Seimitsu LS-40-01-SC-K (PCB Type) Joystick with RE Plate

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1. A must-have lever if you play KOF

   I originally purchased this lever because I wanted to find a lever that could help me get faster inputs with less movement of the lever. When I played with the LS-40 I found that instant air dashing in Guilty Gear and other air dash fighters was quicker and easier and that I could do special move inputs without having to push the stick as much. I also liked how the stick felt slightly tighter than the Sanwa JLF. But what I like most about this stick is how good it feels when playing KOF. If you didn't know, the LS-40 was the lever used in the Neo Geo candy cabinets in Japan. The Neo Geo is home to KOF of course, so this is the stick that was used to play those games. The reason this stick is so good for playing KOF isn't because it was the stick used on the Neo Geo cabs, but because hops and hyper hops are so much easier to pull off on this lever than on a Sanwa JLF. Hops are a kind of jump in KOF that are pulled off by tapping the lever in an upward direction then quickly letting go, and hyper hops are done by hitting a downward direction quickly, then quickly hitting up-forward or up-backward and letting go. If you hold the lever up for too long, you will instead get your normal jump or your hyper jump. I tried hops and hyper hops on both sticks and while I could do them on the Sanwa JLF as well, I felt like they were much easier and more consistent to do on the LS-40 because I didn't have to push the stick as far. Hyper hops in particular felt much easier to do on the LS-40 due to the shorter engage. Even if you don't play KOF I still think this is an excellent lever to use if you want a lever that has a shorter engage distance and tighter feel compared to the Sanwa JLF. I highly recommend this lever, especially if you're a KOF player. Faibra on Jan 20th 2022

2. When korean and Japanese stick had Baby.

   I mainly play Tekken and DBFZ and I have tried Crown 309mj and Sanwa jlf w/ Kowal actuator but both still ain't right for me.
   
   309mj has the best neutral and corner to corner activition but has such huge throw and there is no options for short throw mods.
   
   Sanwa jlf w/ Kowal has amazing short throw but
   not so good in corner to corner activation (doing EWGF in Tekken is not consistent as 309mj) or often miss inputs...
   
   LS-40 is the best of both worlds! Short throw ✅, great neutral ✅ precised corner to corner activation! ✅ no miss inputs like JLF ✅
   
   CONS: no spring spring mods Available. A 2lbs spring will be perfect but streching the stock sring to 2 inches length will give you the feel close to 1.5lbs.
   
   10/10! ✅ Dee on Apr 22nd 2021

3. Tight Stick

   Compatible with the Kowal LS-32 oct gate if you supply your own screws and thread the holes yourself. (If you have strong wrists you don’t even really need a tap-and-die to do it). This is the main point of writing this review, to show that it can be done and it feels great.
   
   This is great. I’m not a fighting game player at all, I use this for 1983-2000 era platformers mostly. It has just the right amount of tension (firm), very little slop/dead zone, and with the oct gate entry and exit from diagonals are razor sharp, much better than a stock wiggly d-pad. Miles away from a floppy sanwa jlf-style stick with 10 degrees slop before engage. Try as I might, even with spring and actuator mods I was never able to get the JLF to feel as right as this stick does. I typically mate this stick with an aluminum battop and have never felt the need to adjust spring tension. Truth be told, I would like even lesser engage distance but short of manufacturing my own stick that doesn’t seem likely to happen, hence I’m giving this 5 stars since it’s the best you can currently get.
   
   As mentioned, JLF-style sticks aren’t even close in comparison, so the closest comparison is the LS-32. The LS-32 has a slightly smaller plate-to-shaft-tip dimension which makes it a bit easier tio mount in premade arcade sticks, (1.5mm shorter), however this comes at the expense of a reduced lever-arm which means more slop/ dead zone. Check slagcoin for exact details. However, my experience has been that 95% are only designed for JLF dimensions, meaning anything taller requires cutting. And if you’re going to have to cut in the first place, might as well go all out with the LS-40. My typical mounting solution is to cut a big square hole out of the top of the stick and mount an SS plate with screws + nuts fixed to the top of the enclosure. This gives you enough clearance to add in an LS-32 or LS-40 w/oct gate into a stick that was only designed for a JLF-clone.
   
