squeaky penguin

I saw this on Hobbycity as was curious about it. I think it looks pretty good for the price.

http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/s..._5.2HP/7500RPM

Also, what are the reports are the Turnigy HP-50 that hobbycity sells.

Are these engines worth it or should I just get a DL?

Tired Old Man

My Feedback: (1)

DL

aussiesteve

What he said - go for the DL

millertym2000

My Feedback: (4)

I dont know anything about those but I do have a DL 50 and I love it. easy to start, and tons of power.

s3nfo

My Feedback: (14)

This is an RCGF 50 that was not built to the western world specs. There's lots of information on the RCGF thread about these "seconds" from the guy who runs the factory in China, but it's a fairly long thread to wade through. In short, the U.S./Australian spec RCGF's are great engines with great support, the non-spec engines, well, not so good.

skip1320

It,s not RCGF anything acccept the sticker on ignition,probably out of spec DL parts sold off cheap,the p/hub is the only thing that resembles RCGF,let us know how it run,s!

s3nfo

My Feedback: (14)

From the horses mouth there skip

skip1320

They are refering to the 26,looks like RCGF case w/crrc/g-26 cylinder,the 50 dosnt look like any RCGF case i have ever seen.

Piston

My Feedback: (1)

Hey Skip

I know what you are saying about the 26cc.. The 50cc that is being sold by hobbycity is being made by RCGF apparently. The crankcase is the old 50cc style (cast not cnc'd). The cylinder looks like another version of their 50cc. I am not familiar with the cylinder design. It could be one version that they may make for GRPro

Again.. engines made for the asian market can be different in looks AND performance levels than those that are sold for North American use, even though they are made in the same factory. It all comes down to pricing.

Hey s3nfo... I need to make it clear, that in regards to the rcgf engines that we bring in, we are the north american distributor for them. We have zero manufacturing control over the rcgf factory. We do work with them on quality issues, and the voice of the customer in regards to needs and wants.

We (aussiesteve and I) do have control over the aerovate 28cc, 56cc, and 112cc engines, and the future engines we plan on building in our own facilities. Those are/will be discussed in the Aerovate Blog.......Steve and I will be spending most of our time there. Any of the Aerovates (those from rcgf and our factory) are being built to our standards. We won't carry engines that will not conform to our increasingly high standards.

Cheers
Henry

squeaky penguin

Here's my line of thinking, but maybe I'm way off:

On Hobbycity, the RCGF knockoff is $210, the DLE-55 is $320, thats over 50% more. Now, there is no way that the RCGF knockoff has 50% less power right? Maybe is has 5% or even 10% less power, but it still cost 50% less. I know in the end I'm better off with the better engine, but for someone with not much money, it seems I'm better off buying the cheap one.

Also, if it is in anyway hurting a reputable company, I will choose to avoid it.

Another option would also be to buy a used DL, for around the same price. Would that do me good?

If it is of any interest, if will be going in a GP Edge 540. I have a SPE 43 in it now so either way I will be gaining power.

Piston

My Feedback: (1)

Hey Squeaky Penguin
Price should never be your first consideration, especially for engines.

Quality, service, performance are far more important aspects in a gas engine purchase. (new and used too!!)
Let me explain in some more detail what you may run into with the purchase of one of the engines you are considering.

As I mentioned in some of my last posts, the engines SELL for LESS money than what I can buy them for as a distributor. Why is that you may ask?
1. The products may be older variations (Years old in some circumstances) not produced for the market anymore but hey... the manufacturer has lots of parts in bins that will be thrown away anyway. They will use up all the parts.
2. The products are manufactured with the use of 2nd tier (read that as rejected or near rejected parts) parts.
3. The products may be manufactured to much lower standards. Here is an example of one -
crankshafts - they are NOT all manufactured equally!!!! Never be fooled by this. The best quality ones are hardened. I have seen AND experienced engines that have soft metal (non hardened) cranks. So what the heck is the difference?

Your plane is landing and you have a simple tip over due to a gust of wind... you turned too fast etc. The engine was running well before this. You go back to the pit area, have a soft drink, yak some with the boys, and now you fuel up and start the engine. As the engine starts up, you notice the plane vibrating a lot more than before... in fact...it is really bouncing the plane.. WHAT HAPPENED? The soft cranks can't take the punishment of a simple prop stop hitting the ground. The crank now has a TIR (total indicated runout) that is really excessive. In other words the crank is bent.

