richb1492

My Feedback: (4)

I was really wondering if most are like me. I shop brand when it comes to radio gear. I guess the goood luck I have had with Futaba trumps price.
On other items I am totally price driven.
Hobby shop wise I realized I use Tower Hobbies its just so easy to order and not worry about price.

daveopam

My Feedback: (9)

I use the LHS 95% of the time. His price is the same or less than Tower or Horizon. Plus he is there when I need him. Not just for purchasing advice but for flying and set up advice. His son is one of the top flyers in the world and he is no slouch. They also come to our fly-in every year to return the favor.

David

rockerdude22

I definetly shop a little of both... for little things like fuel, ignitors, glow plugs, ect. I shop price. when its a bigger purchase like let say a plane or a radio then I definetly shop by brand.

Jetdesign

My Feedback: (8)

For me it's a mix of both. I definitely don't like to buy 'bottom of the barrel' stuff. I like Futaba, but I would buy Hitec receivers. I'd consider Hitec servos, although I'm probably just going to get more of the Futaba S3004's. I going to get a cheap chinese plane to trash around for #2, and save the money for a nice #3. And I went with OS for the engine. So I guess for me it depends things that will transfer from plane to plane I'll definitely get the quality goods, but I'd also get a cheap plane and probably even set it up with cheaper servos and maybe a cheap chinese engine, saving the Futabas and OS for a nice plane.

Acs_guitars

My Feedback: (3)

I have found quality and price don't always go together. I have used several FMA and Corona brand recievers and they have been just as reliable as my JR gear. I personally don't buy Futaba simply because IMO alot of their products are over-priced. On my larger planes I am more likely to fork out a little more money just for the extra security (more-so in my head than in reallity). I go as cheap as possible while maintaining reliability on foamies. Hobbycity is a great place for cheap gear... the user reviews help in deciding if it is worth your money or not.

Just don't think more expensive = better.... You can buy a BMW for 60k or a chevy for 10k... They both will get you where you want to go in the same amount of time (speed limits) and will be a reliable vehicle. Why spend the 50k extra on a car, when you have airplanes to buy?

TexasAirBoss

My Feedback: (22)

First and formost, I shop for reliability. That means buying the brands that are reliable. That means shopping where the people are reliable. Second is price. Fortunately you can have both.

But those things aren't always where you might think. Sometimes those places are Ace Hardware or AutoZone or Sears or Walmart. Over the years I haven't nocticed model related products are often comprised of non-hobby products. They have been repackaged, relabelled and sold at hobby shops for much higher prices. Ace Hardware, for example carries blind nuts and lock nuts and bolts in all the sizes we use and for pennies a peice. They carry piano wire, a great assortment of glues, sand paper, tools, Epoxy, blades, brass tubing, paints, LockTite, and on and on.


If you need a good motor or a good radio, its difficult to beat Tower Hobbies. If you need a bolt or some hardware, its hard to beat Ace. If you need a servo, or some wheels, and you need them today, then you might give the LHS a try. There is a 50/50 chance they will have what you need.

flyX

Tower Hobbie are Futaba.

Non mark products coming out of the same factory is more common in electronic.

It's more Brand driven in R/C cars or trucks. The same in Heli
My LHS is an autherized distributor of certain brand. So they don't or can't sell certain rival brand.
To invest money into inventory on what brand will sell better than other is a dicision, I don't make.

I can CA balsa back together. Getting the correct gears, belts, pinion for a car/heli is a different story.
When making a decision to purchase these types of product. Design is what i try to base my decision on.

richb1492

My Feedback: (4)

I agree about the Hobbieco and tower stuff being rebagded Futaba. I do buy the Hobbico receivers. Same quality a lot cheaper price

Adui

Price primarily, however with my radio gear its brand simply because i buy little bits at a time so it all must be compatible with the JR stuff that came with my airplane.

Eventually going to go to Spektrum, but thats a few months away..

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

BOTH!! At least on the high end stuff. I pretty much know what brand or number I want then I hit the web. When I needed all new servos for A new plane I caught the close out at Servo City when HT brought out there new servos. I picked up A big sack of 6985s for almost nothing. OK, maybe not nothing but under half price. I'm out of servos right now and wishing I would have gotten more way back then.
When I was looking for A new Futaba 9-C I found exactly what I wanted and how I wanted it at Bruckners. Way cheaper then anyplace else.
My LHS I have here in my new home is so good I can almost always get what I need for the right price, back in Calif. not A chance. Big ticket items I still let my fingers do the shopping first so I at least know the good guy price before I head to town. If it's A big difference I head right back to the computer and punch in the order.

opjose

Price leads for me.

Support for defects and inherent problems, determines if I come back to a vendor again, ( and for this hobby it is, again, and again, and again, and again! ).

Name brands?

Well with a few minor exceptions, what does that mean? Hobbico = Futaba, GMS = Supertigre = T.H., etc.
You may believe you are getting more with a name brand, but sometimes that is not necessarily the case.
Caveat emptor here.

frenchie79

I'll second Grey Beard, Ive tryed most things and have settled on more quality products that seem to do the job consistantly. I still make sure I'm getting the best price for what i want and try LHS but to far for me when i can get stuff delivered to my door for less. I am company & Brand Loyal until they don't take RESONABLE care of me. Tower has come close a few times but always seem to totally redeme themselves.
Major items like engines-I gave up on MAG, GMS, and all the cheaper engines. I have them and use them but OS, YS is it. Don't mean to ramble.