What a coincidence, I just was discussing joysticks with a friend who's also planning on buying soon. I've owned a lot of joysticks throughout the years, so here are some of my experiences:
Microsoft Sidewinder series (pretty much all of them) were excellent, but they're pretty hard to come by nowadays.
The Saitek Cyborg 3d Gold was one of the best low-end joysticks I've ever used. I still have it and I'm lending it to a buddy so he can play Freespace 2 with it at the moment. Fun Fact: The prop for the bounty-hunter's joystick in the Firefly episode "Objects in Space" is a Cyborg 3d Gold. Again, these are also pretty hard to find nowadays.
I've also owned the Saitek X52. It's a pretty decent stick for its price and will satisfy most players. I've found it quite durable (I know someone mentioned that the quality of Saitek's joysticks are lacking, but I believe those are for the lower end ones that have come out lately). It's not as accurate as some of the high end models, and it does have a positive ramp that I'm not too crazy about, but it's quite decent for the price you'll find it at nowadays. The Pro version is an improvement in every way, but at that price point you get into hardcore Flight Simmer territory.
I currently use the CH Fighterstick, throttle, and pedals. CH REALLY builds excellent quality products. It certainly isn't as pretty as some of the others on the market, but it's VERY durable, has excellent components, and is the most reliable joystick I've ever used. The software is still pretty much the best in the industry, and I've seen people comparing it favorably to the Thrustmaster Warthog (a $400 stick) that's just been released. Someone once commented that the CH stick is the Cadillac of joysticks, and I think I'd have to agree. The one thing you may NOT like is that it has no Z axis. (In other words, no twist.) I've been using the pedals for that, but I know that many people without pedals have grown attached to the Z-axis. Be sure to keep this in mind. Also, the X and Y axis can be felt more distinctly than something like the Saitek X52, but I find that for most flight sims, this is desirable for me. In games like Descent, the joystick is just loose enough that this axis division is not noticeable enough to ruin your aim game.
The Saitek X65 I don't really recommend. It's certainly nifty to have a pressure-sensitive joystick, but it just doesn't provide enough feedback, I find. It's a pricey one, so if you really want to go that route, definitely try before you buy.
The Thrustmaster Cougar is also a classic, but its internals are rather shoddy. (Generally people buy it to soup it up with their own components.) It's been replaced by the Thrustmaster Warthog. I probably wouldn't recommend bothering with the Cougar these days, even though it still has a huge following.
The Logitech G940 is a good one for a high-end force-feedback stick. A lot of IL-2 players like this one for that very reason. It's pretty darn expensive though.
All in all, if you're going for a lower price, the Thrustmaster 16000 is okay, I guess, but I'd definitely recommend investing in a nice joystick that will last a long time. The X52 is a good place to start, despite its criticisms. But definitely take a look at some of the higher end ones too, just to get an idea of your choices.
