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E-flite Pulse 25e ARF Review
Vic and Quinn take a look at the latest of the Pulse line from Horizon Hobby and E-flite.
Introduction
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| E-flite Pulse 25e ARF | |
| Wingspan: | 52 in. |
| Wing Area: | 495 sq. in. |
| Weight: | 3 lb. 12 oz. |
| Length: | 44 in. |
| Servos: | 4 JR MN48 Mini |
| Transmitter: | JR x9303 |
| Receiver: | Spektrum AR6200 |
| Battery: | 4000 mAh 3S (various) |
| Motor: | E-flite Power 25 BL |
| ESC: | E-flite 40-amp Pro |
| Available From: | Horizon Hobby |
| Price: | $180 |
Mike McConville's Pulse XT 25e represents the fourth in Horizon's extremely successful Pulse line. We've had the pleasure of reviewing two of them previously, the original glow- or electric-powered Hangar 9 Pulse XT 40 (in glow), on which we put hundreds of flights until it ran afoul of a bad combination of dumb thumbs and hard earth. We will replace it at our next opportunity. We also reviewed its cute baby brother, the equally fun E-flite Mini Pulse. There was also the Plug-and-play version of the H9 Pulse XT 40, which was reviewed by our colleague, Doc Austin. Finally, Hangar 9 has a .60-sized version that was recently released. If the gods smile on us, we may become the first on our block to own the complete set.
There is a reason Horizon keeps making Pulse XTs: people keep buying them. And there's a reason for that, too. Read on.
Kit Contents
Kit Contains:
- Fully built and covered balsa / ply ARF
- Canopy, cowl, wheel pants
- Complete hardware for electric including hook and loop straps for battery
- Rear landing gear legs for mounting floats
Kit Requires
- Radio (JR X9303 and AR6200 chosen)
- (4) mini servos
- (2) 6" servo extensions
- (2) 3" servo extensions
- Motor, battery, and ESC (E-flite Power 32, Thunder Power eXtreme V2 3850 mAh 4-cell pack, and the E-flite 60-Amp Pro ESC recommended)
- Propeller (APC 13x6.5 recommended for the Power 32 setup)
Assembly
The challenge of reviewing this airplane is going to be to do it without sounding like we're on the E-flite payroll. Because the Pulse 25e is absolutely state-of-the-ARF. It's the first plane we've built with pre-installed blind nuts for the pre-drilled cowl. How cool is that? Pre-hinged and pre-control-horned surfaces. Right on! Bolt-on tail. It's just a breeze to build, with not a single instance of something not fitting or instructions not being clear enough.
Wing
Let's start with one small disappointment: every plane with a wingspan over, shall we say, 4 feet should have a two-piece wing. The 52" Pulse doesn't. It's not that big a deal - even our Honda will fit a 52" one-piece wing - but for ease of transport and storage, two-piece wings are the way to go. Yes it adds cost, and at $180 the Pulse is not super-cheap; but our vote (not that anyone asked) is that the few dollars it would add would be worth the added convenience.
So yes, you have to glue the wing together. The instructions say to use 12-minute epoxy for this step. Wait a minute: 12-minute epoxy? Who makes 12-minute epoxy? A quick Google search found 41,000 hits for "5-minute epoxy," 10,800 for "30-minute epoxy," and a mere 786 for "12-minute epoxy." But the very first hit is for Hangar 9 12-minute epoxy. Ohhh, we get it now! Anyway, we heartily agree with that recommendation if you happen to have some on hand. If you don't, use 30-minute. We spent the better half of an evening ripping the shop apart trying to find the stinking lousy red bottle of 30-minute, and ended up using 5-minute. Believe us when we say: that ain't enough time. You've got to spread the epoxy into the joiner slots, get the joiners in there, clean up the 79% of the epoxy that just squoozed out of the slots, spread more epoxy on the wing roots, slide the two halves together, clean up the 79% of the epoxy from that joint, and get the wing good and flat. 5 minutes goes by a little too fast.
Installing the aileron servos is straightforward. We deviated from the instructions only in that we used z-bends on the servo ends rather than the supplied "pushrod keepers." The problem with using these keepers is that you end up with a bit of pushrod wire sticking straight out from the wing, which is a covering tear waiting to happen to one of your other wings either in storage or transport. Get yourself a z-bend tool; it's just as easy to use, leaves the cut end of the pushrod running parallel to the wing surface rather than sticking straight out, and has zero chance of working loose.
