tdeal823

iTrader: (30)

I have both the Jammin CR FTE and Losi 8ight Pro
Both are great for me. Thats why I still have both.
The jammin is more neutral and you can really push it hard and it stays flat turns good and flys level all and all a great car.
The 8ight is a "drivers buggy" everyone I think will agree with that. its fast way fast. It jumps like a Jack Rabbit on Speed it has a ton of on power steering. But it will bite you the fastest and hardest when you get it out of shape or you have a bad setup on it. It the hands of a good driver with a good setup the 8ight is a wonderful car to own. BUT... if you are not one to be a good setup person you may want to stay away from the 8ight it is setup sensative. The jammin you can leave alone for weeks and throuw it on the track it still handles good every time.
tough call
mugen,AE,Losi,Jammin??? all good cars.

rabidsquirrel

iTrader: (2)

You raced it one weekend and then you 'bash' it? Come on, man. Did you even try to get a proper setup on it? Did you tear down the diffs and set them up with a standard diff setup? The initial runs came with a somewhat unconventional setup (Grease in the rear). If you think a buggy needs improvement, tell the reader exactly where you think it needs it, and how you'd go about improving it. A little background detail goes a long way.

Also, the Hyper 8.5 is much improved and more forgiving than the Hyper 8. You can say that you didn't like it, or that it wasn't 'right' for you, but declaring that it 'sucks' is lazy and misleading. You could also say that you've witnessed certain breakages or problems with them, then describe that problem. Odds are, people have already come up with a solution to the problem and the information was 'out there', but the driver was unaware or ignored it.

All buggies have issues. You have to work through those issues via exploring setups and mods. This was the case with the Losi, and appears to be the case with the RC8... Does this make them less capable or less competative? If you've not 'mitigated' or corrected the issues, then the answer is "Yes" or "Possibly".

The Hyper 8.5 is no different in this respect. There are some minor modifications that one should perform right away on the buggy to mitigate some minor issues or improve durability. For the most part, the Hyper 8.5 has addressed / corrected issues with the Hyper 8. These mods take 2 hours tops (Less than that for experienced folks).

The parts quality isn't 'shotty' either. The parts are fairly durable, maybe not quite Xray durable, but durable relative to other top buggies out on the market. So, if you have (Conservatively speaking here) average parts durability, but you can basically rebuild the major components of the car with all new parts for under $150, then what's the problem? The Hyper 8.5 has got to be one of the most cost effective and competitive buggy chassis to race out on the market right now... If money is no object for the potential buyer, then this fact has no influence on their purchasing decision, but, for the vast majority of people out there, money IS, to some degree, an issue.

P.S. This goes for everyone. Refrain from publicly 'slaggin a buggy that you know next to nothing about... It's just 'bad form'. By all means, report problems that you've experienced and issues with customer service, but be honest about the details and situation, especially if you somehow intentionally or unintentionally contributed to the 'negative' result / outcome.



You'll notice that pro drivers rarely, if ever, put down another design or manufacturer. Why? Most of the contemporary buggy designs out today are highly competitive in the right hands, and can easily win an event on any given day. And get this, manufacturers can and do make improvements to their products, by in large. So, today's issues usually become distant memories if the manufacturer is committed to winning market share. Most designs have specific track conditions where they 'shine'. It really comes down to preparation, driving, and setup skill, plus personal preference.

There are so many great buggy designs available right now, it is amazing. It's a great time to be an 1/8th scale buggy driver!

thewholeyearinn

the hyper 8 is a glorified ofna buggy, of which there are about a hundred others and none are very good quality.

I'm entitled to my opinion and, in my opinion, its cheap.

thewholeyearinn

there's a reason i only had it one week - i couldn't stand to look at it.

rabidsquirrel

iTrader: (2)

OFNA is a distributor of various manufacturer's in for the US market. OFNA has distributed various manufacturer's products in the past. Past manufacturers products may have been 'less than stellar', but they are likely unrelated to the current manufacturers distributed by OFNA in the US.

Ho Bao makes the Hyper series buggies.

Hong Nor makes the Jammin' (Which you seem to like).

Both of these are currently distributed and 're-branded' by OFNA for the US market.

Yes, you are entitled to your opinion, regardless of how unspecific and shallow it appears to be.

The 'aesthetic' of the buggy usually has little bearing on how well the buggy performs.

Maybe instead of saying the buggy 'sucks', you should say 'I think it is Ugly' and 'I got rid of it for that reason'?

thewholeyearinn

i own a hobby shop, so hold the lesson on distributors and manufacturers, and get over yourself. I'm more than happy to agree to disagree.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion

thewholeyearinn

sucks, ugly, does it really matter to you that much? its "mr. rc knowitalls" like yourself that keep this current hobby from becoming a sport, with mainstream recognition.

here is the best advice in buying a new 1/8th scale buggy:

1. BUY IT FROM YOUR LOCAL HOBBY SHOP! instead of selling out to online stores that break every MAP rule in the book and break direct rules from distributors

2. Buy what your local hobby shop supports

3. YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR, IF ITS CHEAPER, THERE IS A REASON, PERHAPS THIS IS MORE TRUE IN RC THAN ANYTHING ELSE.

thewholeyearinn

unspecific - i did say the hoboa, hyper 8 pushed

thewholeyearinn

Can you race at towerhobbies track? no, then support the hobby shop that supports your local racing or else you wont have local racing.

rezenclowd3

iTrader: (17)

About the Center Front CVDs in the Losi: I don't know if you know this, but I have yet to see a kit use real CVDs. All of them use U-Joints or Cardan joints. Because of the constant angle on the front center "CVD", it will wear very fast, not because of the metals used. This is a compromise for the placement of components that Losi felt was worth the added driveline wear, and I agree. Its a cheap part anyway.

