mini 8 vs merv
11-25-2012, 11:16 AM
#1
mini 8 vs merv
Hey everyone!
I'm looking to ditch my nitro and get a brushless mini. The problem is I don't know which to buy, Merv or mini 8? I like them both at least without driving either of them. I like to do some speed runs, but also enjoy tearing up my yard and some light to moderate bashing
Can anyone give me a pros/cons of each?
Thanks!
I'm looking to ditch my nitro and get a brushless mini. The problem is I don't know which to buy, Merv or mini 8? I like them both at least without driving either of them. I like to do some speed runs, but also enjoy tearing up my yard and some light to moderate bashing
Can anyone give me a pros/cons of each?
Thanks!
11-25-2012, 11:19 AM
#2
Hey everyone!
I'm looking to ditch my nitro and get a brushless mini. The problem is I don't know which to buy, Merv or mini 8? I like them both at least without driving either of them. I like to do some speed runs, but also enjoy tearing up my yard and some light to moderate bashing
Can anyone give me a pros/cons of each?
Thanks!
I'm looking to ditch my nitro and get a brushless mini. The problem is I don't know which to buy, Merv or mini 8? I like them both at least without driving either of them. I like to do some speed runs, but also enjoy tearing up my yard and some light to moderate bashing
Can anyone give me a pros/cons of each?
Thanks!
Mini 8ight hands down.
11-25-2012, 11:25 AM
#3
11-25-2012, 05:14 PM
#5
I actually like my upgraded merv better. I have both, but only bash. When upgraded according to where you run, the merv runs better. Plus half the fun is upgrading. It's a tough truck, and very fast. The big knock on the Mini8 is the open gearing, which tends to collect dirt and pebbles, which will strip the gears. Plus the ride height is lower, which while good for racing, isn't so great for bashing. The Mini8 is a good buggy, but I find myself running the merv more. It does handle better than the merv, but it doesn't run as well, where I run. A box stock merv is actually pretty tough. You can just upgrade as you break stuff. An actual better choice would be the 1/16 Summit which has a higher clearance, and stiffer shock springs.
11-26-2012, 04:59 AM
#6
I actually like my upgraded merv better. I have both, but only bash. When upgraded according to where you run, the merv runs better. Plus half the fun is upgrading. It's a tough truck, and very fast. The big knock on the Mini8 is the open gearing, which tends to collect dirt and pebbles, which will strip the gears. Plus the ride height is lower, which while good for racing, isn't so great for bashing. The Mini8 is a good buggy, but I find myself running the merv more. It does handle better than the merv, but it doesn't run as well, where I run. A box stock merv is actually pretty tough. You can just upgrade as you break stuff. An actual better choice would be the 1/16 Summit which has a higher clearance, and stiffer shock springs.
11-26-2012, 05:28 AM
#7
I was all about the Merv at first.....the only thing I don't like is that if you "punch" it, she flips. Seems like I'd spend more time walking over to flip her back over. I'd like to own both Lol but can only get one at first. I did see a few people put the Merv tires on the M8 and looked pretty slick. Yes you're right about the open gearing....but I did find cover for the gearing
11-26-2012, 09:57 AM
#8
there are options for how to keep the merv from flipping, first is throttle control, second is wheelie bar, and third you can always loosen the slipper a tiny bit although i wouldnt because sometimes you might want to pull wheelies or do flips while bashing. i only have a merv, i really like the 8ight, thought about getting one but decided not to for now, maybe one day. i love my merv only things i have broken on it are a stock upper front arm and a bearing carrier. replace arms and bearing carriers with rpm stuff and the merv is very tough. imo if you want to just bash and speed runs no racing, go with the merv or like said above the mini summit and if you decide to race you can still race with the merv also. totally not hating on the mini 8ight its just more of a racer imo than a basher.
Lol I do know that I don't plan to race cuz there's no where around me so unless I build a track in my yard, I'll just be street racing my friends
Last edited by McFayy; 11-26-2012 at 10:16 AM.
