Need Advice -- Obutto Ozone?

[Trizzig]

Hello all, apologies for another seat/wheel thread but I could only find a couple of threads on the Obutto and then I think it may have been on the older model. Plus, if I'm gonna drop $700 I figure a question or two to those that know is prudent. Will be playing on the PS3 -- mainly Turismo.

Anyway, looking at either the Obutto or Playseat Evo. Looks like a lot of people like the Playseat, but the Obutto just looks more sturdy. Plus, the Obutto weighs more than twice as much -- that has to be better stability.

So, I'm ready to pull the trigger on the Obutto unless there's something else I've missed?

And wheels -- I have a Driving Force Pro, ready to upgrade. The G27 looks nice, and it's $50 more than the G25 so I can't see a reason not to get that one. The Fanatec's look nice, but I don't know what I'm looking at with all the different models. G27 okay or should I be looking at a Fanatec?

Appreciate your help!

 

[CarBastard]

Personally, i will buy a G27. I'm not buying a Playseat Evo because of my budget (i could stretch it but not for this one) and because the steering support beam is mounted just in front of the G27 break bedal, which means, you cant use the pedal that way. But I'm not buying the Obutto either because of the shipping costs, IT'S HUMONGOUS!!!!!!!!!

However, the Obutto looks very nice and sturdy, and the package seems quite complete. Only issue in my view is the shipping.

http://www.obutto.com/index.html

I hope i could help 👍

 

[CarBastard]

Double post, forgive my slow and cheap internet connection .

 

[cpp214]

I recently got the new version of the Obutto seat. I can't compare it to the Playseat because I've never used it, but my impressions of it so far are very favorable. Before the Obutto, I had my wheel mounted to a computer desk and I thought it was pretty stable, but with the Obutto, there is absolutely zero wobble or movement with the wheel. It's incredible really. It makes it much easier to catch slides with ill-handling cars. I really like the Obutto, but there are some minor flaws you should know about before you buy it:

I'm 5'10", and even with the wide range of adjustments you can make with the Obutto, it took me quite a while to get it dialled in to my liking. Right now, I have the wheel sitting a little bit farther away from me than I am used to, and the pedals are a little bit closer than I'm used to. To set the pedals at an angle, like I have them now, I had to drill an extra hole below the stock hole on the pedal plate. This allowed me to screw the G27 pedals to the plate via the bottom hole on the G27 pedals. Otherwise, usting the top-middle hole, the pedals were too close to my feet to set them at an angle. I don't know if that makes much sense Let's just say if you don't have long legs, you may have a little trouble setting the pedals at one of the three angle presets on the Obutto.

Also, the Obutto is made with incredibly strong carbon steel. I have an 18 volt Dewalt drill, and I wound up burning up two of my bits trying to drill hard-mounting holes I wound up going to a machine shop where one of my friends works, and he drilled the holes for me with an industrial-strength drill.

Also, maybe it's just mine, but the wheel mount is not in an ideal center-alignment with the seat. Therefore, I have had to offset my wheel mount to the right, almost to the very edge of the plate Another inch off-center, and I would have had to make some major alterations.

Otherwise, I'm very pleased with it overall and think it is well worth the money. I "only" paid $344 including shipping for this new version. The owner gave me a discount because I had ordered it a few months back only to later learn they were out of stock. So he sold me the new model at the original price. I haven't tried the monitor mount, but it should be rock solid as well.

I can't emphasize this enough--the Obutto is ROCK SOLID. No wheel wobble whatsoever. That was one of my main worries when trying to choose a cockpit, and the Obutto has exceeded my expectations in this area.

That's all I can think of right now, but I would recommend it 👍
If you can think of any other questions, just let me know

 

[Trizzig]

Thanks for the replies guys -- I decided to go ahead and get the Obutto as I don't really like how the Playseat has the steering column in the middle. Plus I live in OK and there distribution center is in Houston so shipping should be at the low end of their scale.

One problem though, I sent an email to Obutto last Friday and haven't heard back from them yet. I find this a little odd since email is the only way to contact them and you'd think they'd be johnny on the spot with regard to sales.

Has anyone had any dealings with them recently? Maybe I'm just being impatient?

Also, I went with the Fanatec wheel -- ordered 11/2 so we'll see how long it takes to get here. I figure I'll be lucky to have it by the end of the year.

 

[oqvist]

Carbastard is the brake position different on the G27 opposed to the G25? Otherwise the Evo is designed for the Evo. You can adjust the pedal plate for right or left foot braking no problem

 

[MudRunner]

One problem though, I sent an email to Obutto last Friday and haven't heard back from them yet. I find this a little odd since email is the only way to contact them and you'd think they'd be johnny on the spot with regard to sales.

Has anyone had any dealings with them recently? Maybe I'm just being impatient?

I emailed the on October 23rd and have not heard back either. I also live in Oklahoma, so will be interested to see how much shipping is.

 

[Trizzig]

Hmmmm. Let's keep each other informed via this thread if we hear anything.

 

[MudRunner]

I got this as a reply to an email I sent today. Follow the link and you will find they charge $95 for shipping no matter where you are. Also there is a deal running for two more days.

