kx250ryder

I need a new servo. I am willing to give the expensive ones a try to see if it is worthwhile. Not really looking for oppinions here of which is better, just if anyone knows a better price than what I have found so far.

Requirements:

150oz or better
.15 reaction or better
digital servo
coreless motor
metal/plastic or all metal gears

These servos qualified (let me know if there are others):

JR z8850 188/.15 = $75.00

Futaba s9153 208/.15 = $99.99
s9351 192/.13 = $109.99

Hitec 5945MG 181/.13 = $80.00
5997TG 181/.14 = $104.60

Yes, I know that there are no Airtronics units listed above. That is because the ones that they had that exceeded 150oz were analog (94358, 94359), and the strongest digital one was 110oz (94758).

Please post if you can find any of the above items CHEAPER than what I have listed. Please only post if the servo is:

- New in box
- Only Buy It Now (if E-bay), or online store
- No "I know a guy who knew a guy who said call this guy. . ." type stuff.

I am just getting ready to purchase a servo before next weekend and want to make sure I am not spending more than I need to (I always seem to miss the best deals).

scrapheep

[link=http://nwh.vstore.ca/product_info.php/cPath/9_58/products_id/348]the last servo you will ever buy[/link]

$110 and a 3 year warranty from a reputable company...nuff said.

kx250ryder

Thanks for looking. Good numbers (except the 114.99), but so far the JR z8850 is still winning. My goal is to have the CHEAPEST servo to meet those requirements.

Kinda like a goverment contract. These specifications, who can do it cheapest, doesn't matter who does it best. If there is a generic company out there, I would rock their servo if it hits the above points, even if it has a 10 minute warranty.

scrapheep

Well I just canned 3 out of 4 high end (and high priced ) KO servos with peed poor warranty.
BTW the 8800 has a 3 year warranty too.

kx250ryder

Well, after hours of research, I ended up ignoring it all, and buying the only servo my LHS had that met the requirements (it was pay day, I got ghetto rich, and for once the shop was open after I got off work). I ended up with a KO Propo PDS-2344FET (180/.13). I am amazed at just how much difference there is in centering ability, speed, and torque compared to the cheapy servos I had been running (Hitec 645MG, JR 590MG, Blue Bird 660).

I used to think that my buggy didn't have enough on power steering. Now I have to dial out steering because the car oversteers. The car feels completely different, and soooo much better. I guess I have to eat my own words saying that spending 100+ on a servo was a waste of time. This is the single biggest improvement I have made to the handling of my car since I have owned it.

The hobby shop told me that the KO unit carried a 2 year warranty. Its not as good as the JR warranty you mentioned, but still pretty good. Are all of your servos over 2 years old?

scrapheep

The only warranty info I could find on the KO servos requires they be returned to Tokyo for service. JR equipment can be sent to Horizon for warranty service.

I had 2 of the 2344s and a 2343 go bad in less than a year, still using a 2 year old 2144 that works like a charm. I just decided to switch to JR servos for the better warranty/ better service.

1CE

JR9000s for throttle/ break
JR9000t for steering

livthemoment

If you have to get a digital servo then definetly go with the 9000 series from JR. The 8800 series was not that impressive.
The analog Airtronics with heat sinks are really nice on hot summer days.

J_Bone

My Feedback: (1)

I run Airtronics servos now. They are the smoothest I have ever ran.
I got the 359Z for steering adn the 360 for throttle. I got them for $90 each. Tiltyard.com.

Rs43EVOman

How can you say the only airtronics servo you found that made more then 150 oz-in was analog! What about the 94358z servo, and the 94359Z they are digital, and who ever told you they werent was wrong. They are probably the best steering servo for 1/8th buggies. 200 oz-in is plenty of torque, and at .1 sec they are very very fast. I think they are $90 on towerhobbies.

kx250ryder

The 943 series belong to the analog family. Only the 947 series is digital. And their strongest digital servo can be found [link=http://www.airtronics.net/2004_servos.htm]here[/link]. The strongest of which is the 94758, which is 115/.06 at 6 volts. The 94358 and 94359 (same servo as 58, but with heatsink) however as you can see does indeed have 200 oz-in of torque, and .1 reaction times. But they are not digital. You can see them listed [link=http://www.airtronics.net/Airtronics%20Price%20List%202006.pdf]here[/link] in the 2006 catalog as analog.

The reason I wanted digital is because they hold their position better, and generate maximum torque closer to the neutral servo position. I drive on really rough, rocky terrain that killed two of my previous cheap servos even with my servo saver set as loose as I could get it. For my application, I needed a strong digital servo that could withstand the type of conditions I run in.

The torque number itself isn't the only factor that is important. My Blue Bird servo that I had before also had 180oz just like the Ko servo I just bought. But the KO servo can hold its position where the other servo could not even though they have the same torque numbers. Analog servos generate the most torque towards the further they get into their rotation. Digital servos can often make nearly full torque within 1-3 degrees of center. Also, most digital servos refresh (check where they are and adjust accordingly) at about 50hz. Digital servos perform that same operation about 6 times as often (around 300hz depending on model).