Fanatec Handbrake Review 2020 | Clubsport V1.5

Fanatec Handbrake

If there’s one piece of sim racing hardware that pretty much guarantees fun, it’s the trusty handbrake. It usually means that you’re doing something a little bit silly and need to rotate your car in an unnatural way. Handbrakes require skill to operate and are essential for drifting and rally disciplines.

Today I’m reviewing one of the most popular handbrakes in the sim racing world, the Fanatec Clubsport V1.5 handbrake. I have been using this particular handbrake for about a year now, so it’s about time I reviewed it. I’m Laurence, welcome to the channel.

Product affiliate links & discounts

Logo	Brands	Reseller	Discount Code	Link	Ships to	Locations
	Fanatec	Fanatec USA		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/FANATEC-USA	America	Beverly Hills, California, USA
	Fanatec	Fanatec EU		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/FANATEC-EU	EU	Landshut, Germany
	Fanatec	Fanatec Australia		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/FANATEC-OZ	Australia	New South Wales, Australia
	Fanatec	Fanatec Japan		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/FANATEC-JP	Japan	Tokyo, Japan
	Trak Racer, Simucube, Heusinkveld, VNM Simulation, GSI, Gomez Sim Industries, Cube Controls, Rexing	Trak Racer USA		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/TRAK-RACER-USA	America	Austin, Texas, USA
	Trak Racer, Simucube, Heusinkveld, VNM Simulation, GSI, Gomez Sim Industries, Cube Controls, Rexing	Trak Racer UK		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/TRAK-RACER-UK	UK	Hertfordshire, England, UK
	Trak Racer, Simucube, Heusinkveld, VNM Simulation, GSI, Gomez Sim Industries, Cube Controls, Rexing	Trak Racer EU		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/TRAK-RACER-EU	EU	Venlo, The Netherlands
	Trak Racer, Simucube, Heusinkveld, VNM Simulation	Trak Racer Australia		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/TRAK-RACER-OZ	Australia	Victoria, Australia
	Asetek	Asetek Global	5% off with coupon code 'LD'	https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/ASETEK-GLOBAL	Global	Florida, USA. Aalborg, Denmark
	Asetek	Asetek USA	5% off with coupon code 'LD'	https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/ASETEK-USA	America	Florida, USA
	Asetek	Asetek EU	5% off with coupon code 'LD'	https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/ASETEK-EU	EU	Aalborg, Denmark
	Simagic	Simagic Direct	3% off with coupon code 'LD'	https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/SIMAGIC	Global	Shenzhen, China, Asia
	Amazon	Amazon Global (will bring you to your local amazon store automatically)		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/AMAZON	Global
	Adobe	Adobe		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/ADOBE	Global
	Apex Sim Racing, Cube Controls, D-Box, Meca Sim Hardware, Moza Racing, RichD-PC, Sigma Integrale, Simagic	Apex Sim Racing	5% off with coupon code 'LD'	https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/APEX-SIM-RACING	Global	New Jersey, USA
	Advanced Simracing, Alpinestars, Ascher Racing, Asetek Simsports, Astro Gaming, BDH Race Sim Hardware, Buttkicker, Cobra, Corbeau, Cube Controls, Delta Sim Tech, D-Box, Gaming Zone (Gaming Computers), Gomez Sim Industries (GSI), Heusinkveld, Honeycomb (Flightsim), Ignition Controls, Logitech, Meca Sim Hardware, Moza Racing, MPI, Next Level Racing, Oktane Designs, OMP Racing, Playseat, PT Actuator, Precision Sim Engineering, Pro-Sim, P1Sim, Racing Helmet Collector, Recaro, Samsung, Simcore, Simline, Simtag, Simtrecs, Simucube, Sim Racing Studio, Sparco, Thrustmaster (Simracing), Thrustmaster (Flightsim), Turn Racing, Turtle Beach, Varjo, Venym, Virtual Racing School, VNM Simulation	Advanced Sim Racing	5% off with code LDUSOSWAFIVE	https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/ASR	Global	Montreal, Canada
