Blog

Aug 30, 2023

Sim Lab Handbrake XB1 Loadcell

How much difference can there be between one handbrake and another? Isn't the one that Fanatec sells for a measly thousand dollars enough? Do I even need a handbrake in my sim-racing rig? These are

How much difference can there be between one handbrake and another? Isn't the one that Fanatec sells for a measly thousand dollars enough? Do I even need a handbrake in my sim-racing rig? These are questions that I have been asked over and over, throughout the past three years. And yes, there is a noticeable difference between a cheap rubbish handbrake and more expensive alternatives. Fanatec's cheapest model is made of hand-pressed metal and feels a bit like pulling on a birch branch, so you can avoid that one, and if you don't drive rally or drift a lot, you obviously don't need a handbrake on your rig either. However, I drive 80% rally and use the handbrake all the time. And few models are better than Dutch Sim Lab's new handbrake. Because it is superb.

Sim Lab primarily builds aluminium profile rigs and is a world leader in this, with its best-selling model being the P1. Here at Gamereactor we've been using the flagship X1 Pro for over a year, which I consider to be the single best aluminium profile rig you can buy. When they first announced the XB1 handbrake, it certainly looked good in terms of design but perhaps a little too simple in its overall design to really compete with Heusinkveld's brilliant brake. At least that was my first impression, which lasted all the way to delivery, unpacking and assembly here at the editorial office.

The Sim Lab Handbrake XB1 Loadcell works much like Heusinkveld's model. There is a 150-kilogram load cell that measures the amount of power you use and the feeling of braking is evoked by a two-stage system where first a metal spring is tightened while a completely ordinary rubber gasket presses together. The latter is of course adjustable via the light blue screw ring and if you want softer or harder rubber material in the gasket itself, it is easy to change, as Sim Lab sends two options. The design is simple, in that way, but the differences here lie in how they have chosen to utilise the actual travel path for the metal piston that presses the springs and gaskets together.

The two-stage system in the XB1 is more noticeable than in the competitors' variants and this was a positive discovery for me that struck me the second I mounted it on our rig and pulled it the first two or three times. At first, the resistance is light and then gets harder halfway through and this is very reminiscent of the hydraulic racing handbrakes that I've been fiddling with over the years. The XB1 in its default setting (out of the box) feels more direct and offers a more mechanical feel than anything else in the same price range and especially in Dirt Rally 2.0 and the rallyx section of Automobilista 2, this is a good thing. I get the feeling that it's actually a real brake I'm pulling at, and the requirement of very little actual force on my part, unlocks the rear wheels via the hydraulic system and squeezes the brakes around a steel disc. And in recent weeks it has made me more confident in my handbrake turns primarily in Dirt Rally 2.0 and on demanding final stages such as Greece's tight Kathodo Leontiou.

When it comes to the design, I also think that Sim Lab has done the best work with a seemingly uncomplicated, simple and above all neat and tidy product where it is easy to change pressure and resistance and easy to mount it on an aluminium profile rig. I think perhaps the basic construction of the jumper itself, which everything is mounted inside, could have been a little thicker (it is made of aluminium, so 1.5 millimetres thicker material would hardly have made it much heavier) as it tends to flex a little bit sideways when you pull hard on it. This is also the case with the Heusinkveld counterpart and thus no real problem, but with slightly thicker side walls this could have been avoided.

In the end, Sim Lab XB1 is a very good sim racing product at a very favourable price (£100 cheaper than Heusinkveld's competitor) and I have no problem calling it best in class. If, like me, you're ready for the imminent announcement of EA Sports WRC 23 and like to drive a rally car, the XB1 is the one you need to get.

We've been tugging at Dutch sim-racing manufacturer Sim Lab's newly released handbrake like an animal for the past month, and it has really impressed us.

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