I am not familiar with the Evolution series of engines, but I do know that bad handling habits can cause any engine to experience premature failure.

When one considers the fact that it is mostly newbies that buy the cheaper "beginner" engines, and couple this with a lack of knowledge concerning proper engine handling, it is no wonder that certain brands develop a reputation that is often not deserved.

Does anyone remember the Fox two needle carbs that had a cast carb body with a tapered fuel nipple also cast into the body? Those carbs worked just fine, if you filed a groove in the tapered nipple and placed a lock washer on it for fuel line retention. If you didn't do this, the fuel line would keep slipping off. You also had to adjust the low speed circuit first, as plainly pointed out in the instructions. If you did these two things, the carbs worked just fine. If you didn't, you were in for a world of agony.

Fox used to push the envelope on large carb air flow rates. One of the symptoms of doing such a thing was a carb that needed readjustment just about every time you went to the flying field. Why? Because the carb openings were so large that just the minor variations between day-to-day air pressure levels would cause yesterday's adjustments to be inappropriate. But when you got it dialed-in - LOOKOUT! Lots of power.

Ed Cregger