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HobbyKing - Good or Bad
02-28-2012, 02:30 PM
#2
RE: HobbyKing - Good or Bad
I dont know if they are good or bad for the hobby but I do know a lot of people are complaining about them, As for me right now I would be
afraid to order anything from them.
afraid to order anything from them.
02-28-2012, 02:34 PM
#3
RE: HobbyKing - Good or Bad
over 60 orderes from them, and have nothing to complain about.
Just dont ever order a backordered item, or if there is onlty1 or 2 things in stock.
Just dont ever order a backordered item, or if there is onlty1 or 2 things in stock.
02-28-2012, 02:38 PM
#4
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RE: HobbyKing - Good or Bad
ORIGINAL: ira d
I dont know if they are good or bad for the hobby but I do know a lot of people are complaining about them, As for me right now I would be
afraid to order anything from them.
I dont know if they are good or bad for the hobby but I do know a lot of people are complaining about them, As for me right now I would be
afraid to order anything from them.
02-28-2012, 02:41 PM
#5
RE: HobbyKing - Good or Bad
I've ordered some stuff from them. The foamie F-18 was a POS. The other stuff like the chargers were good. I'm still using them without any problems what so ever.
02-28-2012, 03:00 PM
#6
RE: HobbyKing - Good or Bad
There battery packs have been hit or miss.... some really good, some dead when they showed up
but all dirt cheap. The one thing they have done that is good for the modeler ( I think) but bad for competitors is get the prices to come down on many products.
Thunder Power has the best packs out there but had to really drop there prices to compete with hobby king.... you can buy three hobby king packs for the price of one thunder power
With that said you may need three if the first one is dead and the other two are not that great. I've bought many packs for them... some have been very good, low internal resistance, good balance, perform just as well as the good brands.
I have also had some that won't stay in balance, so bad you can't even 2c charge without going into safety charge... also had two 6s 5000 packs I bought for $140 bucks show up just garbage. Had to get rid of them and hobby king wouldn't do a thing for me.
There 10 and 12 gauge silicon wire is great and really cheap.... I also use there EC5 conectors which are dirt cheap and work great. I get them for a buck a set instead of $7 here.... and I can't see the differance in them.
never order if not in stock, only use EMS shipping and they have been pretty good.... I'm sure I'll chance getting more of the packs in the future, but for high amp stuff I'll stick with thunder power.
that's my 2 cents
but all dirt cheap. The one thing they have done that is good for the modeler ( I think) but bad for competitors is get the prices to come down on many products.
Thunder Power has the best packs out there but had to really drop there prices to compete with hobby king.... you can buy three hobby king packs for the price of one thunder power
With that said you may need three if the first one is dead and the other two are not that great. I've bought many packs for them... some have been very good, low internal resistance, good balance, perform just as well as the good brands.
I have also had some that won't stay in balance, so bad you can't even 2c charge without going into safety charge... also had two 6s 5000 packs I bought for $140 bucks show up just garbage. Had to get rid of them and hobby king wouldn't do a thing for me.
There 10 and 12 gauge silicon wire is great and really cheap.... I also use there EC5 conectors which are dirt cheap and work great. I get them for a buck a set instead of $7 here.... and I can't see the differance in them.
never order if not in stock, only use EMS shipping and they have been pretty good.... I'm sure I'll chance getting more of the packs in the future, but for high amp stuff I'll stick with thunder power.
that's my 2 cents
02-28-2012, 03:26 PM
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RE: HobbyKing - Good or Bad
I had the same poor experience as Ron 101. Ordered several packs from them and all but one was junk. I contacted them about the bad packs and they wanted me to run a series of NASA style tests to prove to them that they were bad. I have better things to do with my hobby time than running a bunch of tests and furnishing them proof of their poor quality products. Their customer service really SUCKS IMO.
02-28-2012, 08:34 PM
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RE: HobbyKing - Good or Bad
Depends on your definition of "good" and "bad" and which side of the fence you are on...whether you are a retailer/distrubutor or a consumer. I would imagine they have many NA retailers and distrubutors feeling nervous. I have many orders with them with the odd hickup but when you consider the price point it is hard to complain.
