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!
