Received the "Harden" blades today...I don't get it?????

CSI · Feb 09, 2008, 08:11 PM

As stated, my long awaited order from Hong Kong arrived late this evening. I decided to give the Harden blades a try since they come so highly recommended by so many of you. The Xtreme blades have been working well, but the lighter weight of the Harden's seemed like a good idea.

Well...I pulled them out of the box, and...I don't get it. The look, feel, bend, everything just like STOCK Lama blades. The only difference I can tell is they are white instead of black. Just playing with them, flexing, bending, twisting...I would swear they are stock blades moulded in white plastic.

How can they be so much better than stock? I was expecting something closer to the Xtreme blades, maybe slightly less rigid, but definitely not the same as stock.
I went back and checked my order and these are the Harden blades. The reciept shows "Harden blades"

Any comments are welcome. I'm confused.
Thanks,
Ken

Oogilily · Feb 09, 2008, 08:27 PM

They are definetely tougher than stock blades. They won't shatter like them. But, their weight is really close to the stock ones so they should feel about the same. Not nearly as brittle though.

CSI · Feb 09, 2008, 08:43 PM

OK, cool. So, if I understand correctly, the main difference between the stock Lama blades and the Harden blades is the brittleness of the plastic material? They both flex about the same?
I have gone back and compared them again, and honestly, I can't find a difference other than color.
It appears that the only difference I might ever be able to tell is if I crash the heli and see if the blades crease or shatter?!
If this is really true, then I can't see how FLIGHT dynamics could be improved over stock. Seems the only improvement is during crashes.
What am I missing? I swear, they both flex and bend the same.
BTW, these are the ones I ordered. http://www.rchelicoptershop.com/cata...s-c-22_29.html
Thanks again,
Ken

dude_109 · Feb 09, 2008, 09:05 PM

I've got Harden on mine for a month now and I'll vouch for them not being brittle like stock. As I'm improving on my flying skills, I'm pushing harder and harder maneuvers and often times I'll have to make quick and hard inputs to avoid hitting something and end up with blade strikes. Most of the time, the heli still flies but I'll hear a noise. After the flight, I'll notice some dents on the leading edges. I've gotten several dents now but no broken or even chipped blades.

I bought the 3 pack set eventhough I don't think I'll ever need all 3 but it allows me flexibility on mixing/matching to get comparable weighted sets for blade trimming purposes.

By the way, I bought from the same company also. I think they were the only one I found that sold them.

maximal · Feb 09, 2008, 10:52 PM

Yea I think the main advantage over the stock ones is that they don't shatter upon the slightest hit. I personally never had any performance issues with the stock blades, once I found matched sets that weighed the same (up to .9g difference between stock blades has been reported). The hardens are much better matched, although I still found up to a .2g difference within my 3 sets.

The Xtreme blades don't shatter either, but I personally didn't like them because they made the heli feel heavier in the air (not surprising since they ARE much heavier than the stock or the hardens). I prefer the handling and longer flight times of the harden blades, but I can understand how some people like the Xtreme blades as well. To each their own.

In closing, here's a pic of my current set of harden blades-- those nicks you can see equal at least 10 stock blades that would have been destroyed!

And yes, I think I'll be replacing them now because they're pretty chewed up and I have 2 other sets just waiting around anyway. They still fly fine, even though the balance must be off by now.

-Max

ChuckTseeker · Feb 09, 2008, 11:59 PM

ok then whats the difference between the hard blade set DX sells for $1.98 and the hardens here for $6.99 a set??

i ordered a set of extreme a month ago and just got them from KR Hobbies, along with the shortened fly bar and extreme blade grips and they transformed my V3 into a stable beast

and i'm very happy with them, but with everyone going on about these "Hardened Blades" wondered if i should give these a go too?

