The "Cheap stuff that actually works well" Thread

[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!

[SCREAMER]

Traxxas big bore shocks. 2660, 2661, and 2662. $18 shipped from most places on eBay, hard ano'd and Teflon coated, TiNi coated shafts, all aluminum, fit Axial 14mm diameter springs like a glove or Losi mini T springs with Dlux's lower cups, easy to do a cap mod for revo rod ends on both ends, leak free, smoother than any other shock I've tried in over a year with the exception of another Traxxas beauty, the GTR Ultra shock. This and CI foams are my favorite cheap mods that make a huge difference in performance.

[mjotrainbrain]

I very much agree about that comment on the SkyQ parts! I have the transmission housing, c-hubs, and knuckles, all for around $40! I bought them just because I found them very cheap on Amazon, thinking that I had nothing to lose if they were garbage. Luckily, it didn't come to this, as they are great quality. Unfortunately they do come with Philips hardware, but that was no problem for me as I was also installing a Dynamite screw kit at the time. That screw kit, on the other hand, was awful. I liked that it converted most of the hardware to 2.5mm cap head, but that's as far as the positives go. Inventory was total garbage; I have not idea how I managed to build an entire truck with what came in the kit. Example; there is a lot of hardware I had to modify to get the right sizes. There was one size that there were supposed to be 4 of, they included 64! There were a couple of pieces of hardware that don't belong on an SCX10 at all! Also, most of the 2.0mm screws were machined incorrectly so I couldn't use them and the ones that were produced properly stripped easily.

But yeah, SkyQ is awesome.

[waw]

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, features adjustable drag brake and intant 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 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.

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 range, you will have a hard time beating these. There is the LW-20MG model that is waterproof for a couple of dollars more.


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.


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

I completely agree with your view.. because not everyone entitled with a deep pocket / wallet.. nor the availability of a "standard american/canadian/european hobby shop"

on my scx10 I use
ESC: Axial AE-5, it still works fine after many playtime in mud / water / dirt

Motor: after a few years using the stock Axial 27T, I bought the RC4WD 35T and it perform as expected. For alternative >> Yeah Racing Hackmoto V2 high performance 540 brushed motor, rebuildable with an easily accessible commutator and replaceable brushes and springs; or Hackmoto V2 Modified brushed motor series are high performance 540 motors; or Snow Panther motor

Servo: powerHD LF-20MG, yes although it is somehow waterproof after a few times swiming under water it does glitch a bit.. if you have time, DIW waterproof the servo.. and I have my eyes also on the LW-20MG model that has a blue sticker on its side

Chubs + Knuckles: I use the Xtraspeed product

CVDs: topcad product, it's not much but it does the work

Links: custom home made, many sells in range 70 - 75 - 80 - 85 - 90 - 95 - 100 mm

Panhard Level 3

Brushless system: many in where I live use the Hobbywing Quicrun / EZrun / skyRC / Leopard, not many run the Tekin nor Castle setup.. it's just way too expensive

- - - - -

yes, I am on a very very tight budget in building my scx10

[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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[svt923]

I'll echo the approval of the Hobbywing 1060; a reliable, waterproof, 3s capable ESC that is widely available for ~ $20.

As far as servos go, I really like the Tower Pro MG958. It is available from a few places for around $12. It has plenty of torque for most 1.9 applications, centers reliably, and the gears are stronger than the brass construction of most servos in this price range. They also make a bad ass servo winch

Towerpro MG958 Metal Gear Digital Standard Servo | Value Hobby

(Value Hobby actually has the wrong specs listed, the official specs from the manufacturer are 277 oz/in (20 kg/cm) and .15 sec at 6V)

I have also had good luck with blue aluminum dual spring shocks from ebay. They look like RC4WD shocks (and can use their springs) but the shaft is a smaller diameter so Axial shock ends and spring cups can be installed. I believe Traxxas x-rings will also work with these but I haven't tried yet since they haven't leaked. The shiny blue finish gets rubbed off pretty easily so don't get too attached to the color.

