Well, it took me a good number of years, but I finally bought one of the CVP T5000 throttles. On this page I want to share what I have learned. The photo shows the size differences between the CVP T5000 on the left and the Stanton S-CAB on the right. What are some of the differences?
My subjective opinion is as follows. I consider the S-CAB throttle one that you can easily give to a guest operator to run a specific engine, with limited training. I consider the CVP throttle to be more of an advanced throttle that requires a bit of training if it is to be used by a guest operator, but it is a full-blown decoder programmer. Because of the S-CAB's design principles, it makes it a simpler throttle to use, while the CVP one is more capable.
While the S-CAB's throttle slide potentiometer (for setting the engine's speed) is mechanical, it does provide positive stops for zero and maximum speed reached. The CVP throttle has an infinitely-rotating knob, so you have no choice but to look at the display to see if you have reached a speed of zero. I found that to be a bit distracting when doing precise switching work. The knob is easier to rotate than sliding the slider.
The S-CAB throttle is quite large, which is OK for me as I have large hands, but I can see where people with smaller hands might prefer the CVP throttle.
The S-CAB throttle is easy to turn off, while the CVP one requires pressing a button to show the menu, then select the power-off option from the menu.
While I prefer using rechargeable batteries as much as possible, I can see a possible scenario of the S-CAB's throttle running out of juice and you then have to plug it into some sort of USB port to re-charge it. Swapping out batteries on the CVP throttle is quicker. However, in practical terms it makes no difference, and I always charge the throttle when I charge my engines, before and after a train show, and/or every three months.
I do like the S-CAB's "HALT" button to instantly stop the engine, and the ability to press two buttons to instantly stop ALL engines that the throttle is aware of. There are situations where that is important, such as switching, or operating on a club layout where the club's main system has shut down due to a short and all other trains have stopped.
So, my conclusion is that I am glad I have both throttles. I primarily bought the CVP T5000 for two reasons: to verify that it is indeed compatible with S-CAB, and to have a full-blown decoder programmer. If I want to quickly run a train, I prefer the S-CAB throttle, just because it is so simple to use. If I have more time and want to do some switching work, I grab the CVP throttle.
By the way, the CVP's throttle setting for frequency needs to be "16 (na)", or 916.37MHz, for it to be able to communicate with the S-CAB receiver in the locomotive. I have it marked in the instructions booklet in the photo above.
In 2022, the CVP T5000 was replaced with the company's new T6000 PRO-OPS and T2300 OPS throttles. The T6000 is their full-programmer throttle, while the slightly cheaper T2300 is intended for use by guest operators.