Best of the Best
 

Again Ty to everyone who has Replied to my posts!

I have heard in this hobby you get what you pay for, So For my Next ?

What are the Best brands of Engines?
What are the Best brands of Servos?
What are the Best brands of Remote?

Thanks to Everyone who Replies!

Rusty</p>

RE: Best of the Best
 

G'day Mate,
In my humble opinion, OS are the best 2 stroke engines, Saito are the best 4 stroke engines.
JR are the best servos.
JR are the best Radios.
I am voting for these brands because they are the ones I have owned, used or had experience with, I have had experience with & owned other brands, & I would not recommend any of them. ie, the cheaper engines, for instance, are not worth buying & then having to spend hours & hours getting more & more frustrated, because they are either hard to tune, at least get to run consistently.
I consider this to be a hobby, that is supposed to be FUN, NOT something one uses to tear ones hair out, in frustration.
Mine is only one opinion, it is not necessarily correct for YOU.

RE: Best of the Best
 

Good reccomendations, but truthfully you'd be hard pressed to pick a best brand in any of those categories, especially radios. Look at every maker's high end and you will find that the decision comes down to features, not quality. OS and Saito engines are top notch for sure, but I can't tell any different between a Thunder Tiger 2 stroke vs OS, and lots of YS owners prefer them to Saitos.

RE: Best of the Best
 

G'day Mate,
You will notice my preface, "I am voting for these brands because they are the ones I have owned, used or had experience with,"
I did mention, cheap, not top of the line, Engines, Servos, & Radios, the cheap ones will save money initially, but for how long?
And I did mention it was only my opinion, I did not state that it was cast in stone, & must be adhered to, LOL.

RE: Best of the Best
 

So far I haven't found a best of anything and enjoy all the different brands I own. I use a bit of everything and sometimes you can find it all in one of my planes. I like JR but my choice was Futaba in the high end radios and Hitec in the lower end radios. I use Futaba, JR and Hitec servos but mostly Hitec servos with futaba RXs. I use OS and Saito but like the OS better in four strokes but my number one engine is the YS. In two strokes OS can't be beat but I no longer use the smaller two strokes very often, when I do I now use the SK engines, the .91 anyway and I like them better then even OS for my uses.
See the problem, there are a lot of good products and it's just a choice thing. There isn't really a best, just a lot of very good.

RE: Best of the Best
 

My Preference:

OS engines - nothing else comes close.

Futaba Radios - JR is good too, but JR just does some things that rub me the wrong way (Like wireing their Tx chargers opposite to the way EVERYONE ELSE IN THE WORLD DOES IT)

Futaba servos - all brands of servos are good, but Futaba has the best servo arm arrangement (Where you can rotate a 4 or 6-star arm to the next arm for a better alignment.)

RE: Best of the Best
 

I think that the "best" engine is very subjective. For Q40 racing, Nelsons are probably the best 2-strokes out there. For slightly less performance but WAY more durability. For general sport 2-stroke, I believe that an OS is the way to go.

For 4-strokes, I believe that if you're flying something that requires a lot of nose weight, an OS 4-stroke is the way to go. For sport flying where power-to-weight is key, a Saito is the way to go. When you need absolute brute power out of a 4-stroke, a YS is definitely the best way to go.

Servos don't depend on your application, as most major brands have something to fit every application. It's more a matter of what you feel is more important. Hitec's have a very durable gear train and are pretty reasonably priced. JR's are very smooth and reliable. Futaba's are very precise and perfect...but they're costly.

When it comes to Transmitters, I hate to say it...but it's a simple matter of what you like best. To me, Futaba has all of the programming features I like and the flexibility for me to really toy around. With enough imagination and creativity, one can achieve just about anything with a Futaba Tx. JR's are much less flexible....but tend to have better built-in model memory. Between JR and Futaba....it's a matter of personal preference. Airtronics, Hitec, and others simply don't impress me very much. I wouldn't ever trust one of my planes (and therefore risk someone's well-being) to one of these second-tier (or third-tier, in the case of Assan and other chinese radio systems) radio systems. People swear by Airtronics, Assan, Hitec, and others....but I have no interest in testing it out myself. I fly exclusively Futaba...but almost went to JR when I bought into 2.4, so I'm definitely not unfairly biased.

RE: Best of the Best
 

Airtronics makes some really good servos, as do JR and Futaba. Many people use Hitec, though some complain that they don't center as well as the other brands. I have yet to notice a difference but I'm only a year and change in the hobby. So far I'm happy with all my servos - JR, Hitec, and Airtronics.

