so in some older cars, like 70s F1 cars, it's a clutch for the start and a cheap h-pattern switched to a sequential shifter to multiply the experience 🙂👌 in rally it's a proper handbrake, no discussion 😊 may it serve you well and long time buddy! Enjoy 👍🏻

@AidanMillward Ай бұрын

Me all through this video with the innuendo. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

@DDFRacer Ай бұрын

You don't have to pull back on it hard at 100% all the time mate, it's all about that progressive feeling and just getting the rear to step out the perfect amount.

@kuku6031 Ай бұрын

really great and mildly entertaining at same time review😅. I seen these around and wondered about them , i think lost handbrakes are a bit over priced for what should be a pretty basic piece of kit .

@DDFRacer Ай бұрын

Cheers Kuku 😁 glad you enjoyed it mate and hope you're keeping well!

@DriftNick Ай бұрын

I replaced my Fanatec handbrake with a $100 (AUD) handbrake from aliexpress, it is just straight up better in every way, no calibration issues, doesn't have massive play, easy to mount, can adjust it in a bunch of ways, doesn't need a $40 usb adaptor.

@DDFRacer Ай бұрын

Exactly! As much as I love my Fanatec wheel and pedals, I just wasn't seeing good things about getting their handbrake too so thought there has to be a better solution. Turns out, there is 😁 and a fraction of the price too. Like you said, straight up better in every way. Win win.

@WuschelWolf Ай бұрын

Great review Dan!

@DDFRacer Ай бұрын

Taking those sim racing equipment risks so you don't have to 😎 ha! In all seriousness though, it does make a big difference having a dedicated control for the handbrake in those rare moments you need it. I've muddled through for years either using a button on my HOTAS throttle or the stick itself, or more recently the shifter in sequential mode, but getting into Richard Burns Rally recently has definitely highlighted the importance of doing it properly. It's definitely a quality of life thing but when I found this for only $50AUD it made so much sense.

@scbsimracingcommunity390 Ай бұрын

Would have been Usefully in the SCB Birthday race 😂

@DDFRacer Ай бұрын

You're not wrong there 😅 there's an instant 20 second gain straight off the bat!

@mono_vt Ай бұрын

I would assume that games designed with a controller in mind would be a bit forgiving with a button handbrake. I don't usually see handbrake on an axis by default on most racing games, short of binding the handbrake to the right analog stick (Does anyone do this?). I assume RBR is one such "game" where an analog handbrake is ideal. Assetto Corsa probably also benefits from it. I was intrigued to hear it uses a hall sensor, the controller market has been going through a bit of a revolution despite console manufacturers resisting this change to save pennies. Hall effect sensors have been more accessible recently, and are a major selling point over the potentiometer based controllers IMO. I've been looking for a video like this for a while. I usually just flick the car into tight turns so it's nice to see that even a cheap handbrake is a worthwhile addition.

@DDFRacer Ай бұрын

I previously assumed the same too but the more I look into it, the more I realise that most games have a mappable axis for the handbrake. Assetto Corsa has it for the mass amount of drift content available, RBR and DiRT Rally 2.0 for obvious rally reasons, BeamNG being super detailed makes sense, rFactor2 is a bit of a surprise but it has it, AMS2 has the recent offroad content and also 3rd brake on the McLaren and even iRacing has it which actually kind of makes a lot of sense because of the dirt racing side of things. Big up for the hall sensor too. Shane on my Discord recently upgraded his Fanatec from a potentiometer to a hall sensor and he showed a back to back comparison of the input trace. The hall sensor was unbelievably smoother 👀

@ivana6141 Ай бұрын

I'm in Australia too. I mounted shifters and handbrake on the right because it breaks immersion too much in vr when mounted on the left.

@DDFRacer Ай бұрын

I tried the shifter on the right once to see if it would be more immersive and it felt absolutely terrible to me 😂 having learned to drive with it on the left in real life and driven thousands of hours across reality and the sim, I just couldn't get used to taking my right hand off the wheel and would mash the gears as well, it felt very unnatural. I guess over time my brain has compensated for the disconnect in VR between what I see and what I feel.

@ivana6141 Ай бұрын

@@DDFRacer hehe. Understandable. My brain adapts easily. I use inverted thumbsticks y axis but my son doesn't. When he passes his controller to me I was forced to get used to it.

@ricardo_pessoa_santos Ай бұрын

It does the job

@DDFRacer Ай бұрын

It certainly does, very impressed so far, especially for the price! I guess the only way to find out how it compares to one of the big brands like Fanatec or Moza and see what's missing in this current handbrake is to try one of them for comparison 🤔

@MrbishiCordia Ай бұрын

I've had one for ages does the job well for what it costs.

@DDFRacer Ай бұрын

Which is practically next to nothing compared to some of the other handbrakes on the sim racing market 😁 feels like a steal. Just curious, how much travel do you have in yours? Did you dial it down a bit or do you use the full range of motion?

@MrbishiCordia Ай бұрын

@DDFRacer changed it around to a conventional rip it up style, but I did reduce the travel

@jordi_d_ero3523 Ай бұрын

Igualito al mio 😂

@DDFRacer Ай бұрын

Handbrake buddies unite! 🤝

@jameyspielt Ай бұрын

very cool... most underrated simrace streamer, ever.. I dont get it why people dont know bout ddf. Take care mates!

@DDFRacer Ай бұрын

Ah cheers Jamey 😍 you're far too kind! I'm probably not active enough to show up on most people's feeds compared to other sim racing content creators, there's a lot of noise out there and it's hard to stand out sometimes. Either that or the algorithm doesn't want to push my content to people based on my video titles, thumbnail, descriptions etc. I'm just happy doing my thing though 👍 if people manage to stumble on my content then it's always a nice bonus.

@ursinesaturn6723 Ай бұрын

Now take the BMW M1 to PS Valstagna for a good time! 😊

@DDFRacer Ай бұрын

The list of car/stage combos to try grows longer every day 😅 might need to do a special stream for all the extras at this rate...

@ursinesaturn6723 Ай бұрын

@@DDFRacer Ha! Take any car really. It is a great stage and plenty of tight hairpins 😉

@newcastlegeorge Ай бұрын

Thank you for taking knife safety seriously. With a lot of us based in Europe, if you cut yourself and Mrs DDF is out, we might not get to you before you bleed out 😢

@DDFRacer Ай бұрын

I appreciate your concern but if Mrs DDF has left me unsupervised with a knife then something has already seriously gone wrong 🤣

@AhmadArshad-ty6fl Ай бұрын

bro's hairline is next level

@DDFRacer Ай бұрын

What can I say, I'm a next level racing ambassador 🤷‍♂️

@peeess7245 Ай бұрын

I had that one for ~2 years. My thoughts is that once lubed, screws tightened, and adjust the preload it works. Now durability, the foamy thing will quickly break. And the main issue is that the Arduino USB connect just broke off after a slight bump (tiny surface soldered USB connector) and no way fix (at least not for me...). Now, I'm sporting a Moza Handbrake (~USD 100) and this one is much more sturdy. The one you reviewed is about USD40 here in the US, so definitely more $$ to go for the Moza

@DDFRacer Ай бұрын

Appreciate the heads up on how yours fared over time! Some grip tape or makeshift foam can fix the handle pretty easily but I'll definitely keep an eye on the USB connector though 👍