Jim,
Way back when I went through around 20 different motors, some more then 4 times the price of the Venom. None seemed to have the "guts" the Venom had. That's why I recommended the Venom. That said, it was 2 years ago, I'm sure there may be better choices out there. But a brushed motor is a brushed motor. They wear out, and if they can't be repaired reasonably the cost factor continues to climb, hence the switch to a brushless motor. Other then the bearings, there is nothing inside to wear out. And I'll be honest, I never had to replace a bearing in mine.
Might be time to look at brushless as a way to go.
The Hacker 4900kv motor in mine lasted me over a year, and I say lasted as I've just shippped it off to a bud, so he can play with it. Never gave me a lick of trouble, same power and speed when I retired it from the day I put it in there.