Airtronics just came out with some competitive radios. Futaba and JR are the main competition. I really like the Airtronics 10 channel radio, and I like JR/Spektrum (same company) for all other radios. Nothing wrong with Futaba, just personal preference really (as with pretty much everything else!)

OS has the reputation for being the most reliable, easy to use, and run right out of the box (two and four strokes). I've owned 4 or 5 and this is pretty much true. For whatever engine had a problem they replaced it within a week under warranty. Saito engines have a great reputation and are some of the lightest (four stroke) engines available. I have yet to own one. YS makes the most powerful engines, by far. They have a lot more 'stuff' going on for the user to think about. In competition flying, OS two strokes and YS four strokes are the leading engines.

There are less expensive options in most areas. Many people have really good luck with the less expensive stuff, others report problems. I think it's worth the extra money to not worry about things working right or getting the support you need, but it's just my opinion. I have a YS engine on my competition plane. If it's giving me trouble, I've got an OS on my other two planes. Actually the YS just started giving me issues. I pulled my Yak down from the shelf that's been sitting for over a month, took it to the field (charged of course) and the engine started right up and purred like it always does. I love OS engines, and I love YS engines.

RE: Best of the Best
 

in this hobby you dont always get what you paid for.
look at hobbycity.com for example. their lipo's are WAY cheaper than others yet are just as good if not better.
another example is engines gms/tower/super tiger/thunder tiger engines/magnum are good engines and will compete w/ OS engines at half the price.
i have a gms.47, gms.32 magnum .91 fs, magnum .52xls, os 40 fp, os ax 55, magnum 40 gpa. none of my engines are a real pain. my gms.47 is the most reliable, 1 backflip starts every time. ax 55 has the worst midrange (still breaking in) and has been the worst to break in (although it isnt bad by any means (hasnt died in flight just runs bad), just the worst of my engines). while my magnum .52/gms.47/gms.32/magnum .91 fs had the easiest breakin i could have hoped for.

radio's are a good example of "you get what you payed for"
battery's are not (all-battery.com, wayyyy cheaper than HH or tower for nimh-nicd. hobbycity for lipo. yet just as reliable)
covering- you get whay you payed for
servo'smost of the time you get what you payed for
the list goes on and on.

RE: Best of the Best
 

That's kind of tough to answer. 2-stroke glow engines would be OS in my opinion. 4-stroke glow would by OS or YS for me. Gas would be Zenoah or Desert Aircraft depending on the application. Then again I have a no-name Chinese 50cc gasser that has been absolutely outstanding.

You'll find plenty of people who disagree and plenty of people who have other brands that work just fine.

I like Hitecs but I also have no problem using Futaba. There are even a few JR's in my planes. I'd just avoid cheapo, no-name servos. I've seen them fail too many times and take down airplanes.

There's a lot of debate on this one. I know people who swear by JR and say Futaba is junk. They usually can't tell you exactly why Futaba is junk of course. I personally use a Spektrum most of the time. I bought it because of a few features that I liked. It has been a great radio and I am happy with it overall but I'm not totally pleased with the shape and feel of the case or some of the clumsy programming menus. When it comes time to upgrade I will have to take another look at Futaba again before making a decision. Most brands seem to work just fine though.

Bottom line is just buy a quality product by a good company who will support what they sell. Pick what you like.

RE: Best of the Best
 

Saito...... [:'(]

Justing having fun so don't attack me too hard Saito fans.:D

RE: Best of the Best
 

No attack from me, but a stern disagreement for sure. My dad has a 10+ yr old Saito 50 that sat for so long the valves and tappets all got stuck. After about 2hrs of wd40 and some elbow grease, I got everything unstuck and moving. It started on the third flip through the compression stroke (two for priming and one with the glow starter on it). It cranked easily and ran wall, and has continued to do so for the past several months. We talked to the previous owner, who never got a deadstick with it (except for one, but an empty tank caused that). My Saito 100 starts just as easily, and has never given me a deadstick either.

Saito's weigh WAY less than OS 4-strokes and put out at least as much power. Saito's are extremely reliable and unbelievably easy to tune. I've been EXTREMELY satisfied with every Saito I've owned...and I've never seen one have a problem. But...engines are still a matter of preference. You don't like them, that's fine. Don't buy 'em. That's perfectly fine by me.

What pisses me off is when someone talks trash about (say) Saitos (or Futaba) and don't have any experience with them. That'll get me grumpy and FAST.