For US Customers:

Thanks for contacting OBUTTO, and if you have any questions or queries we will reply to you as soon as possible. If you are interested in purchasing an OBUTTO gaming cockpit, please read on for details.

Please note we are currently out of stock, but a new shipment of cockpits will be arriving in the US mid Sept 2009.

The new shipment will consist of a modified cockpit design, and while the overall look of the cockpit will be the same, we feel the changes will only further enhance it's appeal to SIM racers & all video gamers. These changes are the result of feedback we've received from SIM racers over the past year, along with some changes I wanted to further adapt the cockpit to other genres of games and it's ability to fully replace a desk. The cockpit changes will most likely include all or most of the following:

1) removable mounting posts for the keyboard/mouse tray, and shifter mount

2) steering wheel mount is angled back towards the driver more which will create more leg room for those who like their legs stretched out, and should make it more comfortable for taller folks who like their steering wheels nice and high like in a real race car.

3) the nose of the cockpit will be flat on the ground, no longer sticking up

4) the bar that the pedal tray will rest on will be height adjustable (2 positions, normal & high), distance adjustable, as well as being removable for those that want to run aftermarket pedal setups like CST's.

5) The front & rear section of the frame will be lengthened by 5-7cm.

6) Shifter mount arm will be shorter, and it's mounting location will be adjustable. Also, it will give more clearance underneath so aftermarket shifters will fit with no probs.......such as the SST Lightning.

7) New height adjustable hard mount monitor stand that attaches to the back of the monitor, uses standard VESA bolt patterns: 75x75mm 100x100mm 200x100mm

8) In case you play flight sim games there will also be a mounting location for a flight stick mount between your legs (this mount would cost extra though)

9) Lastly, we will have a 2cm thick acrylic (plexiglass) "desktop" available at extra charge to give folks some desktop space on their cockpits

**Please note, the seat will remain the same except we may add our logo back to the front of the headrest (similar to what is shown on our website)**

We will only be importing 80 cockpits this time around, so if you wish to reserve a cockpit then feel free to visit our US distributors site to purchase at the following link: http://www.txsri.com/products/cockpits_obutto.html

We did raise the price of the cockpit since the US dollar is still struggling against the China RMB currency. Therefore, the new price is US$289 and the shipping cost is appx $80-100 via ground. Once we ship your cockpit in mid-late August we will email you the tracking number. We have many pre-orders and it looks like all 80 will be sold before they arrive so don't miss out.

**If you pre-purchase the cockpit then it guarantees you will receive a cockpit from this shipment**

Please realize delays can happen, as US Customs can sometimes be a bit overzealous :/ Thanks for your time, and for your patience! If you have any other questions or concerns we will reply to you as soon as possilble.



For UK/European customers:

We are currently talking with various companies regarding distribution of our products in your regions. As of now, we do not have any cost effective way to send you our cockpits. Please keep checking the "news" section of our homepage for updates.

If you have any other questions or concerns we will reply to you as soon as possilble.

Thank you for contacting o b u t t o!

Best regards,
Chris Dunagan



managing director
o b u t t o
beijing, china
http://www.obutto.com
chris@obutto.com

 

[Trizzig]

Awsome, thanks man.

 

[Biggles]

I don't know about the Obutto, but I've got to say that the Playseat Evo is a flawless piece of equipment IMO. It it is comfortable, sturdy & perfectly functional. The center bar does not really get in the way, as you can offset the pedals in a way that makes them fully accessible. The bar does move a little bit, but it kind of creates the feeling of the car vibrating - it is not distracting or flimsy-feeling at all.

For me, the real plus for the Playseat is that, because of the design, it is very compact & cool-looking. If you set it up in front of a big-screen TV, it is not too obtrusive & can easily be moved out of the way. The Obutto just has too much of a "meccano-kit" look to it, to my eyes. With the G25/G27 the Playseat looks very sleek & racy - a superb piece of industrial design IMO. It's a bit less convincing looking with a Fanatec wheel, especially with the large & clunky Clubsport pedals, which overwhelm the pedal base.

 

[Punknoodle]

cpp214: Also, the Obutto is made with incredibly strong carbon steel. I have an 18 volt Dewalt drill, and I wound up burning up two of my bits trying to drill hard-mounting holes I wound up going to a machine shop where one of my friends works, and he drilled the holes for me with an industrial-strength drill.

Probably more the bits than the drill if it was burning out the bits, and also, use cutting oil when drilling steel...

 

[bevo]

Does anyone know if the clubsport pedals will fit the obutto setup.

 

[Trizzig]

Their website says they will, which is the main reason I bought it since I have those coming. The evo just doesn't look like it will take them.

http://www.obutto.com/faqs.html

They say it might take some modifying -- remains to be seen what that means. I'll update once I receive everything, but that could be months.

 

[MudRunner]

Did you get any kind of confirmation indicating when you might get it? I emailed txsri the other day about possibly reduced shipping since we live close, but no reply yet.

 

[Trizzig]

No, all I have is the Paypal receipt -- let me know if you hear anything.