Lift
Elite Veteran
Location: Houston, TX
| GixxerI was in your shoes late last summer. What heli, radio, gyro, yadayada...
Well, after looking at EVERY option under the sun from Kalt Baron to X-Celll 30 I choose the Raptor 30. Why? Because how cheap it is to repair, parts are down the street, ease of repairs and maintenance, upgrades, local flyer knowledge of the bird, and more. For me it was the best choice at the time.
Now days I think Raptor is still the best choice for 30 size if money is a factor. If not, then go for the Sceadu 30. They are aweful close in repair costs but you put out a little more upfront for the Sceadu 30. If you want the Sceadu 50 then do the Sceadu 50 deal with the OS 50 and glass blades for $449 from CYBER HELI. Don't think you find a better price.
Here are my own personal buying preferences when it comes to helis. Maybe they will work for you:
1) DO NOT SKIMP ON THE RADIO AND GYRO!! (helis come and go but your radio is your long term friend! buy the absolute best you can!)
2) YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!! ( ex: if choosing between a servo that is slightly less in price and performance than another you will often find that the more expensive one has something about it that is of better quality or performance that isn't readily available info. like bearing count, gear type, current draw, centering ability, etc...)
3) FIND LOCAL FLYERS!!! (some of the best deals and equipment I have I bought/traded for new or used from other flyers. the local field is like the underground heli black market  )
4) INVEST IN QUALITY TOOLS AND LITERATURE!! ( no, they don't make you fly better but good tools make repair and rebuilds much more enjoyable. Ray's Heli manual is with argument a must read. )
5) SEARCH THE WEB!! ( if i just walk down to my LHS and and say give me 3 of those and 2 of those I will really pay for it in the end. You need to research all buying decisions. Unless you have alot of disposable income of course. I might add that the heli retail game is primarily won on the web and the best prices are usually found there. Yeah, everyone says support your LHS but I have not heard one good reason yet as to why? It is a consumer market and the stongest survive. This distributor game is a bunch of bull. That is why we pay out the wazoo IMHO. You know, "middle man".
Ouch! I am sure that last one ruffled a few feathers but I really think the US RC industry is not playing with a global mindset. Alot of us are buying over seas because of this! |
