bhcvc

I've read that all the parts are interchangeable and as I look at each brand's site, all the models look identical. It seems Himoto is the only one located in China/HK where the trucks and buggies are made and they claim to be a manufacturer, so am I correct to assume that Himoto is the manufacturer and Exceed, Redcat, Amax, etc. are just rebrands of Himoto RC products?

I'm asking because Redcat costs more than Exceed, but there's an Exceed dealer close to me, so I want to confirm that there aren't any performance or quality differences between the two brands. I'm also just curious about the relationship between these chinese-based brands (seems to all be rebrands of the same product).

Oh, I've read quite a few threads about the stock ESCs and motors dying on the electric trucks and truggies. How's everyone elses' electric Exceed or Redcat holding up? I don't want to have to buy new ESC and motor shortly after picking up the truck.

Thanks.

sheograth

They are all the same.


That said, each brand sometimes specs out some differences. Generally you will see that Redcat Racing installs some higher quality parts than Exceed does. Himoto themselves make a few interesting vehicles that they don't sell the rights to as well, so take a look at those.

bhcvc

Thanks sheograth!

Is the Redcat ESC and motor better than the Exceed ones? I'd rather spend the extra $30 for the Redcat if it will last longer. In pictures, they both look identical.

Oh, and I'm interested in the monster truck (Exceed Dynamite and Redcat Volcano).

sheograth

Hmm thats an interesting question, I don't actually know about the electronics. I believe the radio is the same (and its unfortunately not great), but I don't know if Redcat uses a better ESC. I do know that with their nitros they frequently use higher quality SH engines whereas others will give you VX engines.

Hopefully someone else will be able to give you a definitive answer about the ESC.

pede_187

yes the part numbers are the same

bhcvc

Thanks pede_kid. I checked the P/Ns for replacement parts at both sites just now and the motor and ESC are the same P/N and replacement parts are cheaper at Exceed also. Looks like they're the same parts so I'm as likely to have probs with a Redcat as I am with a Exceed for the Electrics.

Anyone know of any advantages the Redcat has over the Exceed electrics? Otherwise, I think I'll go with the Exceed.

Thanks.

pede_187

same stuff.

But give eddie at himoto usa a call. he's a real good guy and I'm sure he will match or beat exceeds price.
[email protected]

pede_187

They are rebrands of hsp cars. If I were you I would skip the brushed section and go stright for brushless.

gman1

I wouldn't spend a dime on those cheap rip off vehicles. Those are the exact companies that are killing the RC industry.

bhcvc

I was thinking about brushless since it would be a pretty low cost BL setup. $110 for the truck + $120 for the BL motor and ESC for $230 total...not too bad.

How is the Exceed/Himoto/HSP/Redcat BL system? Is the motor good? ESC good? Reliable? What is the max voltage the ESC can handle? How do these BL setups compare to more common low-cost ones like Feigao?

gman1 - I don't know about killing the industry. The enthusiasts interested in the high end stuff will still get that. And these low cost options allow more people to enter the industry. I think of these as good feeder setups that eventually bring people to the better brands.

I didn't know Himoto had a US division. I'll check them out too.

iwantabuggy

I bought an exceed sunfire, and for the three days the ESC worked I loved it, it seemed pretty durable, ....But I'm going brushless next payday

pede_187

yeah it's pretty good. I'll tell you right now that himoto is now making their own products and they have their own brushless system thats different

firstrc

My Feedback: (1)

Def. go right for the brushless!

firstrc

My Feedback: (1)

gman1 - Don't you have anything better to do???

secretsg

Fixed it for you.

firstrc

My Feedback: (1)

OMG that is so funny!!! I Love It!!!!!

pheanix11

so i could use any parts from a 1/10th scale himoto or redcat rc car and it would fit on my exceed 1/10th nitro rc car?

samguan

it reminded me of my first nitro truck. A Tamiya RevStorm... couldn't get any upgrades and not too much parts...pain in the ass........... There are parts, you just have to find it.

The Mad Modder

Problem with that theory is that hsp brands are often difficult to get parts for. Next to no hobby shops carry parts for them, either. When a beginner has problems with their first hobby grade RC, it tends to sour their opinion of hobby RC. An evader ext or used stampede would be better for beginners.