We also noticed that the pre-hinged ailerons (and the tail surfaces) were a little stiff. We worked them back and forth and they loosened up a bit, but it deserves mention.
Fuselage and tail
The battery hatch has an ingenious latch: there is a pin in the front and two round metal buttons in the back. The buttons stick out just a bit and fit into recessed magnets in the fuselage. To get the hatch off, you slide it forward about 1/8" to get the buttons out of the recesses, and then lift it up. Brilliant!
Putting the fuse together is a breeze. The vertical and horizontal stabs with their control surfaces pre-installed just bolt into place. Glue on the canopy with some canopy glue (if you don't have any canopy glue, get some). Mount the motor per the instructions, screw on the cowl, landing gear and pants, and that's about it. The manual is well illustrated and pretty much foolproof, even including instructions to mount either the Power 25 or the Power 32 (a nice touch!). We initially went with the 25, and it mounted without a hitch. Even the spinner, a weak point in previous E-flite ARFs, actually worked. We were more than pleased.
Completion
We set our throws to high rates (5/8" ailerons, 1 1/8" elevator, 2 1/2" rudder) and the CG came in at the rear of the 2 1/2" - 3" recommended range without having to change anything. If this is your second plane or first low-winger, you will want to set up dual rates or just use the recommended low throws: 3/8" ailerons, 7/8" elevator, 2" rudder. At the high rates, we could have used more aileron authority, but this is a sport plane - high-speed axial rolls aren't in its portfolio.
Floats
The Pulse 25e comes complete with rear mounting hardware for E-flite's 25-sized floats. We love the look of a low-wing plane on floats and put a pair on for our club's recent float fly. Unfortunately, bad weather kept us away from the float fly, and there isn't another one for a few months, so we don't have a report on how it flies off water.
Flying
Having literally flown (part of) the covering off our Pulse XT 40, and with many flights on the Mini Pulse as well, we were pretty confident we knew how the Pulse 25e would handle. We weren't disappointed. This Pulse, like its siblings, is very stable and forgiving, yet plenty sporty, and an absolute delight to fly.
Takeoffs are whatever you want - you can run it out scalelike (take care at first with the slightly touchy ground handling) or punch it and be well off the ground inside of 30 feet. Airborne, the Pulse is easygoing and very predictable. It can handle the entire aerobatic repertoire from A to ... okay, not to Z; maybe to Q or R. Like the other Pulse models, the 25e isn't real happy in knife-edge, so 4-point rolls, for us anyway, were challenging. But it handles your basic routine of sport aerobatics eagerly and predictably - big round loops or small fast loops with no threat of snap-rolling out. Aileron rolls are a tad slow even at high rates, requiring a little bit of rudder and elevator to keep right on track. And of course it won't go near anything resembling 3D. But that's not what you bought it for, is it? You bought it as a second plane (maybe even a first), a first low-winger, or a relaxing sport flyer for the experienced pilot. That is its role, and it fills it brilliantly.
However, while the Power 25 setup has enough "go" to make it go, we decided it needed a few more "goes" to make it go. So we upgraded to the Power 32 with a Thunder Power eXtreme V2 3850 mAh 4-cell pack, and the E-flite 60-Amp Pro ESC. With this setup, the 25e (so now is it a Pulse 32e?) goes. Maneuvers that took 3/4 throttle are now easily accomplished at 1/2. With a little more speed the ailerons are much more responsive, even keeping the rates the same, so rolls are much more axial. Snaps are snappier. We are planning on putting this plane on floats, and we suspect the 25e would have had trouble getting it off the water. The 32e will not. Even if you're not going to fly off water, we highly recommend the upgrade. The plane really seems to come alive with just that much more power.
Is This For a Beginner?
While the plane seems to be aimed at a flier who already has mastered a trainer, if he had a sim to practice on and someone to buddy-box with, there's no reason he couldn't start with the Pulse 25e. It isn't written in the Constitution that RC pilots have to start with a high-wing, high-dihedral, tricycle-gear plane. We would recommend the 25e over the Mini Pulse for this role, as its larger size makes it more predictable when the breezes start to blow. So, sure, this could be for a beginner.
