Just bought a new se. It comes with an align 35 esc. I have a castle phoenix 35 esc. Which should go in the bird?

Phoenix better & more versatile.

Lloyd

Over all the Phoenix 35 seems like the better choice. I don't know anyone really that uses the Align 35 ESC. The Phoenix 35 offers more choices in setup , and with the castlelink cable the programing is easy. I would recommend using the Phoenix and keep the Align for an emergency backup.

I use both. I do like the Phoenix setup better, especially with the Phoenix link.
The Align does have some advantage. It has a softer start. Really slow spoolup that does not twist the heli with you first start.
It can handle more current through the BEC. This might be because I have a slightly older Phoenix. Don't know about the newer ones.
Vince

The latest firmware revision for the Castle Creations controllers addressed a few different issues. Most noticeable is the improvement in the governor mode. My battery temps dropped about 20 degrees F when I updated it. The soft start option is great as it eliminates main gear teeth getting ripped off. The spool up speed on the fastest setting is still a little too slow for my liking. I'm hoping that will be addressed in the next revision.

As mentioned by the others, the $20 Castle Link USB interface makes it so easy to change settings as well as save them. This allows you to easily try different settings combinations.

The newer Phoenix 35 offers 3 start options Fast start, Soft start and Very Soft start and the Phoenix 35 offers 3A vs the Align 35s 2A.

The Phoenix 35 BEC actually has two regulators. If one gets overloaded, the other kicks in. This information came in a response from Castle Creations when I questioned them as to how their BEC's worked.