The "Cheap stuff that actually works well" Thread

[1santaever]

what i have been doing for a bit now as far as esc go i am on a mostly racing forum so i buy their used esc off them for a fraction of the price i have gotten 2 teken rs esc for 50 bucks each its not new but for a crawler it works perfect. but i also picked up a gcm trans case for a wraith off amazon for 10 bucks it was very good quality

[blackjack12982]

Originally Posted by Wes S.

LW-20 MG is all I can find right now, it just sacrifices a little torque for waterproofing. Ordered it at valuehobby - same place as link.

I'm getting ready to order one, but I haven't definitively seen the splines for a servo horn is.

Thanks!

[1967Typhoon]

Originally Posted by blackjack12982

I'm getting ready to order one, but I haven't definitively seen the splines for a servo horn is.

Thanks!

They take 25T servo horns.

[cruzer]

Any recommendations for lights? Hopefully both for in front and for "rock lights"

[Mongol Pete]

Originally Posted by Lozza

Just remember though, there are poor people in australia too so china deals will sometimes help us

Not to mention Mongolia!

[StomperCrawler]

Originally Posted by cruzer

Any recommendations for lights? Hopefully both for in front and for "rock lights"

Ebay, Banggood, and HobbyKing.

[JasperCrawler]

I ran plenty of the Traxxas 550 motors in my trucks until Holmes Hobbies put out the "Trailmaster 21t Sport 550". They are $19.99 on RPP right now. Great torque and speed. I run mine on 3S. The only issue you might run into is clearance because of the longer motor can. Just depends on the rest of your set up.

[StomperCrawler]

Originally Posted by JasperCrawler

I ran plenty of the Traxxas 550 motors in my trucks until Holmes Hobbies put out the "Trailmaster 21t Sport 550". They are $19.99 on RPP right now. Great torque and speed. I run mine on 3S. The only issue you might run into is clearance because of the longer motor can. Just depends on the rest of your set up.

On an Scx10 ii, you'll need to shave a little off here:

[StomperCrawler]

Originally Posted by Thloftus

Thanks for starting this thread! I've also had great luck with the Hobbywing Quickrun 1060; also the Traxxas 3760 shocks are awesome and only $12 for a pair -- but maybe not as good a value as the aluminum Traxxas big bores listed above!


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Do the 3760's leak and are they smooth?

[Thloftus]

Originally Posted by StomperCrawler

Do the 3760's leak and are they smooth?

They are smooth and I haven’t seen any leaks. Pretty awesome overall and easy to build. No complaints at all!


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[StomperCrawler]

Originally Posted by Thloftus

They are smooth and I haven’t seen any leaks. Pretty awesome overall and easy to build. No complaints at all!


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Nice! They're plastic bodies but cheaper because of that. ;)

[Mongol Pete]

Originally Posted by 1967Typhoon

Hey guys. Over the last few months I have gotten back into scalers, and have built a couple of rigs. They were both budget oriented, and I learned a lot about what cheap parts and upgrades work well for the cost, and which don't. I wanted to share what I found, and also open this thread to suggestions. I will update the thread as new stuff is shared. The entire goal will be to have a list of budget stuff that works well to share with community. Here is what I have found that is ULTRA cheap, but works surprisingly well:

Brushed ESCs

Hobbywing Quicrun 1060
This ESC is almost identical to the Axial AE-5. It is simple to use, waterproof, small, features adjustable drag brake and instant forward/reverse. A great all around ESC that will run happily on 3S. These are commonly in the low $20 range!

Brushed Motors

Gool RC rebuildable brushed motor
These motors are LESS money than many sealed can NON-rebuildable motors. These motors have bearings rather than bushings, and have great control and torque. They will not perform quite as well as top-dollar motors, but for the low cost of $11 on average, you can't beat them! They come in many winds from 27t up to 55T.

Yeah Racing Hackmoto V2
I have owned both the Hackmoto and the GoolRC motor above, and they are VERY similar. Not quite identical, but VERY similar. The Hackmoto seems to have a slightly higher quality of parts overall, but the 2 motors share many of the same parts. Either way, if you want to spend a bit more on a name brand motor, the Yeah Racing Hackmoto might be for you. It looks a good bit nicer than the GoolRC as well. These are commonly in the $20 range from various sellers.

