Originally Posted by Znybar

Paying 800 bucks for an ESC is ludicrous unless you're flying 10k machines and above. There is no justification for those kinds of prices: it's marketing and branding. Same as Louis Vutton et al.

Absolutely. We all settle on our own balance of price/performance ratio, and I personally couldn't imagine shelling out that much for an ESC - but good luck to someone who feels compelled to do so - as long as he or she doesn't then berate others for not striking the same balance.

Many, including me, would not have electric heli's that need 14 cells to fly. My limit is 6S 5000 packs .One per flight. Beyond that, I would get a gasser. I also would not use any radio that does not say Futaba on it. Lot's of good stuff out there. Not just yours Ron.....

I am not paying $800 for an ESC either but I do have a 5K Mikado XXtreme in the fleet. Look guys, I am not saying you need to buy the most expensive things out there but I AM saying that buying the cheapest crap Helis and electronics to fit in a 700 class Heli is irresponsible considering what damage can be done with a 700 class Heli.
Justifying your purchase by saying you can't afford it is just another way of saying, in my mind, you SHOULD NOT buy it. I guess I am saying that if you can't afford a good large Heli, then don't buy a $99 one and outfit it with $49 servos and $79 dollar FBL system. If you do, just take it to a remote area that does not burn and fly it. That way just you, and nobody innocent pays for your mistake when the Heli goes out of control.......Ron

The first time I sprung for a Jive 80 after lusting after it over a year it smoked out after 2 flights. It was replaced by a ICE-75 and 200 flights later aside from the superior governor the heli is doing just fine. I have had my share of the "good stuff" failing and have also had the "crap" last forever. As a rule of thumb I buy the best that I can afford for Helis including the airframe. But I'm not delusional about the insane markup and profit margin in the hobby. Takes some time and experience to sort out the deals from the crap and real quality from overpriced.

I personally would take a pass on any airframe build that requires throwing out the hardware in the box to avoid destruction but hey that's me.

So did it burn bad?

Did not catch on fire like the old Align 35 amps used to do but something popped, I have been meaning to contact Readyheli about it to see what the repair would be. At the time I was getting a new build (La Heli Sniper II ) in the air and was more concerned about getting to the field.

Something can also be said about the retailers you do business with I can't comment on how the Hobby Kings of the world but customer service is a bit of big deal to me over saving a nickle.

The rare case that I will use the cheap stuff is for cheap planes $30-50 foam doesn't receive $300 worth of gear. Among the guys I fly with I'm really the only heli guy in the group but still somehow have ended up with more planes than helis , barely..

You paid big $$$ for an ESC and you still have not sent it in to see what happened???

Originally Posted by laughingstill

I am not paying $800 for an ESC either but I do have a 5K Mikado XXtreme in the fleet. Look guys, I am not saying you need to buy the most expensive things out there but I AM saying that buying the cheapest crap Helis and electronics to fit in a 700 class Heli is irresponsible considering what damage can be done with a 700 class Heli.
Justifying your purchase by saying you can't afford it is just another way of saying, in my mind, you SHOULD NOT buy it. I guess I am saying that if you can't afford a good large Heli, then don't buy a $99 one and outfit it with $49 servos and $79 dollar FBL system. If you do, just take it to a remote area that does not burn and fly it. That way just you, and nobody innocent pays for your mistake when the Heli goes out of control.......Ron

seriously you are so inconsiderate about the world around you! people are struggling to make a living in this world, and all you care about is pushing your expensive heli setups. There are a lot of people here that are not working and they have a tight budget for their heli hobby. Sure i've seen a lot of these guys buy the HK600 helis, it may be crap to you but that is what they can afford.

My friend Heliguychris with his HK600

Splat! (2 min 58 sec)

Are you FRIKEN KIDDING ME!!!!! If you are "struggling" you should NOT be buying R/C helis!!! Not that I am "pushing" an expensive setup on anyone....I want a SAFE setup and a 700 class heli spinning 2200+ HS with $39 servos, $25 blades, and a $40 FBL controller IS NOT SAFE........Ron

Originally Posted by laughingstill

Are you FRIKEN KIDDING ME!!!!! If you are "struggling" you should NOT be buying R/C helis!!! Not that I am "pushing" an expensive setup on anyone....I want a SAFE setup and a 700 class heli spinning 2200+ HS with $39 servos, $25 blades, and a $40 FBL controller IS NOT SAFE........Ron

No toy heli is safe. I think maybe there's a danger of people being complacent, just because they've paid big bucks for the best components that money can buy. Pilot error would be the cause of the great majority of toy heli crashes, and component failure is really more a function of heli maintenance - where again, complacency can set in.

So are you really saying that people making less than some threshold earnings figure should not fly helis? I wonder what kind of society you want to live in. Perhaps the lucky few flying their Mikados in their gated communities, whilst the unwashed rabble outside have to settle for balsa chuck gliders?

Originally Posted by laughingstill

and a $40 FBL controller IS NOT SAFE........Ron

Really and objectively - why not? What kind of failures are you expecting?

Originally Posted by laughingstill

Are you FRIKEN KIDDING ME!!!!! If you are "struggling" you should NOT be buying R/C helis!!! Not that I am "pushing" an expensive setup on anyone....I want a SAFE setup and a 700 class heli spinning 2200+ HS with $39 servos, $25 blades, and a $40 FBL controller IS NOT SAFE........Ron

+ 1... 700 class heli spinning 2200+ HS with $39 servos, $25 blades, and a $40 FBL controller IS NOT SAFE........Ron


This is the whole point of this thread. Ron is not saying to buy an $800 esc or a $400 fbl controler. Simply put, if your going to build a " large" heli. Dont cheap out on electronics, And keep yourself and others around you safe.

Well, This is my take on the thread anyhow.

I bought an HK450 (the $30 one) kit awhile back and spent 2 days putting it all together. On my very first hover the tail belt gear came loose on its shaft and I completely lost all tail control. My next kit will be an Align, whatever the size.

I just stole this video from ghostflyer, Thought it would help to make rons point.

This is a 700 size heli in action. Notice the crowd that is not very far from the action. Now imagine a $35 blade brakes off from root, ( i have seen this happen) or a $30 servo eats itself. Ther is a good chance this " large" heli could end up in the crowd. Could it happen with higher grade electronics ? of course it can happen. The odds are just not as high is all.
Its not law one must use high grade electronics in their large builds. Its just much safer is all.

Wilson Miller night flight with KDS Innova 700 at SRC 2012 (3 min 52 sec)

Originally Posted by Dejavu*Xion

+ 1... 700 class heli spinning 2200+ HS with $39 servos, $25 blades, and a $40 FBL controller IS NOT SAFE........Ron


This is the whole point of this thread. Ron is not saying to buy an $800 esc or a $400 fbl controler. Simply put, if your going to build a " large" heli. Dont cheap out on electronics, And keep yourself and others around you safe.

Well, This is my take on the thread anyhow.

Thanks a bunch, you understand
2doggs,
I am not saying if you are in a low income bracket that you should not fly helis, I said if you are "struggling" you should not be....no matter what income bracket you are in......Ron