Man I wish I hadn't had such a rough day. Otherwise I might be able to think of a nicer way to say this.

From my experiences, Duratrax has made some very high quality items when it comes to pit tools & extras (fuel filters etc) but when it comes to complete vehicles they're low on the totem pole. I can safely say this because I've used their tools (not totally happy with my 4 way wrench tho) & fuel filters with no problems & I've seen a nitro Evader run. I've ran with a guy a few times that owns a Duratrax truck & a nitro Evader. He broke the truck before I got there (glanced off a curb) & the Evader got smoked by a RS4 with low end electronics & an inexperienced driver (1st time he had it running outside of his house). Granted, the guy with the Duratraxes wasn't the best R/C hobiest but he had 5 vehicles with him & has been running them for several years. He made sure my friend & I knew that he didn't have a high opinion of Duratrax's cars & he proved that he could drive when he pulled out his other R/Cs. He didn't point out that he was driving better but my friend & I noticed a difference between them.

To set this straight & to hopefully avoid being flamed I AM OPENLY ADMITTING that Duratrax doesn't deserve the name Duratrash. They make good entry level vehicles that with some sensible driving probably last a long time. Problem is, that's not always what the hobby is about. Most people drive R/Cs because they can do what their 1:1 cars can't do.... go insanely fast, safely roll over in a curve, & jump.

I've been there when several people 1st got into the the hobby. They told me what they wanted to be able to do, I recommended a R/C that fit their criteria then they bought something cheaper & regretted it. My friend kicks himself everytime I pull out my Savage because he wanted something that would compare to a Savage but he bought a Rush. Years ago I had a friend that did the same thing when I pulled out my RC10T & he pulled out his Stadium Blitzer. Another friend just left all his R/C gear at my house because it didn't compare to what I was running. Not once did I rag on his rides, tell him to buy something else, or purposely dust him on my track. We're still good friends & he even asks about his stuff occasionally & I offer to bring it to him but he doesn't want it because he knows it's not the same as running top end R/Cs. I work with a guy that was into airplanes but after he watched me run my Savage & my Ofna a few times he decided to buy a truck. We threw out a few suggestions but he bought the Tower Hobbies stadium truck & his dad bought a TMaxx. Now he's trying to talk his wife into letting him sell the stadium truck & the Maxx (dad got tired of it breaking & gave it to him) so he can buy a Revo because neither are as durable as my Savage. When I got my 1st real R/C I wanted something that would hang with my neighbor's RC10. I bought a FX10 because that's what the LHS had. Futaba makes some great radios but their R/Cs are WAY under par.

Once again, I'm not trying to talk trash about anyone R/C but in my experience Duratrax manufactures entry level rides. For all those people out there that have & love them I'm thrilled that you're happy with them. For me, they hit their peak too soon & wouldn't be able to keep my attention. I enjoy having R/Cs that are fast & tough because I like to grin when my Savage is about 7' in the air. I know it's not indestructable. I've worn out more parts than I've broken & thats the way it should be. If I had an Evader or even a Maxx I'd be too worried about what might break to run them the way they're meant to be ran.... fast, hard, & nowhere near the way I drive 1:1 vehicles.

It's just like anything else in life.... Some products are made better than others. There's no need to compare a Hyundai Tiberon to a Ferarri F50. Sure they both look fast but which would you rather have in a race?