RE: Best of the Best
 

My opinions:

There are 2 brands of glow engines...OS, and the ones that suck.

There are 2 brands of gas engines : The ones that say DL or Zenoah on them, and the ones that are ridiculously overpriced.

Servos are a mixed bag. I've had excellent experience with many brands, poor experiences with very few. HiTec are my personal favorite.

Transmitters fall in the same category as Servos. I've never had a bad one, had many I liked. Personally, I find JR and Spektrum products to be easier to program, but again...that's quite subjective.

RE: Best of the Best
 

I was just having fun. I own two Saitos. Not my favorites but there's nothing really wrong with them at all. I know a lot of people love them.

RE: Best of the Best
 

It's impossible to call for a best anyting without clarificaiton. Lot's of folks are saying OS engines. Personally, I believe a Jett is superior to an OS. But wait, it costs a lot more. Well an OS costs a lot more than a TT PRO. Best is a delicate balance which will be different for every plane and maybe every day.

We're just stirring up the muck here,

jack, not his ususal self, but tired of "What's best" threads.

RE: Best of the Best
 

Best also depends on what you plan on doing with it. There are applications where that Jett you mention is definitely the better choice compared to others. Ultimately it comes down to what you actually have and learning to make it work as best it can. There's very little out ther that is actually crap.

RE: Best of the Best
 

Best bang for your buck......

OS Engines.....easy to tune, break in quick, start right up and last a long time. Other engines don't hold their value and by the time you spent your money on 5 gallons of fuel breaking them in, ya might as well have bought an OS in the 1st place! :)

Futaba 4YF 4 channel system.....most planes only need a 4 channel radio and this little radio will make my planes fly just as well as yours does. I can get 10 flights out of 1 charge with the 600 mah batteries it comes with.

Futaba 3004 servo's.....Work great and can be used on 60 size planes.

So......that's the best bang for my buck! ;)

RE: Best of the Best
 

Best radios and systems would be Futaba
Best 4-Stroke motors are YS, and Saito
Best 2-Stroke motors are ITALIAN Super Tigres (I bought a ringed 90 after the production went to China and had issues with it)

Rossi's are kick ass motors too. The Rossi's, Super Tigres, OPS's....pioneered the ABC cylinder/piston combo.

I only buy Italian ST, Rossi's, Piccos, or OPSs. Naturally they're all off of Ebay. To someone wanting to buy a current 2-stroke? OS ENGINES!! They're terrific, too.

RE: Best of the Best
 

Rusty,

The old adage is true....you do get what you pay for. That won't ever be lived down. (except Ski-Doo snowmobiles....way overpriced)

RE: Best of the Best
 

Some Taylor Made golf "Drivers" cost $1000 each. And I guarantee you won't hit the ball any better than you can using a $39 driver!

My dad always told me...There's a sucker born every minute!

RE: Best of the Best
 

Over the years I had allot of luck with the following;

Engines- OS, Super Tiger, K&B (still have one of those that run great), and I've had great luck with MDS, (.45, and the 1.48)

Servo's- JR, Futaba, and Hitec, I have never had problems with any.

Radio's- JR, Futaba, and Hitec (I have an old gold case HITEC 89' vintage that still works).

I know it's not part of the thread, but... I have had no luck at all with the Thunder Tiger "PRO" 39 Heli engine. Two broken con-rods later, I finally went out and bought an OS and have had No problems since.

Steve
[8D]

RE: Best of the Best
 

My criteria are 2 things.  PRICE, and postings I read here in RCU. 
As a Beginner, I do not have much to go on otherwise.  I currently own a PT60 with the Tower FM 4ch and an OS 61.  My next plane will be the Tiger 60.  Based on the before mentioned criteria, I have chosen the Airtronics RDS8000 with 2 recieveers.  And the Magnum 91 4 stroke.  I hope they are good  choices for a Beginner wit some limited experiance.

RE: Best of the Best
 

I think you have made some really good choices!

RE: Best of the Best
 

For beginner to intermediate in this hobby the best results would be:

Engines: OS two strokes, nothing is coming even close to reliability, ease, power etc’

Radio: I like futaba the best – easy, reliable, price etc’

Those are the best bang for the buck, sure there are other brands that for some specific condition they might be better but for the past two years its serving me very well and I don’t see any good reason to change, I also compare to problems I see other people are going through.

RE: Best of the Best
 

Cool.  Thanks fcomer.  Roll Tide!