You are now saddled with a repair job. If you send it back to the source which is overseas, you may wait a looooooong time. Why? You are not sending to the manufacturer, you are sending it to the online store vendor. They will in time send it to the manufacturer. AND don't ever forget, that the US Mail system is far more efficient (I know I know an oxymoron statement) than many other countries. How long will it take to get to the source to be repaired? OKAY...so then the process is reversed. You will probably be paying for shipping both ways too. And now you get the engine back after a flying season of waiting, and the darn thing is still vibrating? Send it back? Or the engine IS fixed and you have a tip over again..

This is only an example of an engine that I have had experience with a customer with. Did he get a deal......You tell me.....(yes he did buy from me eventually, but that was 5 months AFTER he had his incident and sent the product back to it original source... and no happy ending).

Are you hurting reputable companies? Yes, in a way.... In your search for a great price.... you overlook the North American suppliers, who do have a warranty program that pretty much covers you for engine defects and many if not all do provide you with local (USA/Canada) service. And without sounding bigotted (I do apologize to all right now if taken out of context,... because this is not my intent to insult or slur anyone), our understanding of our own language and customs are in many ways better than those of overseas companies.

Even if you do buy a used engine, ensure that it is supported here. ( yes you will have to pay for the service. ) If not.. your investment is at risk.

Our hobby is supposed to be fun. You don't need the added stress of figuring out where your product is or if it will be fixed (or can be fixed).
Sorry for the length of the post.... As a distributor, I have to deal with this scenario and similar ones like it. I understand the frustration on the fellas on the other end of the line. So I am just relating some of our Company's knowledge and experiences.

Cheers
Henry

NM2K

My Feedback: (14)

For the price of many of these cheap engines, it would be better just to buy another copy of the same engine instead of shipping it all over for repairs. Just like the $70 weed trimmers. The shipping alone can exceed 50% of the purchase price and that's just one way. It is a throw away world, I suppose. I have a couple of Hobby City's $170 50cc engines (Turnigy) that are waiting for running. I'll probably get to them this Fall, when it cools down some. Then I will mount one of them to my Giant Big Stik where the Turnigy 52's alleged low power will be just about perfect for spirited flying without paying extravagent glow fuel bills.


Ed Cregger

squeaky penguin

If price was not an issue, it wouldn't be my first consideration. It is pretty well understood that any consumer would want the top of the line performance, quality, and service, but sometimes you have to settle. For a high school student, I don't come by money too easily, and very well understand at my price point I'm not getting the top of the line. I'm starting to figure I will try this engine, or see if I can find a used DL for around the same price while waiting for it to be in stock.

Trust me I would love a high quality engine, but at my current ecconomic status it doesn't seem to make sense to buy one.

Any way I go I'll be better than what I got now.

BTerry

My Feedback: (8)

Penguin, What if that cheaper engine deadsticks 50% more often than a more expensive engine? What if it won't run at all and you are stuck with it? Would you be better off then? I completely understand the cost concerns, but the engine price is only a small part of the equation. A deadstick in the wrong place could wipe out your plane, radio, and engine. Then a savings of $120 or so is completely wasted.

You are correct, buying a used engine could be a good way to save money. One option is the Brison 3.2 listed in the RCU classifieds right now for $275 (I don't know the seller btw). Brison engines are very strong, smooth, and reliable, and will last practically forever. THey are just out of favor right now. The Brison/Fox/Taurus 3.2 engines are very similar in that they use the same jug/piston, and are near the top in terms of power compared to more recent 50cc engines (my Taurus 52 beats my DL-50 by several hundred RPM on any prop and is only 4 oz heavier).

cold_reboot

My Feedback: (20)

Squeaky, unfortunately I think too many of these hobbyists are retired and have a set amount of throw away money from a lifetime of working and investing and forget that not everyone can throw as much money at an airframe as they can. If we could all afford a 500 - 600 dollar engine manufactured/assembled in the states, we'd probably all have one. Cheap engines are sometimes the ONLY reason some of us can afford to get into giant scale planes. Otherwise we're still flying our 40's and 60's. I'd advise you not to take a chance on the Turnigy 50cc tho, it's just a rebadged XYZ 50 and are prone to some problems, such as the rotary valve developing a fracture or bearings that go kaput in 5 flights. You can always replace the bearings with a well known American manufacturers bearings and negate that potential problem in any engine. I'm not saying some people haven't gotten good use out of the Turnigy...believe it or not, in all of my searching while researching engines, I have found some positive posts from people who the engine has worked out quite well for, granted it's a number thats usually less than the people who have had a problem. Just know that it's a crapshoot with any of these engines.