Stevo585

I have been having negative and bad attitudes when I go into local hobby shops and pick up parts for my two redcats. Anything from fuel to glow plugs to keep my two trucks running and maintained. They ask "what kind of truck do you have" and I say I have a Redcat Vortex ss and an Earthquake 3.5. Their attitude becomes demeaning and they say "Redcat?" I said yes, I'm getting into nitro rc and and started out with something affordable. But I dont think I would spend my money on a Traxxas, or any other high end rc and start getting upgrades that will probably end up around $1000 bucks. I am extremely happy with my two trucks, and yes there is some downtime when parts are needed since no hobby shop wants to carry Redcat parts in stock. Store clerks say "those are cheap rc's, they're no good." I can honestly say my two trucks are the S#!t. They can take a beating and still run after what I put them thru. For example, last weekend I was helping my good friend tune his new redcat earthquake 3.5 ,and I had my Vortex ss. We were running them up and down the street and we crashed into each other going half throttle. Flips and cartwheels on both trucks. Outcome, not a single problem. Then Isteered my truck in the wrong direction and ended up in 4 ft culvert filled with water. Truck was submerged for about 3 minutes until I could get to it, I pulled it out and water was in eveything, including inside the cylinder. I aired it out with a compressor, removed the glow plug, removed the water from the inside, removed the rx, aired it out as well, put it all back together and attempted to start it. Within about 3 minutes of getting the fuel cleared out, this amazing truck started right up as if nothing happpened, servos and all were working perfectly. On the other hand, another friend of mine has a NEW Traxxas 3.3, I beleive a TMaxx, and just from running it in the wet grass, his rx went caput. Now tell me the Redcat is a cheap piece of junk, I don't think so. They are and affordable, durable, and fast and fun way to get into the Rc scene. So far I have gotten 5 of my good friends to purchase Redcats and they too love their rc's. To all the hobby shops in Houston, Redcats are not an inferior RC. Cheap? Yes they are, in price, for their RTRRC's and Their parts.
Lets support our Redcats.

RockinEagle

I know how you feel. I think I just like rooting for and supporting underdogs.

My favorite college team is Georgia Southern, a FCS school (formerly known as 1-AA).......6x FCS National Champions andput moreyards and points on Bama than LSU did in 2 games.

My favorite handgun, a low cost Hi-Point........Accurate as hell. Made in the USA. Lifetime Warranty. (most of my guns cost less than $300)

My favorite shotgun, a low cost Mossberg 500........powders clays the same as a $2000 Benelli.

Heck, I used to own a 6" lifted Isuzu Rodeo sitting on 33" BFG MT's........Dana 44 Axles (stock). DIrect Injection back when Rolls Royce was the only other manufacturer doing it.

What do they all have in common, none of them get respect in their respective fields but they all are way better than most people know. I don't let it bug me. I just take the oportunity to inform, if they want to listen.

rccrazer

i have worked at a hobbyshop for 3 years now. and what i'm about to do could get many people fired.

who here hasn't heard of traxxas? anyone? didn't thinks so, redcat is going thorough the same ordeal that they were 20 years ago! and now everone tells you "buy a traxxas". i have 10 redcats guys! ten! 2 hpi's, 1 yokomo, and 1 kyosho. i sold my kyosho ultima rb5 (9 time ifmar world champion buggy) to get the redcat twister xb, because of price, performance that i desired, and ease of parts.

traxxas has told many hobby shops that they will sell to them at wholesale if they don't pick up certian brands (redcat being one of them) here's what made me go from not to pissed in the blink of an eye, many of the popular parts that they use to make their poplular vehicles (specificly the slash 2wd and it's predicessors, bandit, rustler, and stampede, the tmaxx, and mini erevo platform and some others) actually come out of redcats factory in shenzen province china. the oh so beloved and popular "hobbytown usa exclusive" animus by helion. my butthole! that also come out of that factory!

