Dr Motor, I have a few comments for you. I apologize for not having yet read through the whole thread as I am at work, but a few things caught my attention:

1) I appreciate that you have a thread on this topic. I understand your passion toward the subject and appreciate the scientific method. It does have a place in the RCU forums, just not sprinkled into threads of other topics (so thanks for doing this here).

2) It appears to me that the magnets look a little different - can you measure the width and thickness of the magnets of each brand? I believe I see the same differences on the inner and outer magnets. I don't know how the metal cans compare in weight otherwise it would be interesting to see if one set of outer magnets is heavier than the other. But it appears that the Hacker motor has less spacing between the magnets.

3) It also appears to me that the copper windings look a little different, as if there was more copper in the Hacker motor.

4) Can you report on what markings are stamped on each brand's bearings?

5) I would like to re-iterate my point that despite all of this 'reasearch' - there is still too much information missing to claim that the motors are identical. We don't know what kind of glue is hodling the magnets on. We don't know the strength of the magnets. We do not know much about the windings, either, other than the Hacker appears to have more.

With a higher quality glue and more magnet/copper metal to handle power and dissipate heat, it is very plausible that the Hacker will withstand punishment more than the Turnigy. Unfortunately longevity is not something that can be tested on a stand in a matter of a few hours or even days.

One reason that many of us choose to pay a lot more money for what looks awfully similar to something that costs a lot less, is a matter of trust. I am not going to drive hundreds of miles and many hours to a contest field to have a motor fail on me, because I opted to go with a less expensive look-alike. I am not saying that the Turnigy motor will definitely fail first, just saying that there is not yet any longevity behind the SK motors, and there is a longevity of products with the same name brand or sold by the same retailers to not last very long.

I would take a slightly heavier motor, with slightly less thrust, if I knew it would outlast the competition (putting aside the fact that one brand gives great customer service).