cheers chuck

CSI · Feb 10, 2008, 12:08 AM

Thanks again guys. I guess I just had the wrong idea about what the Harden blades were. I thought they were somewhere between my Xtreme and Stock blades in regards to stiffness.
I just flew the first pair and they did just fine. I could definitely see how they flew upwards in flight compared to the Xtreme blades. The Xtreme blades rotate in a more horizontal position.
I will keep watch on these and see if they live up to everyone else's findings.
On another note....I also picked up one of their 15c 900mAh lipo packs. Last week I had also received in another order a Xtreme 850mAh lipo pack. I flew both tonight and found a difference. I expected the 900mAh pack would probably come out ahead in performance and length of running time, but found the opposite to be true. The Xtreme pack flew longer and was at room temp after the flight. The 900mAh pack was medium warm after the flight, indicating it is working harder.
I weighed both and the Xtreme 850mAh pack is 48g and the one from RCHS is 46g.
Just passing along some info to help stir the pot.
Happy Lama flying to all.
Ken

gbartley · Feb 10, 2008, 10:44 PM

I was wondering if anyone eleses hardened blades are slightly curved up at the ends length wise. I know this is not a defect because mine are all the same. I also noticed the blades are not as flat front to back as the stock blades. I just got mine and have only flown one time with them on and I imediatley felt I had more control over the lama, also has better lift. Being a newbie that is important. The reflex added curved blades for stabilty, so I guess that is why my lama is more stable with these. I will definetly will buy more if I break these.
GBartley

e30ernest · Feb 10, 2008, 11:42 PM

Upon close inspection, my Harden blades are about a millimeter wider than stock and yes they do curl upwards towards the tip while at rest. They also flex less than stock while flying.

Drew816 · Feb 11, 2008, 09:46 AM

As posted above, the Hardens are a 'harder material' and will take abuse in a situation where Stockers will crack and come flying apart. Mine Harden's look like maximal's above as well, dinged leading edges and they're still flying; if I'd be using stockers I'd have gone through more sets then I could count at this stage. And the Deal Extreme cheapie Blacks seem to be a little more tough, but they'll still crack and fall apart like the stockers if you hit them hard enough.

Example; I was flying with a mix of DE Blacks and Hardens and clobbered a table over the weekend, the DE Blacks cracked badly and had to be replaced, the Hardens had a few new dinks in the LE and that was it. Their airflow seems to be close to stock and they're close to the weight of the stockers so they seem to be the 'perfect mix,' at least for me. I do like the DE Blacks as well and think I'll order a few more sets but for my overall flying perference, Hardens are the ticket.

NOTE: I switched back to Xtremes to just 'test' out the flying characteristics of them in comparison after having been flying the DE's and Hardens for the last two weeks and wow, my V4's did not like them; it takes more power to keep it doing the same type of flying and it's lathargic in it's spin up and flight characteristics. That's just MY experience, the Xtreme's are durable blades like the Hardens but I think their extra heft and the more 'high performance' oriented airflow make them less usable for a Lama class of helo which can only be pushed to far in the performance envelope; just my thoughts.

Enjoy!

aRIf · Feb 11, 2008, 09:54 AM

Yes I have the same white blades from Hong Kong and they're along stronger than stock blades. All the accident I had last couple days, they'd not survive with stock blades.

WGhen · Feb 11, 2008, 10:02 AM

Same here. I've been using Harden blades for about a month. Some minor dings, no breakage. They've absored abuses that the stockers would not have.

AltonMan · Feb 11, 2008, 11:16 AM

Quote:

Well...I pulled them out of the box, and...I don't get it. The look, feel, bend, everything just like STOCK Lama blades.

That's what I thought when I got my new $1.96 blades from dealextreme. I thought they sent me stock blades, I held them up to the stock and they looked the same, but they were a little stiffer.

I had a set of Xtreme blades, and I think the dealextreme ones are just as tough. They are made of a much stronger plastic then the stock. I wonder if there is difference is between the harden blades and the dealextreme blades? I've read somewhere that the dealextreme blades are harden blades. I don't know - cause the dealextreme blades are black.

Frojd · Feb 11, 2008, 02:24 PM

I believe that my hardened blades do make my heli fly considerably better than stock, but i might just be fooling myself?

