A guy at the LHS swears that Hobbico servos are really HiTech's in a different wrapper.

True, or not?

I must admit I can find a few servos from each with the exact same specs.

That's probably like asking if Spektrum is really JR. Now, though, we all know that it really is!! Not sure about Hobbico and Hitec, though.

It's a standard marketing practice.

Take a look at the Tower servos. See any Futabas?

Happens all the time.
But they're not always the same. Very often, the cheaper one will be cheaper inside. Sometimes not. It's your gamble.

Bingo!!!


While many components are made in the same factory...and appear very similar... they will be made to the specs and cost limitations of the company placing the order....
as Da rock says.... its a gamble....

I will say this... I used some hobbico serovs on a profile katana and while they worked OK, they didn't center too well and they were VERY noisy.......doesn;t mean they are better or worse (because I know of a couple Hitec servos that don't center well at all....) just what I saw.....don't remember which ones they were though...

Yes.

I fly or have flown HiTec and Hobbico servos on numerous airplanes, and after hearing the same thing, did a bit of "home testing" if you will. In SOME cases, they're the same servos. Take a look, for example, at a Hobbico CS-73 Giant Scale and an HS-755HB. You'll note, for example, that HiTec's listed dimensions are merely the Hobbico dimensions rounded to the nearest .1 inch, and the torque is identical. If you pull them apart (I have) you'll see the "composite" gear train of the Hobbico is the "Karbonite" gear train of the Hi Tec. You'll also find harnesses of exactly the same wire, and even identical "miscellaneous fluff" such as the rubber grommet for the harness or the case screws.

Safe to say that if you find a Hobbico servo with a HiTec "equivalent"...that it to say, 2 servos with the same dimensions and similar or identical performance numbers, they're likely the same critter on the inside. Now, clearly, each company offers servos the other has no "match" for, so my GUESS is that it's not so much a case of one plant makes both, and slaps different labels on as it is a case of both companies purchase raw components (gears, motors, cases, etc) from the same folks. That is, however, just a guess as I say.

I think Hobbico contracts with both Hitec and Futaba for servos. Mike Mayberry has written in the Hitec forum that they make stuff for Hobbico. He did not state whether or not the products are identical.

The Hobbico digital servos that appear to be Hitec cannot be programmed with he Hitec programmer so there is some difference.

I have some Hobbico mini servos that appear to be identical to Hitec 225s. They may or may not be totally identical but it definitely looks like they came from the same factory.
I've also seen Hobbico servos that had mounting hardware, and arms, that look like Futaba.

As others have written:
Just because it came from the same factory, that doesn't guarantee it's the same product with a different label. Goodyear factories produce tires for dozens of brands. Each brand has quality/performance/price requirements and the Goodyear factory has to make a product that meets those requirements.

The higher priced items are the better bet almost always. Why?

Because they almost always advertise what's in 'em. They know their customers are buying the product for the quality and the advertised components. They can also cull out the items that don't meet their QA standards, and throw them into the cheaper brand bins and not lose a penny doing a tighter QA inspection.

And the cheaper brand isn't usually selling anything more than a servo they know half the customers think are the better ones and can buy at a dollar or two less. They're selling most of their stuff without advertising much more than the price.

And the manufacturer also knows if he runs out of the quality components, even the rejects, he can substitute whatever he has that fits into the house brand things. He knows that the people who buy only by price often can't tell the difference anyway.

Here is one example I found:

It appears the TS-70 (Tower Brand) = CS-70 (Hobbico Brand) = HS-645MG (Hitec Brand). The specs are identical for all of these servos, and the replacement gears listed for the Tower and Hobbico servos are the HS-645MG replacement gears.

I bought a set of TS-70s for my Twist 150, and they have worked flawlessly so far.

I look for identical specs, identical case shapes, and replacement gears, if they all match up, then the Tower or Hobbico part is probably a rebadged name brand.

I do not know how identical the innards are but the standard size Hitec, Appolo and Hobbico servos all use the same arms; i.e. servo arms are interchangeable.