proof:
http://www.hispeedmodel.com/product.asp?bianhao=94807

JRockZ

My understanding is HiSpeed toys does manufacture most of the rc's like redcat, himoto,exceed, henlion and probably others, maybe even traxxas but i doubt it. I like you prefer to run with the underdog IF its not so bad that i cant fix it easily or earliy rig or adapt parts from something else to fit.
I find it highly unlikley Traxxas would tell any LHS they cannot sell certain other product lines, that just sounds like something some kid made up to make traxxas sound "kewel" LOL

Stevo, most of the hobby shops ive ever dealt with no matter where you go are like that, how some of them stay in buisness i will never know,,, I have a LHS that stands out way above the rest and ive even become friends with the owner, hes helped me and taught me things as i think i have him as well. Kepp looking around you may find somehere better than the others, take some time and be cool (not stupid) with the folks that work there, agree with them, maybe lie and says the redcat is not yours that your helping a friend out and bash redcat right along with them and laugh about it etc,,,
Check the redcat site for a local dealer and go there maybe that will even be a better choice.

This isnt rocket science this is RC Tech which manily takes common sense to figure out. Somehow Redcats gotten a bad rap, id also heard all the bad and i stayed away because of that but on a spur of the moment trade of my Duratrax evader for an almost new redcat caldera 10e ive now seen the light and ive been seriously impressed with the product,,, sure ive hadtons of minor issues but with common sence and slight experience ive gone a few weeks now with no broken parts and some pretty rough serious bashing to this thing, so far everything thats broken or bent ive been able to bend back or get working again and not had continous problems with again,, well yet anyhow lol.

You always hear the bad, you rarley hear the good and in this hobby that seems to go a long way. I try to share the good when i can even the bad too but if no one says they love and enjoy thier redcat and everyone else posts how crappy they are then what do most think?? they think like i did that they are just junk and they stay away.
Well you rev have 9 more redcats than me so you probably know alot more about them than me and i only have electric, no nitros for me, so i cant say anything about them but i did see on thier site they have a life time engine replacement program,, if you ask me that blows away anything traxxas offers,,, though ive heard traxxas support is better than redcat, it may very well be, who wants to send thier truck in somewhere and be without it? i dont think to many do i know idont,, well i will end on that note,, some say buyer beware,,, people have signs thatsay beware of dog too and they have a poodle :wink:

rccrazer

i think in the long run it comes down to "haterz" or "trolls". i was at one time this very thing, until i had an ipiffany! many parts are made in factorties that make parts for other brands as well, and quite frankly,they are in fact for lack of a better term "toys", while they vastly out perform the "wal-mart junkies" they are in many sences still the same and work mainly on the same principals, i have people in my LHS hobbytown, who say "i will bash a traxxas, but will only race an associated" and that's hating right there. there is no reason you cannot race a traxxas anything!, for pete sake a coworker of mine (two differant HS, one i work at and hobbytown accross the street) races a mini e-revo against his buddies stuff. and traxxas rustlers if you look have been racing for as long as they have been on the market and winning against, associated, losi and the like.

for the longest time i was one of those guys that said "i will only perchase such and such brand because of yadah yddah". why? really? what was i thinking. every brand has something to bring to the table, duratrax has a great way to get into the hobby, traxxas makes some really fun and durrable vehicles and their parts seem to be on almost every LHS shelfs somewhere, losi has some pretty crazy ideas, kyosho may be a little mpre on the spendy side but they are great racing machienes and theose dnanos absolutely blew my mind on the first drive i had, redcat makes some really fun vehicles at an afordable cost, associated makes some great all around vehicles for bash and race, hpi, their name kinda says alot "hobby products international", they're all over! and they have something that you can pretty much "drop n drive", that's only a handful of them.

person above i enjoy your input! only parts are made in that factory, most traxxas models are assemebled here in the U.S. only a minor handful are made outside.
that oh so wonderful TRX 3.3 enging i love, come out of the same factory in tiawan as the vertex engines used in the redcat "vortex", "tsunami (discontinued )", lightning str, and shockwave.


i have to say, i made my rc life much better when i stopped trolling so badly.

