Ok, here we go.

If I had to do it over again with 50cc engines, DA would end up about 4th down on the list. I went with Brisons a few years ago and could not have been happier. With all the flak about engine weights the most recent chart comparisons shows that the Brison 3.2 is actaully lighter all up that the DA and old BME 50.

Power wise I have not seen a DA 50 that matches the Brison. We won't even discuss the midrange between the Brison and DA because DA really doesn't have one. That's been proven too many times to require reassertion. Moving away from Brison, my first choice now would be the BME 55 due to weight and power, but that may not happen for reasons that aren't worth further discussion. If it comes out great, if not, my next choice would move to the front, and that's the Taurus 52.

Reasons? Number one is it is currently the strongest running engine in it's class and may well also be the smoothest. It uses a CH ignition system which has been repeatedly proven to be the most reliable ignition on the market today. Some will say that they have had a CH unit fail, and that is true. From time to time one does, but you have absolutely no clue how many ignitions CH makes that you will never, ever see or hear about. They will also never make it to RC engines, such as you use them, but that's a story for about 50 years from now.

I'm not too worried about spending an extra 20 bucks or so for a good, solid, dependable, reliable ignition system. When I have a plane in a hover I like the feeling of knowing that the engine will stay running. It's almost impossible to save a plane from a hover when the engine mysteriously quits.

The Taurus 52 is stronger than the DA 50. The fact that many Taurus owners are running 24" props without damaging the engine is some pretty strong supportive evidence. The DA is good, but the Taurus is better. The weight difference between the Taurus and the DA, all up ready to fly, is negligible. About an ounce. I've heard so many people trying to figure out how to move stuff forward in their planes trying to balance a DA to let me know that the extra ounce in engine weight a likely more of a benefit than a hindrance. IF you're excessively concerned about 1, say again, 1 ounce in the final weight of a plane you're being anal anyway. Spend big bucks and have the airframe re-made out of carbon fiber if an ounce or so is something to fret over...

Price is another factor. Taurus is less expensive than DA. No arguement or discussion, that's an absolute fact.

And the clincher. How many Taurus owners have you heard of that needed to send their engines back for upgrades or modifications? I hear a lot of thinking in the background here, but I'm not hearing anyone speak up[8D] Admittedly, good warranty service is an important factor in making an engine purchase decision, but being reasonably certain that you won't need warranty service is an even greater factor. I like my engines to stay hanging on the front of the plane I want to fly today or tomorrow, not looking for that big brown truck to bring it back. That brings us back to why the 55 has not been unvieled yet. The manufacturer's certainty that the product will perform up to it's expectations and not require extensive repairs or modifications.

You want to get a 40 or 45cc engine to mount on the nose of your 27 -29% plane? Great, go for it. In about a month or so you will come to the realization that your plane could be doing a lot better with a slightly larger engine up front. Yea, that 50-52cc engine is going to cost a little more up front. But you won't have to spend a heck of a lot more later to get a bigger one, will ya?

At the moment there are two excellent 50cc class engines on the market, Taurus and DA. There may be a third with Brison but I have not heard any advertising from them of late, or been in contact to know what's going on there. The G-62 is actually larger than any of the 50's so I did not include it even though it could ultimately be the better choice in many situations due to an even higher power level. I deliberately left out a fourth and fifth due to the arguementative nature of the manufacturers/distributors when a problem arises.

Your choice, have fun with the decision