Feb 09, 2008, 08:11 PM	#1
CSI my wife's gonna kill me.. Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Del Rio Intl, Texas, United States Posts: 3,558	Received the "Harden" blades today...I don't get it????? As stated, my long awaited order from Hong Kong arrived late this evening. I decided to give the Harden blades a try since they come so highly recommended by so many of you. The Xtreme blades have been working well, but the lighter weight of the Harden's seemed like a good idea. Well...I pulled them out of the box, and...I don't get it. The look, feel, bend, everything just like STOCK Lama blades. The only difference I can tell is they are white instead of black. Just playing with them, flexing, bending, twisting...I would swear they are stock blades moulded in white plastic. How can they be so much better than stock? I was expecting something closer to the Xtreme blades, maybe slightly less rigid, but definitely not the same as stock. I went back and checked my order and these are the Harden blades. The reciept shows "Harden blades" Any comments are welcome. I'm confused. Thanks, Ken

Feb 09, 2008, 10:52 PM	#5
maximal This spce intly lft blank Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: near Ithaca, NY, US Posts: 519	Yea I think the main advantage over the stock ones is that they don't shatter upon the slightest hit. I personally never had any performance issues with the stock blades, once I found matched sets that weighed the same (up to .9g difference between stock blades has been reported). The hardens are much better matched, although I still found up to a .2g difference within my 3 sets. The Xtreme blades don't shatter either, but I personally didn't like them because they made the heli feel heavier in the air (not surprising since they ARE much heavier than the stock or the hardens). I prefer the handling and longer flight times of the harden blades, but I can understand how some people like the Xtreme blades as well. To each their own. In closing, here's a pic of my current set of harden blades-- those nicks you can see equal at least 10 stock blades that would have been destroyed! And yes, I think I'll be replacing them now because they're pretty chewed up and I have 2 other sets just waiting around anyway. They still fly fine, even though the balance must be off by now. -Max Attached Thumbnails "Harden" blades from rchelicoptershop.com 15.2 KB · Views: 225

Feb 10, 2008, 12:08 AM	#7
CSI my wife's gonna kill me.. Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Del Rio Intl, Texas, United States Posts: 3,558	Thanks again guys. I guess I just had the wrong idea about what the Harden blades were. I thought they were somewhere between my Xtreme and Stock blades in regards to stiffness. I just flew the first pair and they did just fine. I could definitely see how they flew upwards in flight compared to the Xtreme blades. The Xtreme blades rotate in a more horizontal position. I will keep watch on these and see if they live up to everyone else's findings. On another note....I also picked up one of their 15c 900mAh lipo packs. Last week I had also received in another order a Xtreme 850mAh lipo pack. I flew both tonight and found a difference. I expected the 900mAh pack would probably come out ahead in performance and length of running time, but found the opposite to be true. The Xtreme pack flew longer and was at room temp after the flight. The 900mAh pack was medium warm after the flight, indicating it is working harder. I weighed both and the Xtreme 850mAh pack is 48g and the one from RCHS is 46g. Just passing along some info to help stir the pot. Happy Lama flying to all. Ken Attached Thumbnails 64.2 KB · Views: 170

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Feb 09, 2008, 08:27 PM	#2
Oogilily Registered User Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Forest Grove, OR Posts: 185	They are definetely tougher than stock blades. They won't shatter like them. But, their weight is really close to the stock ones so they should feel about the same. Not nearly as brittle though.

Feb 09, 2008, 08:43 PM	#3
CSI my wife's gonna kill me.. Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Del Rio Intl, Texas, United States Posts: 3,558	OK, cool. So, if I understand correctly, the main difference between the stock Lama blades and the Harden blades is the brittleness of the plastic material? They both flex about the same? I have gone back and compared them again, and honestly, I can't find a difference other than color. It appears that the only difference I might ever be able to tell is if I crash the heli and see if the blades crease or shatter?! If this is really true, then I can't see how FLIGHT dynamics could be improved over stock. Seems the only improvement is during crashes. What am I missing? I swear, they both flex and bend the same. BTW, these are the ones I ordered. http://www.rchelicoptershop.com/cata...s-c-22_29.html Thanks again, Ken