Dale Gribble

My Feedback: (4)

I kept writing stuff here and erasing it to remain politically correct. In my 10+ years very actively in this hobby, from 1/5 to 1/36 scale, gas to nitro to brushless and everything in between, my worst experience was with a Redcat Racing vehicle. [:'(]

That's my experience and it is what it is.

Dads like rc too

Again another hobby shop that will lose customers that have a budget. These shops just don't get it when it comes to customers that don't have unlimited disposable income. These shops will tell you all day long how Redcats suck, and then compare them to one of their top of the line Hpi's or Traxxas models that they sell. Be realistic about the market place. Were not all here to race.

rcbashinandrollin

I shop at Razor Hobbies and they have good prices and they service redcat cars, hpi and more. I have been to Victory, Sugarland hobby, m&m darn near every hobby shop. They all look down on you when you bring in a redcat. Soon as i found Razor though i felt more comfortable with the attitude they didnt look down on you. I went in to the store and they tuned and fixed my tornado without questions asked. Plus he has a **** load of parts. Havent really had to look else where. As well he usually has darn near every redcat car to choose from.

Check them out their in baytown. Ask for Robert thats who i usually talk too.

832-224-8844

derailed75

I have a Red Cat Aftershock 3.5 and an Associated SC8. The SC8 is a way better truck. That said for the $250.00 I paid for my Red Cat it is well worth what I spent on it and it bashes just as well as my SC8. I could have bought 2 Aftershocks for what I paid for my SC8, and the bash just as well. Outside of things like the body and the pull start I have not broken aything on either of my truck, and we really bash them hard. I love my Red Cat, and I have delt with the same thing from hobby shops. I have found a solution to this issue, I order and have a small stock of things like glow plugs and spur gears from ebay and keep them in my stock. The only thing I ever get from LHS is gas. If Red Cat continues to improve their products they will be right up there in quality with the big boys.

Dads like rc too

That's just what the hobby shops don't get. I'm not an idiot. I'm not going to compare my Monsoon XTR to a Losi 2.0. But my Monsoon is a beast and a blast to run. At retail, the local guys don't even have a nitro truck from "the big names" in this price range. Everything starts around $340-$360, and that's for the bottom of the barrel. I've broken some things on the Monsoon, believe it or not it's the things I thought wouldn't break. To me the metal is just cheap. The plastic stuff has held up very well. The steel spur gear has sheared off teeth, and you could see the metal was just not great quality. The same thing happened on one of my front suspension pivot bolts. But in the end I still wasn't complaining. Besides the HPI Savage, there's not many trucks out there with this kind of size. Over all it's been a great truggy and people with $600 trucks still manage to break their stuff one way or another.

nitrosportsandrunner

that was more polite than some people.

I have no issue with people who dont care for redcats. But for a hobby shop not to carry a brand...or to outright bash the name of a brand is wrong IMO. In what way does it help a hobby shop's biz if they either dont sell a brand or have them for sale but tell people they suck?

My hobby shop stopped selling redcats some time ago. The owner (who I like and talk with often) couldnt give me an actual reason why tho.
Sad part is they have some left over models in the store for sale....all discontinued models....at the same price as the current ones!

Truth is that there are many brands which means we get to choose what we like...which we all do based on experience.

for me, the redcats I have owned have been 90% as durable as any traxxas i have owned.

Many traxxas parts are made over seas's, thats obvious as some of the parts say where they are made right on them. The only big difference is that Traxxas makes their own designs...and they assemble the models in USA.

