tmenold

My Feedback: (17)

I am getting ready to buy a 4 stroke engine for my Astro Hog. I am looking at getting either a Saito 80 or 82 or an O.S. 91 Surpass I or II. I am on a bit of a budget and people have told me to try a Magnum 91 engine. To me I like to buy quality stuff and I am somewhat familiar with O.S. and Saito and know that they are high quality. The cheaper Magnum engine scares me a little just b/c they are priced lower that the other two. Is there reason to be concerned or does the Magnum match up with the Saito and O.S. on quality?? I currently have an O.S. 52 on a plane of mine and LOVE it (mainly the sound and performance is great also). I also have a Saito 100 brand new that I've never run, but am sure I'll like it when I do get a chance to use it. Should I save some money and go with the Magnum 91 (will I like the sound and performance/is it comparable to the Saito and O.S.) or do I spend a bit more and go with the Saito or O.S.?? Thanks for all who advise!

Trent

alfredbmor

For your AstroHog the Magnum 91 four stroke will be an excellent choice, don't be scared by the lower price as this is a China made engine and I believe that only Hobby People carries parts for this engine.
I would use a Saito 82 for a different reason, it is a wonderful engine, it is very possible that your LHS carry parts for this engine and is backed by 3 years warranty and because of its light weight it is a good choice for a lighter airframe (Not the case of the AstroHog), never the less is also a good option for you.
Finally we have the Os FS 91 which is a great engine but heavy. Will produce enough torque for your AstroHog but just the same as the Magnum. The convenience of the OS engines is that there are parts available everywhere.

As you can see the lowered priced engine will be a great choice, just remember that spare parts could be hard to get.

Saito choice is expensive but it is a great engine that will keep you in the hobby for years.

OS option is as well as the magnum choice but keep in mind that the difference in price is the people behind your engine.
I hope this can be of help.

newguy05

My Feedback: (2)

i have a magnum 91 and i find the quality of it to be excellent. Just had to replace the bearings and the engine is about 8 or 9 years old. they are great engines, and i have found a few places that carry parts for them but really havent had to replace any so it hasnt been a problem.

FlyingPilgrim

My Feedback: (26)

Any of the engines you mention will work fine. The Magnum engines are not quite as pretty in their finish, but run just as well. On the Astro Hog, I don't think you need to worry about the weight difference between the engines you are looking at, as that air frame should support the weight of the O.S. and Magnum without any problem. If you were going to put it on a light weight 3-D plane, the Saito engines might be more desirable due to their lighter weight. I prefer the appearance of the Saito engines, so in a plane like the Hog, where the engine is fully exposed, I would choose the Saito (maybe a .91?) just for asthetics, but that's just my preference. You can't go wrong with any of the choices you are considering, though.

Gringo Flyer

My Feedback: (18)

The Magnum 91 is a great engine. One big advantage is that it runs very well on cheap 5% fuel. Sure its not as pretty or light as the saito but for an astrohog the magnum is a good match.

With the saito you will probably end up adding nose weight.

I have had a magnum 91 for a couple of years now and have yet to have a deadstick. Its a great engine at a great price.

I have a Saito 4s as well and think each engine has its niche.

3D profile- Saito all the way

General sport flying- Magnum is the winner

Nathan King

Oh boy, here we go. I'm personally a Saito guy, but from what I've flown, tuned, and seen all three companies make good engines.

Gringo Flyer

My Feedback: (18)

I'll agree with that.

carlosponti

My Feedback: (1)

go with what you can afford I personally haven't seen complaints from any of them. I love saito's but i fly different kinds of planes. I recently came across a YS that i bought. YS is a strong engine but a delicate doily. If the magnum is what you can afford go with it. I have only seen one in person and it ran just fine for what the guy was flying.

Don41

Obviously you're going to get a variety of opinions here so I'll give you mine as well,,, based on my own rather limited experiences with the three.

My OS 52 Surpass was easy to break in and runs well. The Saito 82 I put into service last year was much harder to break in but it is now as smooth as glass and very reliable (my favorite engine). My brother (my regular flying partner) bought the Magnum 52. The first one arrived with no compression at all. Since it was new and under warranty we opted to not open it up for inspection. The factory did replace it however neither of us has ever been able to get the replacement to run well at idle or low speed. These experiences make be feel that Magnum is probably very much inferior to OS and Saito.

I know that our experiences may not be typical but if I were buying still another engine it most certainly wouldn't be a Magnum.

Regards

tmenold

My Feedback: (17)

Thanks for the info (that goes for everyone who's placed their opinion). I think that I'm going to stay focused on the O.S. 91 or the Saito 80 or 82 or 91. I'm sure the 70/72 size engines would pull the hog but if they've got enough power, what's wrong with just a "little" more, huh (haha, must be a guy thing)?

Thanks guys!

vertical grimmace

My Feedback: (1)

I have an OS .91 surpass 2 pumped version. It does run well and have a lot of power but I do not like all of the plumbing that is associated with this engine. I have also had some trouble getting it to run consistently but it is a good engine. Biggest problem with OS is how expensive they are.
My favorite 4-strokes are Saitos as well. I have a 1.80, .56, a .30 and used to have a .91. They are simply plumbed and always run great. I have not touched the needle on the 1.80 in 2 years.
I would recommend adding on board glow. The plugs are tough to get to and this makes them idle much better.

tmenold

My Feedback: (17)

I'm not completely familiar with what a glow board is? Please explain. Is it only associated with Saitos? Thanks!

FlyingPilgrim

My Feedback: (26)

On-board glow he's refering to is a device to power your glow plug that is permanently mounted in the plane. It automatically keeps voltage supplied to the glow plug either by a switch that turns on at a particular throttle position or by resistence sensed across glow plug (turns on when it senses plug is cold). They are convenient to start the engine without having to hook up a power cord to your engine, and they allow reliable low rpm idle, even if the low speed mixture is not adjusted perfectly. I don't use these devices on my single cylinder engines, as I have been able to get good reliable idle speeds without them. They also cost a few bucks, and add a little weight to the plane. If I had a multi-cylinder engine, I would consider it, as I think they are more likely to drop a cylinder at low RPM.