The o-rings under the radio tray wasn't a fix. What you should do on any vehicle is not set the EPA of your radio to open the carb 100% because of chassis flex, AND use fuel tubing on the outside of the throttle linkage so if it does over extend, the servo can still move a hair more than it should.

Also, the parts quality is actually very good, but its soft for a reason, to give it more traction and handle the rough stuff VERY well. Most likely if your 8 gets upset easily, then your setup is wrong.

This is not to say that the Losi is the best, but that the info given was wrong.

rezenclowd3

iTrader: (17)

+1 I wholeheartedly agree.

rabidsquirrel

iTrader: (2)

thewholeyearinn,

I'd hate to think that I'm getting to ya! Don't let me get your blood pressure up, my online comments aren't worth it. Besides, I wasn't intending to incite 'intarweb rage' with my comments. I was merely trying to point out that people should be more clear or specific about their dislikes of any given buggy. They should also indicate whether or not they 'tried' to correct the problem, as well as what corrective action was attempted.

It seems as though you took it out of the box, raced it BRIEFLY, and formed a negative opinion of it. This is fair if you state that this is how you usually judge a buggy - I.e. based upon out of the box performance... But you didn't, unless I missed that part in some other post? This is what I mean by 'better QUALIFYING your statements'...

As for being an RC Knowitall, I assure you that I am not. I may have some tendancies towards being a grammar or communications nazi, but RC Knowitall? Which one of my statements gave you that idea? In fact, I believe all of my statements were regarding acknowledging and clarifying 'It Sucks' statements by outlining how much time and effort one put into it before coming to that conclusion...

You actually provided decent detail regarding statements concerning the other manufacturer's and their products that you liked - I.e. details regarding 'why' you liked 'em. That's good.

I'm suggesting that people put that kind of effort - and more - into describing EXACTLY why they dislike something... That way uninformed readers can take the underlying factors of your statements into account.

Highly generalized negative statements never provide value or insight regarding a subject. Most times it just comes across as 'noise'.

I also have sympathy for the LHS, but they have got to 'compete' with online retailers or wholesalers. Sadly, in my limited experience, the LHS that I've dealt with haven't been competitive enough for me to continue doing business with them. When they don't have the part I need, don't understand what I need, take longer to get me what I need, charge me 2, 3, 4x's as much for what I need - I am not going to 'enable' them by giving them my business in the future. This is after giving them several chances to meet my needs, and even explaining what my 'needs' are. That being said, when I come across a new to me LHS, I always try to give them a fair shake...

So, if a LHS cannot compete with an online retail model, then maybe they need to change their model a little...

Here's another tidbit. If I walk into a LHS, I really wouldn't want to hear that whatever I'm running 'sucks'. That is really a turn-off for most potential customers - even if, in some cases, it really is 'true' (I.e. those $100 RC RTRs coming outta China, for instance). Be specific and DIPLOMATIC regarding why you prefer some product over another. Be willing to help them research the issues they may be having with their particular product - even if it isn't one that you are carrying - I.e. be somewhat knowledgeable about as many products as possible, and admit to them when you don't know enough about a product to give them advice - BUT research it a little afterwards and get back to them with whatever you find out - demonstrate a willingness to provide un-biased help/support in terms of the hobby! Customer service wins and retains customers, but I'm sure you already knew this...

Aside from flaming me, you said The only thing that keeps this 'hobby' down is lack of further support/investment/organization from the major manufacturers, and despite this, the RC Hobby --> Sport evolution still seems, IMO, to be happening. Larger, more publisized events, attract more people to the 'sport'. Better marketing, slicker event organization and better governance bodies (That can help drive the costs related to this sport down, or maintain them at current levels) will transition this faster, IMO. These are all efforts related to 'Growing the proverbial Pie'. RC racing is one of the cheapest forms of motorsports racing available to the masses, but it still isn't exactly 'cheap' for most people.

Better regional organization that feeds top racers into the national events would probably be best - keeps the travel related costs down for the privateer racer...

Better, more publicized 'Contigency Programs' from the top manufactures would also help a bunch. This is an area where I do have a little experience - I.e. amatuer circuit racing (WERA, CCS - Motorcycle Road Racing). Motorcycle Road Racing is currently at a state in it's evolutionary cycle that I'd like to see happen with RC Racing soon...

Just some food for thought...

Lplate

As usual, it's always the small business owner that succeeds in looking like the one most driven by ego. It's ok though. Nobody's perfect, remember?

rabidsquirrel

iTrader: (2)

Dude, I just reread this, and 'wow'... A business should never attempt to dictate what customers 'want' or 'use'...

A business is there to supply a 'demand'. Now, maybe the 'demand' for certain items is too low to be worth the 'cost' of supplying those items - this happens... Maybe this is what you were referring to, but your statement comes off as some sort of decree, at least that's how I read it...

-R2-

iTrader: (4)

Good point Rabid stores look at you like if your crazy running that particular product when it gives you lots of joy , I have a hobby store in my So. Cal area that when I really need it he get's for me or already has it no matter how korny it may be.