[woodcote]

A controller is a pretty personal thing. I'd always recommend - if possible - trying before you buy, especially for a big ticket item.

For standard analogue Scalextric (and Pioneer, Fly, Carrera etc) cars, plus most HO (1/64 scale) cars, my weapon of choice is a very basic Parma Economy 45 ohm resistor controller. I like it because it does the job and I feel 100% connected to the car. There were some production issues that meant the Parma controllers were a bit thin on the ground, but I think that has been (or is being) resolved. An alternative are the DS v.3 hand controllers for about the same money. With these cars, I am no less (or more) competitive than racers using much more expensive and complicated throttles. I win races, I win championships.

If the range of cars you run gets any hotter than the standard models, then an adjustable controller can save you buying different ohmage resistor controllers. However, some racers still prefer the direct feel of a resistor and might have 25, 35, 45 and 60 ohm Parmas in their arsenal. The benefit of the adjustable controllers (which can be PWM, transistor, diode or resistor-based) is that you can adjust the sensitivity - so you are using the range the of the wiper band that suits you best for a range of different motor types - and you can adjust the brakes too. Some controllers also have additional adjustments for things like 'traction control'. Personally, I think a controller can have too many knobs...

In addition to my Parma 45 and 35 ohm Economy controllers, I also have a Truspeed MT1 (with adjustable sensitivity and brakes) for running hot HO cars and NSR, Slot.it etc at clubs. I have an unusual non-linear wound 95 ohm resistor in a Parma handle for running HO T-Jets and also a BRP resistor controller than runs a range of HO cars, including T-Jets, and has adjustable sensitivity, brakes and a 'coast' feature. The non-linear Parma and the BRP are pretty HO-specialist throttles that help me with my vintage T-Jet racing passion. I recently bought a Slot.it SCP2 for oXigen digital racing and I have to say I find the dials and knobs (and 23-page instruction booklet) bewildering. Neither am I sure I like the feel of the soft, wiper-less trigger... I need to spend more time with it.

Your PWM, transistor, diode and resistor question is a good one. The technical answer could be very long, but I'd suggest the best answer is to try them. With standard cars and low power motors, I find a transistor controller can feel a bit 'dead' or spongy. PWM controllers can feel similar. But that might just be me. It's a while since I used a diode controller, but I found it closer to my Parma resistor controller. The thing with transistor and PWM controllers (and some adjustable diode and transistor-based throttles) is that it can be much easier to match them to higher-power motors. The hotter the motor, the better a transistor or PWM controller feels compared with a standard Parma. However in the realm of out-of-the-box NSR, Slot.it, Ninco, Thunderslot cars I don't think the difference is significant. But that's only my opinion!