   Consider this review valid for both the PCB and discrete switches versions, I’ve used both. The PCB version is typically easier to obtain and can be more convenient to wire but the bare switches version is slightly smaller in width and length, so is slightly less convenient but is recommended if you have severe size constraints. Anon on Nov 25th 2020

4. Nice little joystick. My third favorite control lever!

   I would personally never use the LS-40 as my main control lever BUT it's an occasionally nice alternative to the Hayabusa (my main lever) and the LS-32 (my second lever, my favorite Seimitsu hardware).
   Partwise, the LS-40 is most like the LS-32 BUT it has that shorter throw which can be a good thing or bad. Good, if you're relaxed. If you're feeling tight, a joystick with a longer throw will generally work better for you. The LS-32 spring does compress tighter onto the LS-40 shaft so the LS-40 actually has higher tension than the stock LS-32 which may or may not be good for your tastes.
   For classic non-fighting games and shooters, the LS-40 might actually be the best mainstream control lever to use. It takes less effort to use and it's precise.
   It took me a LONG time to get used to the feel of the LS-40 after years with the Hayabusa and LS-32 which are natural-feeling to me. I continue to use all 3 because like working out with weights, you don't want to stick with just one type of weight/exercise machine. You want to vary routine. Use different control levers to be able to adjust and be more flexible when you need that.
   Now, the LS-40 is even more convenient to buy now since they let us buy with the option of Mounting Plate. This wasn't true about 9 years ago when I bought my first LS-40 (which ended up in my Arcana Heart 2 or Mad Catz Femme Fatale/SFIV joystick). You used to have to buy the SS-Mounting Plate separate which was a pain. Since 99% of the universal joystick mounts support the SS-Mounting plate, that's the one to get. I only have one custom joystick mount for an LS-40-01 where I actually use the RE/Flat plate to mount that LS-40 (and it's the only LS-40 installation where I could install a second dustwasher to keep dust/dirt out of the shaft pivot). The rest of the time, use the SS Mounting Plate to get the proper shaft height clearance and secure installation.
   I have LS-40's mounted in HRAP/Arcana Heart 2, the LE Mad Catz SF VI Femme Fatale TE/Rd1, and a modded Dreamcast Agetec case right now. It works really well with all 3 bases. GC on Aug 3rd 2020

5. Amazing stick!

   Being an owner of the Hori RAP N, the stick unfortunately came with the Hayabusa. The throw was extremely long, and I often missed my inputs and easily got tired. I switched to using an all-button controller because I thought sticks weren't for me.
   
   And then I've heard about the LS-40's short throw, so I got one and installed it. I found myself doing much much cleaner inputs! Highly recommended Unknown on Jan 13th 2020

6. My favorite joystick with one small flaw

   Every joystick I use ends up compared to this one. This is the most precise and responsive stick I've ever used. It's excellent for shooters, great for fighting games, and comfortable for everything else. It's my #1 for multicades. My only complaint is the lack of an octagonal gate option. Because of that, I sometimes prefer a Hayabusa or JLF with oversized actuator and 2lb spring for certain fighting games. However, that's a pricy option for a specific use case. For 98% of my joystick needs, I go with the LS-40. Frank P. on Jul 8th 2018

7. Good stick short throw

   The throw really is pretty short.
   
   The stick itself is short so make sure you're putting it into the plate that raises the stick. Unknown on Dec 5th 2017

8. Short throw make precise input easier

   Bought this stick to replace my Sanwa JLF and never been happier. Short throw make any inputs easier for people like me who has tendency to press buttons faster than moving the joystick resulting in dropping combos
   Had a few difficulties installing the stick to Madcatz Fightstick Pro, because apparently you need to plug the pin in reverse or else it will only recognize some directions Unknown on Aug 27th 2016

9. Perfect fit

   Feels like the perfect Japanese stick for me. Short throws similar to the Crown sticks, square gate and balltop. Would recommend this for those that feel the throw is too long on the JLF or Hayabusa Unknown on Jul 30th 2016

10. Good stick

    This is a good stick. I find it very smooth and movable. Only down side is that it is a square gate and unfortunately I cannot find any modifications to get any other gates on it. That could be just that I'm a newbie at this. Unknown on Aug 31st 2015