4pcs 90mm Aluminum Shock Absorber Set for RC Rock Crawlers CC01 D90 SCX10 | eBay

[JohnB]

Originally Posted by SCREAMER

Traxxas big bore shocks. 2660, 2661, and 2662. $18 shipped from most places on eBay, hard ano'd and Teflon coated, TiNi coated shafts, all aluminum, fit Axial 14mm diameter springs like a glove or Losi mini T springs with Dlux's lower cups, easy to do a cap mod for revo rod ends on both ends, leak free, smoother than any other shock I've tried in over a year with the exception of another Traxxas beauty, the GTR Ultra shock. This and CI foams are my favorite cheap mods that make a huge difference in performance.

x2! If you're upgrading more than one truck, consider TRA4962. Eight Big Bore shocks that you can find for less than $60.00. At about $7.00 per shock, it's an amazing deal. The shocks are pre-built, so just add oil and go.

[1967Typhoon]

Thanks for the suggestions guys! I will update the list later today.

I would like to add one small rule if it is OK with everyone. I would like to keep suggestions/product links to products avialable within the USA. We all know there are mounds of cheap parts in China, but waiting weeks or even months is something I would like to avoid. So if you share any parts, please make sure they are available from a US seller. The last thing I want is to have people buy something and not know that it may take an exorbitant amount of time to be delivered. Otherwise, carry on!

[mk3jetta]

Originally Posted by waw

Motor[/B]: after a few years using the stock Axial 27T, I bought the RC4WD 35T and it perform as expected. For alternative >> Yeah Racing Hackmoto V2 high performance 540 brushed motor, rebuildable with an easily accessible commutator and replaceable brushes and springs; or Hackmoto V2 Modified brushed motor series are high performance 540 motors; or Snow Panther motor

+1 for the Hackmoto motors, I've had better luck with mine than I did my Holmes hand wound!

[Lozza]

Originally Posted by 1967Typhoon

Thanks for the suggestions guys! I will update the list later today.

I would like to add one small rule if it is OK with everyone. I would like to keep suggestions/product links to products avialable within the USA. We all know there are mounds of cheap parts in China, but waiting weeks or even months is something I would like to avoid. So if you share any parts, please make sure they are available from a US seller. The last thing I want is to have people buy something and not know that it may take an exorbitant amount of time to be delivered. Otherwise, carry on!

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

[waw]

Originally Posted by Lozza

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

well you also can not ignore the one just above australia.. indonesia the price range are so much more challenging

[1967Typhoon]

Originally Posted by Lozza

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

All of the products in the list are available in other markets.

I'm not trying to exclude anyone here. I'm just trying to keep any LINKS to US sellers. If you are in a different country, a google search of the product or part number should find sellers closer to where you are.


UPDATE:

I added a couple of products to the list. I have not yet added the Traxxas shocks, as I want to try them for myself to see how close to "bolt-on" they are. While they seem amazing for the money, I'm not sure what level of tinkering is needed to get them ready to go. I'm trying to keep this simple for noobs who are getting started and don't have a lot of cash or experience. Eventually I would like this thread to get stickied, and then we will have a nice list we can link to new guys just starting out.

I also want to try the TowerPro servo for myself! It has the same exact specs as the PowerHDs that I have (I own 3) and are a few bucks cheaper in general. I sense a shootout coming soon.

[Ltd.yfz]

Originally Posted by JohnB

x2! If you're upgrading more than one truck, consider TRA4962. Eight Big Bore shocks that you can find for less than $60.00. At about $7.00 per shock, it's an amazing deal. The shocks are pre-built, so just add oil and go.

These aren't too long, it says 104mm

[SCREAMER]

Originally Posted by 1967Typhoon

All of the products in the list are available in other markets.

I'm not trying to exclude anyone here. I'm just trying to keep any LINKS to US sellers. If you are in a different country, a google search of the product or part number should find sellers closer to where you are.