The fact that they assemble then in the USA does mean their quality control is higher than redcat's. I dont think anyone will argue that point. I have never had a traxxas model with a DOA radio, faulty charger or loose screws. But Redcat's customer support is on par with traxxas(a statement I make based on my experience with both companies)

Oh, just to toss in a new point....this year redcat will have 8 new models...more accessories and a couple new planes. stuff should start coming out in september

lakesrunner

Yes with my LHS it seems talking about Redcat or it's SH engine almost seems like I'm getting into a political discussion. I know Traxxas is everywhere and Iuse their tires on my Volcano S30 but never ran one of their kitsmyself. I'm here for the fun factor and reliability. I've put over 6 gallons through my SH.18 engine and just now things seem to be going downhill but all I believe needs to be changed is my exhaust manifold gasket which is a cheap easy fix. Never broke A-Arms, still the same steering servo, I've changed several spur gears including the very weak steel spur(stick to plastic people). This was my first RC in several years and it wasn't treated with kid gloves. I'll continue to support and buy Redcat just because of my positive experience. I do own a Savage X 4.6 now, but that doesn't mean I need to take sides one over the other. I always thought real men liked variety.

chuchomorey

does anybody know if the 2075 traxxas servo can be used on the vortex ss? if yes can it be used for steering and throttle?

Eshore

I have owned a Traxxas Stampede since 2004 but it was an 90's model and I've now upgraded it this year to a Vxl-3s system, and spent alot of money on it. I also own a Traxxas Rustler and its still new, so nothing gone wrong on it yet. I just bought my 1st Redcat Caldera 10E this year, and only bought it after seeing the price(unbeatable in the economy) watching, and reading reviews. I have loved the truck and drive it more then my Stampede and actually liking it. I would most likely buy another Redcat and if they prove to get more parts out and upgrades with the low price, I will keep smiling. (Proud owner)

nitrosportsandrunner

there is no denying that the 4wd, LCG caldera out handles the stampede.
Ive owned a 4wd stampede vxl...and its a waste reallly. They should have lengthened the chassis, and it would have been a very good truck. But with high CG, short wheelbase and too much power its hard to keep it on its wheels. Snaps driveshaft alot to. Im sure with your pede you also wished traxxas would do away with the plastic slider shafts.

Eshore

Very true, I couldn't believe that a brushless truck could be tuff and cost cheap.

Johnathond22

I can agree with the quality and price statement on the redcat. I have the EPx Pro and it seems to order just the motor and Esc in this truck is average 100 plus dollars. IMO it is the best starter price RC and with upgrades available is easily comparable to other "top LHS" name brands. The local hobby shops here also refer to it as the cheap stuff, but I guess I need to have a rear bumper sticker made that says "The Cheap One" because dollar for dollar, the rear bumper is all they will see! If you research your truck a little you will most likley find there are may parts you can get upgraded, but you will have to cross reference your model to the company that sourced it. I order a full aluminum upgrade to my EPX pro for about 80 bucks from HSP, which is the source for this chassis. I also like to mod existing parts as much as possible. After all, it is a hobby.

silverman1

I own a redcat now, just bought a Rampage 1/5 scale monster truck a week or 2 ago. It will have to prove itself before it gets my official seal of approval, but for what I paid for it, it is a cool looking beast!!

I remember when I bought a CEN MT2 monster truck, I paid around 225. to 250. for it. There is a lot of CEN haters out there. I loved this little truck, I pounded on it and had great times for a fraction of what I would have paid for a Traxxas Tmaxx. Another thing, with only a few dollars in your cheap brand your my likely to to truely enjoy it, to drive it like you stole, trust me, you think twice before beating your 4 to 500.00 monster truck. I only resent CEN, for going out of business and not having parts available.

Like I said the Rampage will have to earn my respect first. I'll post a honest review about it but i feel a little better pounding my Rampage I got for 500. vs pounding my 800.00 dollar HPI Baja 5b.

Have fun and don't worry about the haters

AmazingRCstore

its nice to see redcat supporters with honest feedback, thanks again to nitrosportsandrunner for his Tips & Tricks. Hope you enjoy your rampage silverman1.

Eshore

Yeah we got a great group of guys, and nitrosportsandrunner has great tips for us. I recommend the Redcat product, and along with a few of the Redcat family I've met.