ESCs Cheap vs Expensive

[bagwaa]

I've seen a lot of drivers swear by more expensive ESCs over "cheaper" options, I say "cheaper" because they are still a lot of money, but not as much as say £200.

The ESC I run at the moment is a Sky RC Toro 120a, I was curious to know if there is a difference between something like that and the Team Orion Vortex ESCs which seem to be around £180+

I guess for me it the question would be, does the more expensive ESC make the car handle better and/or easier to drive in any way? personally, I think the answer will probably be no, but was curious to know if investing in a higher end ESC is actually worth the money.

Thanks

[johnboy]

I run Toro Esc and swear by them. Have used LRP flows and found no performance difference.

[neallewis]

I've got 6 Skyrc Toro 120's, had 8, killed 2, and a new hobbywing XR10 pro.

The Toro's are great, barring some QC issues that were popping new ones some months ago (I didn't experience this, but know of a few who did).
One toro I reverse connected, the second failure was after over a year of running in 4wd, and I exceeded its component tolerances, running a hot (5.0T, ESC has a 5.5T limit) motor on a very sunny day on longish grass, and it blew in my regional final as I was moving up the field. Yup it let me down, but I had my moneys worth up to that point.

You'll be surprised at how many other "premium" esc brands are based on the same platform at the skyrc toro, basically from the same OEM factory in China. Similarly you can buy cheap hobbyking speedo's that have been proven to be the "same" as orions, for a fraction of the price, yet people still buy the orions, and their warranty process has proven terrible for some, I've heard. Watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRMoj1WDyEs


I replaced that failed ESC in my 4wd with a hobbywing XR10 pro, which should be good for the hotter motor, and has a "better" (than none with a toro bought from China) warranty through MB models and Hobbywing. It's performed excellently so far, but I could have bought three toro's for the same money. Whats the better value here? I do know that if i break it, I can send it back to hobbywing for repair, but is that worth 3x the cost of one I was very happy with? Basically I paid more so the chance of it failing again in a regional final was reduced somewhat, and if it did fail, I know i can get it fixed. That's also good value, if you can afford the much higher asking price.

In terms of feel, well, its subjective. The hobbywing is meant to be newer, more advanced and better performing, but I've pretty much got it feeling the same as the Toro did, which I was always able to get them set how I liked.

Most badly setup speedo's I've encountered at club meetings are user setup error in either the ESC settings, calibration or transmitter setup. Once setup right, they all work well.


Buy what you can afford, not what you think the brand will give you, and spend the money saved on tyres.

[bagwaa]

thanks for the replies, another thing I have also been looking into is Motor, I run a 6.5T motor on a tight indoor track, i've recently purchased an 8.5T as I am starting to think 6.5T is too much on such a small indoor track (WBMCC). But the same applies here, I hear people say that X brand of motor is "smoother" than Y brand

[neallewis]

Originally Posted by bagwaa

thanks for the replies, another thing I have also been looking into is Motor, I run a 6.5T motor on a tight indoor track, i've recently purchased an 8.5T as I am starting to think 6.5T is too much on such a small indoor track (WBMCC). But the same applies here, I hear people say that X brand of motor is "smoother" than Y brand

But you can change how a motor feels by ESC settings, so maybe what they perceive as a motor being smooth is actually the speed controller.

I have had one brand of motor that was like an on/off switch being applied and got really very hot, so it was moved on at quite a loss to me very quickly. (edit: so i guess that confirms the statement you made above about brand x being smoother than brand y, however, i do think its mostly speed controller setup). I think motors matter when you are blinky stock racing in TC or 12th, and that then becomes a money game of buying the most expensive and of changing them often so performance doesnt drop off. It's far less critical in buggies as you can make a slower/higher wind motor really quick with lots of boost and turbo setup on ESC, and change how it feels with punch, current limits and breaks.

Mostly you can tune the feel or any motor with ESC settings. You can be over motored for a track. Certainly smaller and less grippy tracks can benefit from a much tamer, higher wind motor. An 8.5 certainly sounds more sensible if the track is small and tight.

[chris24jt]

im sure the top drivers might notice a difference but the rest of us may not....

personally i use a vampire sr1+ in 4wd and in all other cars i use hobbykings turnigy trackstar turbo 120amp that Neal linked to the video review.

cant fault any so far and personally would recommend the cheap one - if unsure just buy two and still have change in your pocket.

if its a tight track go for slower motor, will be much easier to drive - can also add turbo/boost if needed later

[Ross]

I'm after a cheep esc for a 2wd. Im looking at the Trackstar Turbo V2, I think it's the later one of the ESC in Neils posted.

https://hobbyking.com/en_us/tracksta...0a-esc-v2.html

Cheers

[fidspeed]

I have few of the blue cheap ones
a racing pal is using one in a b3 in vintage class at worksop indoor masters on a tekin redline 7.5 without a fan done 5 meetings so far without a hitch cheapest racing your gonna get

would I trust in 4wd with a hot motor and hard thumbs im not so sure

cheap enough to play with Im very happy with mine
dave

[Danosborne6661]

Originally Posted by Ross

I'm after a cheep esc for a 2wd. Im looking at the Trackstar Turbo V2, I think it's the later one of the ESC in Neils posted.

https://hobbyking.com/en_us/tracksta...0a-esc-v2.html

Cheers

For that sort of price I'd just get the alloy cased SkyRC ESC!

[MarcF]

Has anyone tried the Hobbywing quickrun 120a speedo? they look a reasonable buy at circa £43

[Ross]

Originally Posted by Danosborne6661

For that sort of price I'd just the alloy cased SkyRC ESC!

Cheers Dan

[dazp83]

That quicrun 120a looks a good buy, I may try one.

[DarkHawk]

The Turnigy Trackstar gen 2 120a esc is excellent and only £55

[Ross]

Has anyone compared the 120 amp Toro against the Trackstar Gen2 120 amp. If so how do they compare and can you use the same program box.

[Wig]

Originally Posted by Ross

Has anyone compared the 120 amp Toro against the Trackstar Gen2 120 amp. If so how do they compare and can you use the same program box.

I preferred the Gen2. I could never get the program card to work on both.

[Ross]

Originally Posted by Wig

I preferred the Gen2. I could never get the program card to work on both.

Ok cool, thanks.