	Ascher Racing, ASUS, Buttkicker, Cobra, Cube Controls, EPOS, Fanatec, Gigabyte, Go-Race, Gomez Sim Industries (GSI), Heusinkveld Engineering, ImSim, MME SimSport, O-Rouge, OBP, Overclockers, Qubic System, Racelogic, Rexing, Sabelt Sim Racing, Simucube, Sparco, Trak Racer	Demon Tweeks		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/DEMON-TWEEKS	Global	Wrexham, Wales, UK
	Moza, Simagic, Simforge, Leoxz, Simedal, Qubic System, Marina Racewear, Next Level Racing, Sigma, Buttkicker, Pimax, Soelpec	Abruzzi		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/ABRUZZI	Global	East-Sussex, England, UK
	Streamlabs	Streamlabs		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/STREAMLABS	Global
	Restream	Restream		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/RESTREAM	Global
	iRacing	iRacing		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/IRACING	Global	Chelmsford, Massachusetts, USA
	Coach Dave Delta	Coach Dave Academy		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/CDA	Global	London, England, UK
	Soelpec	Soelpec		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/SOELPEC	Global	Istanbul, Turkey
	Moza	Moza Direct		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/MOZA	Global	Shenzhen, China, Asia
	Buttkicker, Cobra, Cube Controls, Heusinkveld, Leoxz, Pro SimRig, Qubic System, Simagic, Simgrade, Simucube, Simutec, Sparco, Turn Racing, Venym, VPG	Race-Anywhere		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/RACE-ANYWHERE	Global	Northamptonshire, UK
	Sim-Lab, Grid Engineering, Sparco	Sim-Lab Direct		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/SIM-LAB	Global	Tholen, The Netherlands, EU
	Grid Engineering	Grid Engineering Direct		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/GRID-ENGINEERING	Global	Ontario, Canada. Tholen, The Netherlands, EU
	Cammus	Cammus Direct	5% off with code LDCAMMUS	https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/CAMMUS	Global	China, Asia
	Buttkicker	Buttkicker Direct		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/BUTTKICKER	Global	Ohio, USA
	Asetek, Gomez Sim Industries (GSI), Next Level Racing, O-Rouge, Simtrecs	SimRaceCity	5% off with promocode: potato-nation	https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/SRC	USA	Fort Worth, Texas, USA
	Extreme Simracing, Simagic, D-BOX, DBOX	Extreme Simracing		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/EXTREME-SIMRACING	America	Maringá, Paraná, Brazil
	SimRacingBay, Simucube, Ascher Racing	SimRacingBay		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/SIMRACINGBAY	Global	Slovenia, EU
	Simforge Engineering	Simforge Engineering		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/SIMFORGE	Global	Chennai, India, ASIA
	Website Hosting	HostGator		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/HOST-GATOR	Global	USA
	RacGTing Racing Cockpits	RacGTing		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/RACGTING	Global	Asia
	Getail Design	Getail Design	5% off with coupon code 'LD'	https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/GETAIL	Global	Bergamo, Italy, EU
	Gaming PCs	GG Machines	LD7	https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/GG	Ireland	Dublin, Ireland, EU

