DOF Reality M2 Pro vs NLRV3

[Dennis Johnson]

Has anyone used one of these pro models yet?
I am trying to decide which to pull the trigger on. It is very tempting to go with the DOF since it is 1/2 price. Just a little afraid of the difference in quality etc.
Thanks for any feedback

 

[RCHeliguy]

You are not the only one to ask this question, yet I've never heard anyone here talk about their experience with the DOF.

Barry at SRG did a review of the DOF and it appeared to be undamped and would be a lot of tinkering to "try" to get it to work well. It also looked frail and didn't have as high a weigh limit as the NLRv3. The undamped nature of it means that things will tend to oscillate vs. give you a single impact. That will make a huge difference to how it feels.

The NLRv3 on the other hand just plain works well and has great software support and is very easy to configure. Barry also did a review of it. The NLRv3 people also do much more expensive systems and there is some nice trickle down into their less expensive products like the NLRv3.

For similar money to an NLRv3 you could also build an SFX-100 which many people are very happy with as well.

I think the old maxim if it seems too good to be true, it probably is applies here.

I've got an NLRv3 and I'm very happy with it. You can also occasionally find one for sale used here. That typically happens after someone builds a full chassis mover like the SFX-100. The previous owners are typically still happy with their NLRv3's, but like the full chassis mover better.

 

[ThugUK]

If you have the time, patients and (limited) skill then go for an SFX100, no other comments needed.
You will NOT be disappointed. They everything and more the others do and are bullet proof.
They will also work out cheaper.
Mine cost about £1700.

 

[Dennis Johnson]

You are not the only one to ask this question, yet I've never heard anyone here talk about their experience with the DOF.

Barry at SRG did a review of the DOF and it appeared to be undamped and would be a lot of tinkering to "try" to get it to work well. It also looked frail and didn't have as high a weigh limit as the NLRv3. The undamped nature of it means that things will tend to oscillate vs. give you a single impact. That will make a huge difference to how it feels.

The NLRv3 on the other hand just plain works well and has great software support and is very easy to configure. Barry also did a review of it. The NLRv3 people also do much more expensive systems and there is some nice trickle down into their less expensive products like the NLRv3.

For similar money to an NLRv3 you could also build an SFX-100 which many people are very happy with as well.

I think the old maxim if it seems too good to be true, it probably is applies here.

I've got an NLRv3 and I'm very happy with it. You can also occasionally find one for sale used here. That typically happens after someone builds a full chassis mover like the SFX-100. The previous owners are typically still happy with their NLRv3's, but like the full chassis mover better.

Thanks for you input. I will most likely go with the NLRv3. Although the SFX100 is looking interesting also.

 

[Dennis Johnson]

If you have the time, patients and (limited) skill then go for an SFX100, no other comments needed.
You will NOT be disappointed. They everything and more the others do and are bullet proof.
They will also work out cheaper.
Mine cost about £1700.

I have been reading about this and it looks great. BUT.....the process looks very daunting and I haven't gotten my arms around what the total cost would be including the 8020 rig to put it on. Currently own an Omega GT Pro cockpit and would need to invest in a new rig plus the acuators. I live in the US and a lot of the sourcing that I have seen comes from Europe. The other issue is that I fly a lot in DCS and figured the seat mover might be more suited for flying and racing. This setup seems more suited for sim racing.

 

[RCHeliguy]

Thanks for you input. I will most likely go with the NLRv3. Although the SFX100 is looking interesting also.

The NLRv3 is pretty easy and turnkey. It works very reliably with almost zero effort.

I have mine setup for flight as well. I will say that for driving especially Rally games it is great! For flight you will get a lot more angle out of the NLRv3 than an SFX-100. I think the SFX-100 would noticeably be better for paved track racing. However while my stick and throttle move with my seat, my flight pedals don't move and that is a bit weird in flight. I ended up reducing the amount of motion in flight to make that more usable. My build thread is currently near the top of this forum, but just in case, below is a link my build thread. For driving as long as you have the motion adjusted reasonably, it adds quite a bit.

Let me make one big disclaimer. There is some play in the motion pivot with the NLRv3 vs the SFX-100 which is as solid as your seat mount and for some people that is an issue with braking. Now that I'm trying to learn to drive better in iRacing I'm getting more sensitized to this issue. I hadn't noticed it at all in Rally games.

https://www.racedepartment.com/thre...cockpit-with-motion-and-tactile-build.165289/

 

[RCR_Finn]

I tried a DOFreality model in a local VR gaming place, and I was astonished how total crap it was. I can't understand why a company that makes such things for a living would push out a platform where the steering wheel mount is made of a single bar that's my pinkie's size in thickness. No supports of any kind for that poor little bar. Therefore the whole experience was just one big wobble, you couldn't really tell if it was wobbling because it was trying to give you motion feedback, or if it was wobbling just because of its utter wobbliness.

For me personally, my old "simrig" that was totally stationary, offered more of an authentic racing experience than DOFreality. That being that also in my real race car, the seat didn't wobble and neither did the steering wheel, the drivers' position to pedals and steering wheel were completely stationary. Therefore a feel of sturdiness, which at least is a strong part of immersion for a race car.

That being said, I did decide to start building an SFX-100. I can tell without testing that the rig out of aluminum profile will be sturdy and solid, which is the primary thing, and the movement by the added actuators can only be a bonus on top of that.

 

[hitman_ua]

I can't understand why a company that makes such things for a living would push out a platform where the steering wheel mount is made of a single bar that's my pinkie's size in thickness. No supports of any kind for that poor little bar. Therefore the whole experience was just one big wobble, you couldn't really tell if it was wobbling because it was trying to give you motion feedback, or if it was wobbling just because of its utter wobbliness.

But on site photo is two bars for steering support.

 

[RCR_Finn]

This is the platform that I tried, and there the steering wheel support was like a single bar arcing over your knees to form the steering wheel support. What I mean is you dont have to be a structural engineer to be able to say that without any kind of crossmember or a support into any other dimension from there just cannot be rigid. A rigid design needs a third dimension.

If you are use to mounting your wheel on a tabletop, this design would be much alike turning that tabletop on its side and removing the legs of the table, then mounting the wheel on there. I just cant understand how this wouldnt cross anybodys mind at DOFreality. Perhaps they got their structural engineering from the Kindergarten.

 

[hitman_ua]

Maybe the owner decided not to use the second support?

Because there are many videos where can see that DD wheels are used.

 

[Alin175]

If you have the time, patients and (limited) skill then go for an SFX100, no other comments needed.
You will NOT be disappointed. They everything and more the others do and are bullet proof.
They will also work out cheaper.
Mine cost about £1700.

How much would this set-up be without seat, wheel, pedals, shifter. Does it work the same as big brands in terms of "real" feel when driving?

 

[chuuurles]

Can we please talk about how he totally ripped off the DOF subsea logo? They are one of my best customers...