02-28-2012, 09:31 PM
#12
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RE: HobbyKing - Good or Bad
The prices might be attracitve and tempting. In the short term, you might even benefit by buying from them. In the long term, the more they are supported, the better they do. The down side is the better they do, the less the local hobby stores do, the less the major US distributors and manufacturers do. If we do enough damage to the local US industry, we might not have a hobby as we know it in some number of years. That being the case, if hk becomes your primary supplier, you might have to get used to them being your only supplier and the policies that go with that decision.
Paul S
Paul S
02-28-2012, 10:54 PM
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RE: HobbyKing - Good or Bad
ORIGINAL: paulsf86
The prices might be attracitve and tempting. In the short term, you might even benefit by buying from them. In the long term, the more they are supported, the better they do. The down side is the better they do, the less the local hobby stores do, the less the major US distributors and manufacturers do. If we do enough damage to the local US industry, we might not have a hobby as we know it in some number of years. That being the case, if hk becomes your primary supplier, you might have to get used to them being your only supplier and the policies that go with that decision.
Paul S
The prices might be attracitve and tempting. In the short term, you might even benefit by buying from them. In the long term, the more they are supported, the better they do. The down side is the better they do, the less the local hobby stores do, the less the major US distributors and manufacturers do. If we do enough damage to the local US industry, we might not have a hobby as we know it in some number of years. That being the case, if hk becomes your primary supplier, you might have to get used to them being your only supplier and the policies that go with that decision.
Paul S
02-28-2012, 10:58 PM
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RE: HobbyKing - Good or Bad
I am all for free market and it's benefits. So hobby king is fine for me. Bring on the competition and don't whine or point fingers if you lose. Otherwise, we would still be using original Kraft radios on AM bands. Standing in line to buy from a few protected companies isn't for me.
02-28-2012, 11:40 PM
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RE: HobbyKing - Good or Bad
ORIGINAL: Ron101
There battery packs have been hit or miss.... some really good, some dead when they showed up
but all dirt cheap. The one thing they have done that is good for the modeler ( I think) but bad for competitors is get the prices to come down on many products.
Thunder Power has the best packs out there but had to really drop there prices to compete with hobby king.... you can buy three hobby king packs for the price of one thunder power
With that said you may need three if the first one is dead and the other two are not that great. I've bought many packs for them... some have been very good, low internal resistance, good balance, perform just as well as the good brands.
I have also had some that won't stay in balance, so bad you can't even 2c charge without going into safety charge... also had two 6s 5000 packs I bought for $140 bucks show up just garbage. Had to get rid of them and hobby king wouldn't do a thing for me.
There 10 and 12 gauge silicon wire is great and really cheap.... I also use there EC5 conectors which are dirt cheap and work great. I get them for a buck a set instead of $7 here.... and I can't see the differance in them.
never order if not in stock, only use EMS shipping and they have been pretty good.... I'm sure I'll chance getting more of the packs in the future, but for high amp stuff I'll stick with thunder power.
that's my 2 cents
There battery packs have been hit or miss.... some really good, some dead when they showed up
but all dirt cheap. The one thing they have done that is good for the modeler ( I think) but bad for competitors is get the prices to come down on many products.
Thunder Power has the best packs out there but had to really drop there prices to compete with hobby king.... you can buy three hobby king packs for the price of one thunder power
With that said you may need three if the first one is dead and the other two are not that great. I've bought many packs for them... some have been very good, low internal resistance, good balance, perform just as well as the good brands.
I have also had some that won't stay in balance, so bad you can't even 2c charge without going into safety charge... also had two 6s 5000 packs I bought for $140 bucks show up just garbage. Had to get rid of them and hobby king wouldn't do a thing for me.
There 10 and 12 gauge silicon wire is great and really cheap.... I also use there EC5 conectors which are dirt cheap and work great. I get them for a buck a set instead of $7 here.... and I can't see the differance in them.
never order if not in stock, only use EMS shipping and they have been pretty good.... I'm sure I'll chance getting more of the packs in the future, but for high amp stuff I'll stick with thunder power.
that's my 2 cents
Good post but interesting to see why people would trust some products and expect to have failures just because they are cheap. Why not buy a more expensive reliable product in the first place where you have the good customer service.