UPDATE:

I added a couple of products to the list. I have not yet added the Traxxas shocks, as I want to try them for myself to see how close to "bolt-on" they are. While they seem amazing for the money, I'm not sure what level of tinkering is needed to get them ready to go. I'm trying to keep this simple for noobs who are getting started and don't have a lot of cash or experience. Eventually I would like this thread to get stickied, and then we will have a nice list we can link to new guys just starting out.

I also want to try the TowerPro servo for myself! It has the same exact specs as the PowerHDs that I have (I own 3) and are a few bucks cheaper in general. I sense a shootout coming soon.

Traxxas big bores bolt right up. All you need to do is fill them with the generously oversized supplied bottle of oil, install the springs and pop an upper shock ball into the cap, Done. Several choices for upper shock balls, ProLine's universal shock mount kit, DLux's machined upper shock balls, fuel tubing, some have modified the stock Axial plastic flange balls.

Originally Posted by Ltd.yfz

These aren't too long, it says 104mm

2660=83mm eye to eye extended, 2661=93mm, 2662=100mm. Plenty of choices for the length you want.

[Thloftus]

Typo



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[Thloftus]

Originally Posted by SCREAMER

Traxxas big bores bolt right up. All you need to do is fill them with the generously oversized supplied bottle of oil, install the springs and pop an upper shock ball into the cap, Done.

Same for the Traxxas 3760 shocks, although I'm wishing I'd known about the aluminum bodied big bores. Anyway, try out either one, I'm sure you won't be disappointed.


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[2-shot]

Originally Posted by 1967Typhoon

All of the products in the list are available in other markets.

I'm not trying to exclude anyone here. I'm just trying to keep any LINKS to US sellers. If you are in a different country, a google search of the product or part number should find sellers closer to where you are.


UPDATE:

I added a couple of products to the list. I have not yet added the Traxxas shocks, as I want to try them for myself to see how close to "bolt-on" they are. While they seem amazing for the money, I'm not sure what level of tinkering is needed to get them ready to go. I'm trying to keep this simple for noobs who are getting started and don't have a lot of cash or experience. Eventually I would like this thread to get stickied, and then we will have a nice list we can link to new guys just starting out.

I also want to try the TowerPro servo for myself! It has the same exact specs as the PowerHDs that I have (I own 3) and are a few bucks cheaper in general. I sense a shootout coming soon.

For a nice budget servo, check out the Solar D772 from hobbypartz.com.
For $22.35 plus shipping, it's a great servo for the money. 7.4v max with 400+ oz/in of torque. Shipping isn't crazy on it either! LOL!! I run a Solar D772 in my Pro Line Pro MT truck and I beat the snot out of it! No issues with the servo!! I even upgraded the steering bell crank set to the Pro Line aluminum bell crank set, which has no servo saver on it.
http://www.hobbypartz.com/33p-solarservo-d772.html


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[Wes S.]

X2 on the HW 1060. Great ESC for half the price of others.

I should check those servos out, I'm only using a MG'd Traxxas servo and it has next to no torque...

[Itali83]

You can run the solar d772's straight off 2s. Mine is a servo winch and I run it on straight 2s power and it loves it. They do totally suck out loud at 5 volts so you NEED a bec for it. I've heard lots bad about them but the 2 I have I use the hell out of them and haven't had a bit of trouble.
Ben

[2-shot]

Originally Posted by Itali83

You can run the solar d772's straight off 2s. Mine is a servo winch and I run it on straight 2s power and it loves it. They do totally suck out loud at 5 volts so you NEED a bec for it. I've heard lots bad about them but the 2 I have I use the hell out of them and haven't had a bit of trouble.

Ben

Same here! I beat the crap out of the D772 in my Pro Line Pro MT (no servo saver) and it hasn't missed a beat!
I run BEC's on all of my steering servos. I have the BEC set at 7.4v in my PL Pro MT, so it's rated at 417 oz/in at 7.4v. It's a digital, dual ball bearing, steel geared servo.
For about $30 (with shipping), you can afford to buy two, and have a spare.
As far as waterproofing goes... Get some Plastidip in the spray can, tape off the splined output gear, and give it a couple thin coats!!


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