I need to buy an new glow starter but i can't decided if i should get one with a long or short shaft. what would you go with?

long shaft if you get a plane with a big cowl on it you want need to buy another one also get the one with i volt meter on it so it checks your glow plug at the same time

Long.

Assuming you have a common .40 or .46 engine, just get the short. I've got a rechargable, but it seems to me it might be easier and cheaper over the long run just to get the kind you put a regular old D cell into.

Get the rechargeable. Battery is around $3 for it.

I would get the short. The battery is not what wears out on mine. It's the head that gets loose and wont stay on the glow plug. The long ones seem to wear out faster. Especially on a side mounted engine. Latter on if you build something with a really deep plug you can put a head lock remote on it for less than $10.

It's also a good idea to keep a glow starter with alligator clips in your flight box are stashed at the field someplace as a back up to your rechargeable one.

i use the kind that you use with a power panel...also use a cox battery holder...it uses two "D" cells...hook up the glow starter and there is plenty of power to light any glow plug...the only way i know to get the the battery holder is in the cox starter kit...

john

get a rechargeable, McDaniel make one that is a twist lock and will last for years, I went through a bunch of thoe springloaded jobs before a bud turned me on to these. I fly 4 stroke and the vibration seam to be a little harder on em. but this one has lasted 3 years with lots of use and still works great. Its a real pain when they start falling off.

Plus, if you get the short igniter, when you take off with it on the plane it doesn't affect the aerodynamics of your plane as much!![sm=lol.gif][sm=lol.gif]

This is the [link=http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&W=000412642&I=LXJ803&P=K]glow starter[/link] I got from Tower Hobbies. I love it. I have both .46 and a .61 size engines and it works fine for both of them. It has a meter, and comes with a charger. Unfortunately, the replaceable battery has to be ordered separately. I like the longer length (2 3/4 inches).

is this the one you are talking about???

here is what i use...a pic is worth a thousand words...

john

I have three different glow drivers, all rechargeable, I tend to like my long one with a meter, except, it always looks like it's going to fall into the prop. My short one tends to stay better, but it's scarier to get off. My other one is a long that doesn't seem to wobble, so I like that one too, I'd go with a long.