Wonder what would be said if the packs failed on a 10 grand jet?
Simon.
02-28-2012, 11:42 PM
#16
RE: HobbyKing - Good or Bad
Definitely good. There is a lot to be said for a well organised web site, that has more products than 99% of the competition, show prices, gives you significant loyalty discount and shows stock levels. I suspect it won't be long before they will be selling many of the jet accessories we need because their own line of turbine engines is imminent. Hopefully no more paying £5 for one Festo fitting!
As others I've had many orders with them over the years especially for lipos and have never had a big problem. I've sent the occasional thing back and got refunds and had missing items on one order and they got sent out quickly when I spoke to online support.
Just one example of pricing that made me laugh recently...I know where I'd go...
[link=http://www.towerhobbies.com/products/txr_airplanes/gpma1771.html]Great Planes Micro F86[/link] $139
[link=http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=17302]Hobby King Micro F86[/link] $49.99
As others I've had many orders with them over the years especially for lipos and have never had a big problem. I've sent the occasional thing back and got refunds and had missing items on one order and they got sent out quickly when I spoke to online support.
Just one example of pricing that made me laugh recently...I know where I'd go...
[link=http://www.towerhobbies.com/products/txr_airplanes/gpma1771.html]Great Planes Micro F86[/link] $139
[link=http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=17302]Hobby King Micro F86[/link] $49.99
02-28-2012, 11:59 PM
#17
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RE: HobbyKing - Good or Bad
ORIGINAL: DominicM
Definitely good. There is a lot to be said for a well organised web site, that has more products than 99% of the competition, show prices, gives you significant loyalty discount and shows stock levels. I suspect it won't be long before they will be selling many of the jet accessories we need because their own line of turbine engines is imminent. Hopefully no more paying £5 for one Festo fitting!
As others I've had many orders with them over the years especially for lipos and have never had a big problem. I've sent the occasional thing back and got refunds and had missing items on one order and they got sent out quickly when I spoke to online support.
Just one example of pricing that made me laugh recently...I know where I'd go...
[link=http://www.towerhobbies.com/products/txr_airplanes/gpma1771.html]Great Planes Micro F86[/link] $139
[link=http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=17302]Hobby King Micro F86[/link] $49.99
Definitely good. There is a lot to be said for a well organised web site, that has more products than 99% of the competition, show prices, gives you significant loyalty discount and shows stock levels. I suspect it won't be long before they will be selling many of the jet accessories we need because their own line of turbine engines is imminent. Hopefully no more paying £5 for one Festo fitting!
As others I've had many orders with them over the years especially for lipos and have never had a big problem. I've sent the occasional thing back and got refunds and had missing items on one order and they got sent out quickly when I spoke to online support.
Just one example of pricing that made me laugh recently...I know where I'd go...
[link=http://www.towerhobbies.com/products/txr_airplanes/gpma1771.html]Great Planes Micro F86[/link] $139
[link=http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=17302]Hobby King Micro F86[/link] $49.99
02-29-2012, 12:33 AM
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RE: HobbyKing - Good or Bad
I have 56 orders with them and no big problems.
I have 10 OrangeRx 8ch receivers in planes a helies at $28 each so $280 total instead of $1,400.00 for the Futaba ones.
I'd rather run Futaba 8ch receivers and don't mind pay twice the price for them but I'm not going to pay almost five times the price. That seems high.
Seems like if OrangeRx can make a workable 8ch receiver for $28 then Futaba should be able to put out one for $60 to $90.
I have 10 OrangeRx 8ch receivers in planes a helies at $28 each so $280 total instead of $1,400.00 for the Futaba ones.
I'd rather run Futaba 8ch receivers and don't mind pay twice the price for them but I'm not going to pay almost five times the price. That seems high.
Seems like if OrangeRx can make a workable 8ch receiver for $28 then Futaba should be able to put out one for $60 to $90.
02-29-2012, 12:43 AM
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RE: HobbyKing - Good or Bad
Depends on how you look at it. Many people will buy their servos to use in cheap 40 size sticks but wouldn't dare to use it in a 10grand jet as stated earlier. My problem is that a 40 size stick out of control can still kill my child next to the flight line. Not that I suggest there is no failures with the better, more expensive servos, but the ones from HK is just not that reliable, and personally stopped using them all together.