Servos

PowerHD LF-20MG
These servos pack a tremendous amount of torque for the money. They are rated at 277 oz/in at 6V. I have run these on rigs as big as E-Revos and they deliver! The only con I have for these is the servo travel seems to be a tiny bit less than other brands. But for a budget servo in the $20-25 range, you will have a hard time beating these. There is also the LW-20MG model that is waterproof for a couple of dollars more.

Towerpro MG-958
These servos are rated almost identically to the PowerHD, have a nice aluminum heatsink, and also have stout metal-geared construction. These look to have tremendous value for the cost, and should work very well for most 1.9 applications. Commonly found for under $20 delivered.

BEC

Hobbywing 5V/6V
This is a $7 BEC! And it is adjustable for either 5V or 6V with a jumper. It is rated for 3A, with bursts up to 5A. This is a GREAT upgrade for under $10. Paired with the PowerHD servo above, you have a stout combination that is VERY easy on the wallet. I have had great luck with these on 3S lipo, but I did have one fail on 5S lipo. They are rated for up to 6S lipo, but I am betting up to 3S is the safest route to go.


C-hubs

SkyQ 11 Degree Aluminum C-hub
I really can't say enough about these. I got mine for $9 shipped. They fit great, work great, and look decent. The machining on the outside isn't the greatest, but they fit the axles perfectly. This is a common weak point for the original SCX10, and for $9 you can't beat it. These are a higher caster angle at 11 degrees. This allows you to clock your axle to improve the pinion angle, while retaining proper caster angle. Even if you don't clock your axles, these are a HUGE upgrade for $9.


Beef Tubes / Axle Weights

Hot Racing Brass Axle Weights
I recently installed these, and instantly noticed a HUGE improvement in climbing performance. These fit inside your stock axle housings and give you plenty of weight down low. I got mine for $18, and they were worth every penny. The ONLY thing I don't like is that the C-hubs don't thread into these. Other than that, I feel it's by far the cheapest route to getting unsprung weight down low, without weighing your wheels down.


That's all I have for now. Please share your ultra budget parts in the comments below!

This is a great reference for new guys like me. Thank you! I just ordered this Hobbywing BEC based on your recommendations, because I will run a metal gear waterproof JX servo on my V2 ECX Barrage kit. I hope this is the right one https://www.ebay.com/itm/HOBBYWING-R...53.m2749.l2649, but for less than $3, not a bad deal.

-MP

[the_law_man01]

Originally Posted by Mongol Pete

This is a great reference for new guys like me. Thank you! I just ordered this Hobbywing BEC based on your recommendations, because I will run a metal gear waterproof JX servo on my V2 ECX Barrage kit. I hope this is the right one https://www.ebay.com/itm/HOBBYWING-R...53.m2749.l2649, but for less than $3, not a bad deal.

-MP

I had that BEC in a plane for a couple years with no issues. It was running the receiver and 4 standard servos. I'm sure if it's just running your receiver, servo, and maybe a light kit, you'll be just fine. Heck, it would probably handle a little more than that.

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[Mongol Pete]

Thanks law man. I just ordered another to run on my son's ECX Amp BTD kit, which will have a 20A (5VBEC) ESC/receiver unit, and will run a high-voltage Savox waterproof servo. For $3, I can't go wrong. I just wonder how long they will take to get to me...

[ColdFox]

Concerning the PowerHD servo, I've heard the 23kg version comes with full metal gear instead of brass, can anyone confirm this ?

[rbspeed]

Brass is metal ..

But anyway, what you meant is the gear uses titanium and steel - that is true!

Roland

[the_law_man01]

Originally Posted by rbspeed

Brass is metal ..

But anyway, what you meant is the gear uses titanium and steel - that is true!

Roland

There's one in every crowd.

Good to know they're tougher. Will probably use one (or two in tandem) when I get to my 1/6 build in the spring.

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[svt923]

Originally Posted by rbspeed

But anyway, what you meant is the gear uses titanium and steel - that is true!

And by "titanium" they mean titanium coated aluminum.

No servos actually use solid titanium gears, especially not $40 ones.

[rj_dio]

Anyone find decent affordable cvd’s?
I see lots of black w/red ring cvd’s that look identical that range from just under $10 to about $40 on ebay. I’m suspicious that they could last long at that price. Only running a 45t motor on 7.2/7.4v.
Any good finds?

[the_law_man01]

I'm running a cheap set that came in my Xtra Speed SCX10 axles. They're holding up well, have good turn radius, and are smooth at full lock in both directions.

Since I only paid about $105 for the set of complete axles, I'd say they're equivalent to the price range you gave.

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