I think it will come down to you deciding which one you like better. Although I haven't owned either I did have a Raptor 30 and had good luck with it. I have seen both the Raptor 50 and the EVO 50 fly and both fly well. I have read posts from pilots that own both and some say that the EVO is smoother. Parts replacement is about the same, so that won't be a factor. I will be building the EVO this winter to go with my X-Cell 60 CT. Manly because I liked how it looked and want something different. For about the same reason as you I felt that I learned more on the smaller ones because it is a lot cheaper to fix in case of a crash. Although, I will keep the X-Cell. Good luck on your decission and welcome back to the wonderful and exciting world of helicopter flight. Chuck