02-29-2012, 01:29 AM
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RE: HobbyKing - Good or Bad
I wonder if those two F-86's are identical products? If so, oh yes, no question where to get it. I'm certain most RC stuff has huge markups. Why does a JR/FUT/Hitec 12" extension cost $8? Most all products of any type are priced to what the market will bear.
Someone on this thread already said that what looks like a great deal frequently isnt. I agree. I also agree that its a real shame what the Internet has done to many LHS's.
When someone proves that a metal gear servo that advertises 220 oz/in at $15 is as good a quality as a JR, Futaba, or Hitec of similar strength and speed, I MIGHT try one. But not on a jet. Sure name brands are marked up, but I'd rather pay the extra than take a chance. I wonder what it really does cost to produce digital servos?
Someone on this thread already said that what looks like a great deal frequently isnt. I agree. I also agree that its a real shame what the Internet has done to many LHS's.
When someone proves that a metal gear servo that advertises 220 oz/in at $15 is as good a quality as a JR, Futaba, or Hitec of similar strength and speed, I MIGHT try one. But not on a jet. Sure name brands are marked up, but I'd rather pay the extra than take a chance. I wonder what it really does cost to produce digital servos?
02-29-2012, 01:44 AM
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RE: HobbyKing - Good or Bad
You said it. Its one thing to gamble with your own money. Another to gamble with safety. As long as its apples and apples, get it for as little as you can. But, a flying buddy has used HK servos and rx's. Also cheaper 50cc gas engines. He has some success. He is a good pilot, but has lost many planes due to deadsticks, bad batteries and servos. Not to mention much more frequent issues in the pits just to get his stuff up in the air.
02-29-2012, 02:16 AM
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RE: HobbyKing - Good or Bad
I would have to say HobbyKing has been a great source for just about anything I have wanted as a noob. I originally wanted to start flying back in the 1980's, but the prices the LHS, and mailorder were charging kept me grounded. I would look at the name-brand equipment, and dream. Fast-forward to last spring, a friend invited me to a swap meet, and I bought a used slostik, and a used futaba 6ex. Then when I asked my friend is there more, he showed me HobbyKing. all that I wanted, I have. I now have a Turnigy 9x radio, several rx's from different vendors, and have not had a single problem with it!!! I flew last summer, and fall, and this winter with it, and it has been FLAWLESS. (Michigan weather isn't so nice in the winter). My batteries and all electronics have performed at least as good as any other high-dollar, "name-brand" equipment out there. No "brownouts". No un-binding of rx's. NO PROBLEMS!!! I did have a wattmeter arrive doa, I was able to get a return authorization ticket, sent it to their Washington warehouse, and got store credit. Good service, I'd say. If the "name brand" companies or LHS are feeling a pinch, they will have to do what it takes to compete. And yes, I would trust my radio and equipment, properly set up, in any model.
02-29-2012, 02:17 AM
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RE: HobbyKing - Good or Bad
I would have to say HobbyKing has been a great source for just about anything I have wanted as a noob. I originally wanted to start flying back in the 1980's, but the prices the LHS, and mailorder were charging kept me grounded. I would look at the name-brand equipment, and dream. Fast-forward to last spring, a friend invited me to a swap meet, and I bought a used slostik, and a used futaba 6ex. Then when I asked my friend is there more, he showed me HobbyKing. all that I wanted, I have. I now have a Turnigy 9x radio, several rx's from different vendors, and have not had a single problem with it!!! I flew last summer, and fall, and this winter with it, and it has been FLAWLESS. (Michigan weather isn't so nice in the winter). My batteries and all electronics have performed at least as good as any other high-dollar, "name-brand" equipment out there. No "brownouts". No un-binding of rx's. NO PROBLEMS!!! I did have a wattmeter arrive doa, I was able to get a return authorization ticket, sent it to their Washington warehouse, and got store credit. Good service, I'd say. If the "name brand" companies or LHS are feeling a pinch, they will have to do what it takes to compete. And yes, I would trust my radio and equipment, properly set up, in any model.