11-26-2012, 01:24 PM
#9
Tech Master
I have both a M8 and a MERV (along with 7 other RCs). The 2 of them are modified out the Ying Yang, I've had my M8 for much longer and have gone through 3 different ESC/Motor Combos on it, currently running a 6000kv 4 pole plane motor.
2 different RC for much different stuff. The M8 is a Track RC, that's about the extent of where it shines. Its awesome on 10th scale buggy tracks and eats a few Slashes for breakfast in the right hands. Basher? Not really, it does jump well, not the best for back flips, or mixed off road terrain. Dirt/Clay all day, but any brush higher then a inch or 2 off the ground, or grass turns it into poo. It carvs corners on pavement quite nice, but it wont best a Rally VXL, its handling is much more sharp on the track.
Out of the 2 the M8 needs a heck of a lot more upgrades than the MERV, SOOOOOO many its not funny. MERV needs very little for good drivers, at times a bit more for poor drivers. 9 times out of 10 the MERV will laugh at the M8 while the M8 sits cripple with a busted shock, bent suspension mount, bent shock tower, stripped spur, fried servo, broken bulk, or any one of the other things on it that cant take a good bashing, forget about how smashed up the thing can get using the TX/RX it came with that periodically looses signal and has a useless fail safe (if any).
The MERV rapes the M8 in a straight line, it will have no problem raping a M8 on the street IF SET UP CORRECTLY, eat it for lunch over mixed terrain, and be a heck of a lot more fun to bash with.. From what I see the set ups people are using on their MERVs and the STD set up are what's keeping the performance lacking. Yeah the MERV is more Basher out the Box so for it to compete with a dedicated racer it may need to be tuned to do so well, the noteworthy detail is the MERVs ability to do so. The MERV accepts a much more diverse set of options to power it to make it even faster. The M8 needs custom work on it to accept the can size it should of came with from the factory, still limited even after modification in available options suitable to the RC. The M8 is a Racer and while it does that exceptionally well, its not all that great as anything else while it can do other things.
2 different RC for much different stuff. The M8 is a Track RC, that's about the extent of where it shines. Its awesome on 10th scale buggy tracks and eats a few Slashes for breakfast in the right hands. Basher? Not really, it does jump well, not the best for back flips, or mixed off road terrain. Dirt/Clay all day, but any brush higher then a inch or 2 off the ground, or grass turns it into poo. It carvs corners on pavement quite nice, but it wont best a Rally VXL, its handling is much more sharp on the track.
Out of the 2 the M8 needs a heck of a lot more upgrades than the MERV, SOOOOOO many its not funny. MERV needs very little for good drivers, at times a bit more for poor drivers. 9 times out of 10 the MERV will laugh at the M8 while the M8 sits cripple with a busted shock, bent suspension mount, bent shock tower, stripped spur, fried servo, broken bulk, or any one of the other things on it that cant take a good bashing, forget about how smashed up the thing can get using the TX/RX it came with that periodically looses signal and has a useless fail safe (if any).
The MERV rapes the M8 in a straight line, it will have no problem raping a M8 on the street IF SET UP CORRECTLY, eat it for lunch over mixed terrain, and be a heck of a lot more fun to bash with.. From what I see the set ups people are using on their MERVs and the STD set up are what's keeping the performance lacking. Yeah the MERV is more Basher out the Box so for it to compete with a dedicated racer it may need to be tuned to do so well, the noteworthy detail is the MERVs ability to do so. The MERV accepts a much more diverse set of options to power it to make it even faster. The M8 needs custom work on it to accept the can size it should of came with from the factory, still limited even after modification in available options suitable to the RC. The M8 is a Racer and while it does that exceptionally well, its not all that great as anything else while it can do other things.