Flight Video/Photo Gallery
Downloads
Conclusion
Perhaps you're graduating from your trainer and looking for a second plane. Maybe you're a hotshot pattern guy or a 3D shredder who just needs something to relax with now and then. Or maybe sport flying is just your thing. This is what the Pulse line is designed to do, and they all do it well. The 25e is a very welcome addition - not too small, not too big. Predictable. Stable. But plenty of fun when you want to wring it out some. And that's what got us into this hobby in the first place! It is our go-to every day plane; there is seldom a day at our field when we don't see a couple of them.
Pluses
- Good-looking plane, destined to be a classic
- Stable, yet sporty
- State-of-the-ARF build (pre-drilled cowl with blind nuts installed!!)
- Optional floats
Minuses:
- Pre-hinged surfaces were stiff in the beginning
- Needs more aileron authority, particularly with the Power 25 up front.
Discussion
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Apr 25, 2009, 04:59 PM
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Richmond, TX
Joined Apr 2008
3,121 Posts
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oops. there appears to be an issue with the video.
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Apr 25, 2009, 07:59 PM
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USA, NY, Albany
Joined Jan 2006
111 Posts
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Quote:
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Apr 25, 2009, 11:20 PM
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United States, MD, Silver Spring
Joined Sep 2003
1,229 Posts
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YEP! the video link took me back to RCG's home page!!!
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Apr 26, 2009, 09:30 AM
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Santa Barbara CA
Joined Jan 2006
590 Posts
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Thanks folks, we'll get on those link problems right away. (Unfortunately once a review is published, the authors can't edit so we'll have to wait for our tech team to fix those links.)
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Apr 26, 2009, 09:30 PM
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USA, NY, East Islip
Joined Feb 2004
10,892 Posts
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Very well written, I like your sense of humor!
Tommy D |
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Apr 28, 2009, 05:51 PM
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Illinois
Joined Jan 2005
328 Posts
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Thanks for the Review !!
You mentioned the Power 32 motor adding to the Fun factor of the plane Is the video with the power 25 powerplant or the 32 |
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May 04, 2009, 07:28 AM
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Dayton, OH
Joined Oct 2006
861 Posts
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Sevos
Hello,
Thanks for the build/test. Can you tell me if the cut-outs for the tail and aileron servos are large enough to fit the Futaba standard size 0.778" wide x 1.586" long servos? Or will I need to go with the smaller JR MN48's? Edit....never mind, I see in an alternate thread that full-size servos will require some mod-work for this bird. |
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Last edited by FNFAL; May 05, 2009 at 08:44 AM.
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May 05, 2009, 04:50 PM
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Belo Horizonte - MG / Brazil
Joined Oct 2008
49 Posts
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Good review!
I use in my Pulse Power 25 with E-Flite 40 Amp ESC and Thunder Power 3300 mAh 3S 30C. For me is a lot of power and rate of roll is good! A video of my first day with the new plane:
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May 29, 2009, 03:49 PM
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Joined Mar 2006
62 Posts
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Great review. I'm considering this aircraft based on the positive review. I want to put an AXI motor in it, however, as I really like this line of motors. Can anyone comment on the hole spacing for the X-Mount adapter of the Eflite Power 23 and/or 32? I don't know how standardized these motor mounts are. It would be nice if it were to bolt straight on.
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May 29, 2009, 06:16 PM
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Joined Oct 2007
20,460 Posts
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If the AXI is the same diameter, then likely the bolt pattern will be the same, if not very similar. Motor mounts, the X mounts, are typically the same size and use the same bolt patterns, based upon the motors diameter.
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May 30, 2009, 02:32 AM
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Joined Mar 2006
62 Posts
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Yes, I would think them the same pattern, but I'd like to make sure. The documentation for the Power line of motors doesn't have drawings like the AXI line does. Anyone have a Pulse and a ruler handy?
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Jun 01, 2009, 05:26 PM
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United States, MI, Honor
Joined Dec 2005
4,473 Posts
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Has anyone had any trouble with the small servos? F2F lost his Pulse due to a stripped arm on the elevator.
Conehead Orrin Eldred Honor, MI. |
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Latest blog entry: Pictures of Toledo
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Jun 03, 2009, 06:38 PM
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Joined Mar 2006
62 Posts
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Good point, Conehead. It seems odd that they suggest the same servo for elevator and ailerons. I'm planning to put a metal gear servo on the elevator.
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Jun 04, 2009, 11:53 AM
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Belo Horizonte - MG / Brazil
Joined Oct 2008
49 Posts
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I use JR Sport MN48 Mini servos in all and until now I donīt have problems!
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