I am curious as to what works best. Can anyone contribute their experiences; pros and cons? AFAIK, there are the Klassen wheels and the Alpha Wheels. Any I missed?
I haven't used any yet, but was looking a while back, veracity (link below) also make a system. Would similarly be interested to know what peoples experiences of whats currently available was. http://veracitycontrolwheels.com/#features
I have the PLC Veracity Wheels with a Spektrum radio, and the Alpha Wheels with the SBUS XR radio. I switched from PLC to Alpha Wheels when they came out with a digital interface, and I really like them. I've also used the Klassen wheels. It all depends on your application, to be honest. The PLC's were great, but you have to zero them out every time you turn them on, because they'll drift, and there's a slight delay in them. The Alpha Wheels, especially with the latest firmware, don't drift at all and have a zero-delay response. I do love them. You can change the smoothing\damping, window, and speed quite a bit in the Movi app now, too. I like the SBUS XR system because it keeps them nice and light, but I've used other people's Movi Controllers with Alpha Wheels, and they can be handy, like vehicle to vehicle work where you might need to adjust Roll and level. I never bought a Movi Controller because I felt like Freefly would improve it eventually, and they kind of did with Pilot, but every once in while, I'll wish I had one on a shoot. I suggest getting the brass wheels with the Alphas instead of the standard aluminum. They make a big difference in feel. My ultimate hope is that Freefly will allow the Bush Pilot\Mimic to control Roll by turning the knob, and that I can use my Alpha Wheels with the Mimic mounted to them, and use that as the third Roll wheel for those situations where I need to be able to adjust it. I've asked Support about including that in a firmware update, so we'll see. The Walter Klassen wheels are also very nice. I hear they have a digital upgrade as well that people seem to like, and they include a Roll wheel. I've liked the way they feel and operate on the few shoots I've used them.
Having tried Veracity, Alpha, and Klassen, I would have to say Klassen are the nicest. You have the ability to use the roll wheel, and you can adjust perimeters like drift/trim from the wheels menu itself. Personally, I think the veracity wheels and radio modules leave a lot to be desired. They are fragile and temperamental and the 5 pins that hold the transmitter into the wheels often need replacing. And like Graham said, they need zeroing before each to minimize drift. The Alpha wheels (Alpha Mimic) work well and are very responsive but I can't seem to work out the drift. Maybe I'll have to revisit this, as I've been using the Klassen wheels recently. I also have the Alpha SBUS but have yet to test it.