Feb 09, 2008, 09:05 PM	#4
dude_109 Registered User Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 2,443	I've got Harden on mine for a month now and I'll vouch for them not being brittle like stock. As I'm improving on my flying skills, I'm pushing harder and harder maneuvers and often times I'll have to make quick and hard inputs to avoid hitting something and end up with blade strikes. Most of the time, the heli still flies but I'll hear a noise. After the flight, I'll notice some dents on the leading edges. I've gotten several dents now but no broken or even chipped blades. I bought the 3 pack set eventhough I don't think I'll ever need all 3 but it allows me flexibility on mixing/matching to get comparable weighted sets for blade trimming purposes. By the way, I bought from the same company also. I think they were the only one I found that sold them.

Feb 09, 2008, 11:59 PM	#6
ChuckTseeker Registered User Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Adelaide Plains Australia Posts: 966	ok then whats the difference between the hard blade set DX sells for $1.98 and the hardens here for $6.99 a set?? i ordered a set of extreme a month ago and just got them from KR Hobbies, along with the shortened fly bar and extreme blade grips and they transformed my V3 into a stable beast and i'm very happy with them, but with everyone going on about these "Hardened Blades" wondered if i should give these a go too? cheers chuck

Feb 10, 2008, 10:44 PM	#8
gbartley Registered User Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 18	I was wondering if anyone eleses hardened blades are slightly curved up at the ends length wise. I know this is not a defect because mine are all the same. I also noticed the blades are not as flat front to back as the stock blades. I just got mine and have only flown one time with them on and I imediatley felt I had more control over the lama, also has better lift. Being a newbie that is important. The reflex added curved blades for stabilty, so I guess that is why my lama is more stable with these. I will definetly will buy more if I break these. GBartley

Feb 10, 2008, 11:42 PM	#9
e30ernest Registered User Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 309	Upon close inspection, my Harden blades are about a millimeter wider than stock and yes they do curl upwards towards the tip while at rest. They also flex less than stock while flying.

Feb 11, 2008, 09:46 AM	#10
Drew816 Smoke, Fire, ahh SMIRE!! Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Columbus, Ohio Posts: 1,702	As posted above, the Hardens are a 'harder material' and will take abuse in a situation where Stockers will crack and come flying apart. Mine Harden's look like maximal's above as well, dinged leading edges and they're still flying; if I'd be using stockers I'd have gone through more sets then I could count at this stage. And the Deal Extreme cheapie Blacks seem to be a little more tough, but they'll still crack and fall apart like the stockers if you hit them hard enough. Example; I was flying with a mix of DE Blacks and Hardens and clobbered a table over the weekend, the DE Blacks cracked badly and had to be replaced, the Hardens had a few new dinks in the LE and that was it. Their airflow seems to be close to stock and they're close to the weight of the stockers so they seem to be the 'perfect mix,' at least for me. I do like the DE Blacks as well and think I'll order a few more sets but for my overall flying perference, Hardens are the ticket. NOTE: I switched back to Xtremes to just 'test' out the flying characteristics of them in comparison after having been flying the DE's and Hardens for the last two weeks and wow, my V4's did not like them; it takes more power to keep it doing the same type of flying and it's lathargic in it's spin up and flight characteristics. That's just MY experience, the Xtreme's are durable blades like the Hardens but I think their extra heft and the more 'high performance' oriented airflow make them less usable for a Lama class of helo which can only be pushed to far in the performance envelope; just my thoughts. Enjoy!

Feb 11, 2008, 09:54 AM	#11
aRIf Registered User Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Dublin, OH Posts: 32	Yes I have the same white blades from Hong Kong and they're along stronger than stock blades. All the accident I had last couple days, they'd not survive with stock blades.

Feb 11, 2008, 10:02 AM	#12
WGhen Registered User Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Newburyport, MA Posts: 25	Same here. I've been using Harden blades for about a month. Some minor dings, no breakage. They've absored abuses that the stockers would not have.

Feb 11, 2008, 02:24 PM	#14
Frojd Addicted to air! Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Stockholm, Sweden Posts: 707	I believe that my hardened blades do make my heli fly considerably better than stock, but i might just be fooling myself?