SirLance

For the RC guys in Australia who own HSP/Himoto/Redcat/Exceed/Amax etc cars, you can get parts from myRC (www.myRC.com.au).

Hope this helps.

silverman1

I agree, not everyone can afford the start up cost owning a rc car. I remember 10 years ago when i told people I paid 250.00 for an rtr kit, they about crapped their pants. These other companies have a place, exceed, hiomoto, redcat etc, People cannot afford the higher cost, but want to have fun.

The only thing I see as an issue is if it breaks so easy, that it will spend more time down than running, (THAT) could hurt the industry.

I know that kills first time nitro owners. Turn the key and go is what most people want.

Oh, and as far as killing USA jobs, I hate to tell people this associated, Losi, and lots of other name brand vehicles in built in foreign countries to. I do agree our country has to find away to compete, againts foreign manufacturing, but how when you got people gladly working for .50 cents a day????

Stryker48

To answer your question are all these models the same, the answer is in fact NO.

Intrinsically, "they are all the same", meaning these are exact clones and all parts are interchangeable and use the same part numbers. (quality of parts however is NOT the same from manufacturer to manufacturer.) Electronics, electronic specs and Battery supplied can also vary.

HSP I think was the "original" and all the rest like Exceed, Redcat, Himoto etc, are all rebrands (clones). All these companies use different quality plastic components and sometimes different electronics, so they are NOT all the same quality.

HSP started off using cheap quality plastics and components in their cars, which has given them a bad rap (rightfully so), however they have improved somewhat in recent years.

Exceed and Himoto especially have been using low quality brittle plastic parts and for this reason they have a very bad reputation as far as quality and reliability goes. Exceed of late have been using MUCH better quality plastics (more pliable and much more durable) on their newer cars like on the 1/8 super maddrift car which has good reviews.

Redcat and HSP (for the most part) also seem to have improved on the quality of some (not all) of their plastic components of late, especially on their suspension components.

Out of all these manufacturers, Redcat is the one that has the most support in North America. Although they offer only a 90 day warranty, they do offer a lifetime (1/2 price replacement cost) on ALL their electronics. Redcat Racing, besides having various dealers in the US and Canada, they are also carried in some (not many) mainstream Hobby Shops in North America as well.

The 'weak' parts on these inexpensive RTR cars, is the steering servo (again some have improved on them slightly with metal gears, however not enough IMHO) they are slow and don't have sufficient torque for some of the models they are used in.

The rims and rear wing are still made from brittle plastic on all models I have come across so likely to break/snap easily.

The 2.4Ghz (rebranded FlySky) is very basic, uses 8 AA's looks and feels cheap, however has excellent range from my experience around 300m, line of sight.

Quality control could always be improved upon.

I have a Redcat 1/8 Hurricane XTE Pro 4s buggy, which I am very happy with.

I don't have experience with the nitro models, however I have seen reviews where the nitro models seem hard to tune.

These are pretty decent cars these days for the price you pay and aimed at the entry level, casual light bashing market.

If you're looking to compete or want to push your car to the extremes, chasing the highest speed and/or crazy jumps, these are NOT the cars you should be looking at.

Although many 'enticing' illuminum upgrades are offered for these cars, it's my opinion, it's NOT worth the investment and will only do more harm than good. (more so on buggies, truggies and monster trucks)

For the drifters, I can see where adding colored aluminum 'upgrades', lights & sound modules etc purely for the 'bling factor' would be more desirable and 'appreciated' in that very specific market.

SyCo_VeNoM

Stryker really needed to bring up a 7 or so year old thread to say redcat is not longer the same exact vehicle as the others?

guess what at the time they were

Stryker48

Very old thread I know
With that said, these manufacturers are still around competing with each other for market share and people are obviously still buying them, popular or not.

I thought I might clear up any misconceptions in case someone was still interested to know

pdooley

who cares how old the thread is, Stryker took the time to provide what I consider useful information and I'm thankful for it.
and yeah, I'm replying 2 years later..

I just got an HSP buggy from ebay to play with, more out of curiosity than anything else. I ran this against my B4.2 on a small track and the HSP keeps up surprisingly well. The steering is very sloppy but the 4WD makes up for it a little.

Neighbor has a Redcat and it does look same as the HSP. .