1. introduction
   On the left you’ll see all the sections in this video. I’ve put timestamped links to each section in the description below. While you’re down there please hit the thumbs up button to help YouTube to suggest this video to others like you. 70% of the people who watch my videos are not subscribed. Please consider subscribing and hit the notification bell if you want to be notified about upcoming reviews.

I love a bit of rally and a bit of drifting. I’ve had my fair share of handbrakes over the years. Some of them were fairly basic. In general, just having an on/off function for a handbrake is enough for most simulation needs. However, In a real car, a hydraulic handbrake is a rather aggressive lever which requires some passion to activate. Having an analog input with progressive resistance is rewarding and immersive. For me, the Fanatec Clubsport v1.5 over-delivers for its price point.

2. compatibility
   Fanatec is in a fortunate position. They have invested heavily over the years to build sim racing hardware eco-systems that are compatible with modern consoles, as well as PC. Console gaming carries large licensing fees and loads of hoops to jump through in order to be fully compatible. Luckily, those hoops are dealt with by Fanatec, but if you’re wondering why the Clubsport handbrake is more expensive than an eBay USB handbrake, console compatibility is just one of the reasons.

Console owners will need to connect via a fanatec wheelbase as the USB connectivity is supported only on PC. PC users can also save USB Ports by connecting directly to a Fanatec wheelbase but luckily for people like me, Fanatec sells a USB adapter for PC users who don’t use a Fanatec wheelbase. This makes the Clubsport v1.5 handbrake a great standalone handbrake for PC users who like to mix and match hardware. Not that the USB adapter is an optional extra. This brings us nicely into the next section.

3. price
   At first glance, the price of this unit is relatively high for those who are new to sim racing. However, these units are actually great value in my opinion at €130 or $130 USD. For those of us on PC who don’t use Fanatec Wheelbases, we need to buy a USB adapter to be able to use our handbrake. This USB adapter costs an additional 20euro or 20 USD bringing the total price to around 150 euro / 150 USD.

Again, I see this as great value for a handbrake with a good resistance and a good throw. It’s more than good enough for the average sim racer and it looks great.

4. installation
   Installation is relatively simple. You can buy brackets to mount the handbrake but if you have the Fanatec Clubsport SQ V1.5 shifter, I highly recommend mounting it like this. It makes for a really nice mounting position, relatively close to the steering wheel but not in the way. Easy to grab and release, just like in a real car.

If you don’t have the Fanatec shifter, there are brackets available. If you’re on a profile rig, it should be relatively easy to find somewhere to put this handbrake. If you’re still not sure, be aware than you can actually change the angle of the handle to give you more mounting options.

If you’re using a USB adapter you’ll need to install the appropriate drivers. Once that’s done, it’s really easy to configure the product in any of your sim titles as it is recognised as a standalone device.

5. how it feels
   It’s not as heavy as a real hydraulic handbrake. But it’s relatively heavy compared to many of its peers. It’s heavy enough for me, and I used to own a dedicated track drift car. The foam handle feels a little cheap and i’d say it will be subject to wear and tear especially if people are using hard wearing gloves.

It’s very accurate and doesn’t mind being abused. It would be nice to have a more progressive feel but at the price point, I’m very happy with how it feels.

6. build quality
   The metal casing is robust and well finished. The subtle Fanatec logo makes it look like a very authentic product. The handle is brushed steel and the 3 circles are just for styling, but do add to the look of the product.

The only build quality issue with this product seems to be the internals which apparently tend to wear and fail. I cannot speak about these failures with any real authority as I haven’t experienced them. I’ve been using this handbrake for almost a year now and have never had any issues whatsoever. These failures may have been addressed by Fanatec or may only apply to older versions of the handbrake. Considering the number of these handbrakes that are out there in the market, there are bound to be some issues reported.

7. Final thought

If you’re in the market for a handbrake, I have no issues recommending this product based solely on my own experience with it over an extended time across various sim titles. There are other options out there which are worth considering, like the Aiologs handbrake, Thrustmaster TSS Sparco, Heusinkveld handbrake or even cheap eBay handbrakes. The main reason that I use the Fanatec over all of those other ones is simply because it suits my needs, looks amazing, mates to my Clubsport shifter perfectly and above all, it performs day in, day out. The price point is fair, and compatibility and setup is painless, even though I don’t use a Fanatec wheelbase. These are all important factors and hopefully they’ll help you to make an informed decision.

Please do consider the other options. Just because this handbrake suits me, my rig and my driving, doesn’t guarantee that it’s perfect for you. However, If you are going to buy this handbrake or any other Fanatec equipment in the near future, please consider clicking my affiliate link for your region. This will tell Fanatec that I referred you, I’ll make a small commission to help to pay the bills, and it wont cost you a cent extra. I would really appreciate it.

Thank you so much for your time. I try to answer all of the comments on all of my videos, so please do leave a comment as I’d love to hear your thoughts or feedback. Thank you all for subscribing, I’m Laurence, and I’ll chat to you later.