11-26-2012, 01:55 PM
#10
MERV -> offroad bashing
M8 -> racing and street bashing
IMO no micro car is made for real offroad bashing just because it's so small
M8 -> racing and street bashing
IMO no micro car is made for real offroad bashing just because it's so small
11-26-2012, 02:14 PM
#11
I have both a M8 and a MERV (along with 7 other RCs). The 2 of them are modified out the Ying Yang, I've had my M8 for much longer and have gone through 3 different ESC/Motor Combos on it, currently running a 6000kv 4 pole plane motor.
2 different RC for much different stuff. The M8 is a Track RC, that's about the extent of where it shines. Its awesome on 10th scale buggy tracks and eats a few Slashes for breakfast in the right hands. Basher? Not really, it does jump well, not the best for back flips, or mixed off road terrain. Dirt/Clay all day, but any brush higher then a inch or 2 off the ground, or grass turns it into poo. It carvs corners on pavement quite nice, but it wont best a Rally VXL, its handling is much more sharp on the track.
Out of the 2 the M8 needs a heck of a lot more upgrades than the MERV, SOOOOOO many its not funny. MERV needs very little for good drivers, at times a bit more for poor drivers. 9 times out of 10 the MERV will laugh at the M8 while the M8 sits cripple with a busted shock, bent suspension mount, bent shock tower, stripped spur, fried servo, broken bulk, or any one of the other things on it that cant take a good bashing, forget about how smashed up the thing can get using the TX/RX it came with that periodically looses signal and has a useless fail safe (if any).
The MERV rapes the M8 in a straight line, it will have no problem raping a M8 on the street IF SET UP CORRECTLY, eat it for lunch over mixed terrain, and be a heck of a lot more fun to bash with.. From what I see the set ups people are using on their MERVs and the STD set up are what's keeping the performance lacking. Yeah the MERV is more Basher out the Box so for it to compete with a dedicated racer it may need to be tuned to do so well, the noteworthy detail is the MERVs ability to do so. The MERV accepts a much more diverse set of options to power it to make it even faster. The M8 needs custom work on it to accept the can size it should of came with from the factory, still limited even after modification in available options suitable to the RC. The M8 is a Racer and while it does that exceptionally well, its not all that great as anything else while it can do other things.
2 different RC for much different stuff. The M8 is a Track RC, that's about the extent of where it shines. Its awesome on 10th scale buggy tracks and eats a few Slashes for breakfast in the right hands. Basher? Not really, it does jump well, not the best for back flips, or mixed off road terrain. Dirt/Clay all day, but any brush higher then a inch or 2 off the ground, or grass turns it into poo. It carvs corners on pavement quite nice, but it wont best a Rally VXL, its handling is much more sharp on the track.
Out of the 2 the M8 needs a heck of a lot more upgrades than the MERV, SOOOOOO many its not funny. MERV needs very little for good drivers, at times a bit more for poor drivers. 9 times out of 10 the MERV will laugh at the M8 while the M8 sits cripple with a busted shock, bent suspension mount, bent shock tower, stripped spur, fried servo, broken bulk, or any one of the other things on it that cant take a good bashing, forget about how smashed up the thing can get using the TX/RX it came with that periodically looses signal and has a useless fail safe (if any).
The MERV rapes the M8 in a straight line, it will have no problem raping a M8 on the street IF SET UP CORRECTLY, eat it for lunch over mixed terrain, and be a heck of a lot more fun to bash with.. From what I see the set ups people are using on their MERVs and the STD set up are what's keeping the performance lacking. Yeah the MERV is more Basher out the Box so for it to compete with a dedicated racer it may need to be tuned to do so well, the noteworthy detail is the MERVs ability to do so. The MERV accepts a much more diverse set of options to power it to make it even faster. The M8 needs custom work on it to accept the can size it should of came with from the factory, still limited even after modification in available options suitable to the RC. The M8 is a Racer and while it does that exceptionally well, its not all that great as anything else while it can do other things.
I do agree with some of this post but some of it I don't. Where bashing is concerned the merv needs way more hop ups than the mini 8ight does hands down. The mini 8ight needs nothing but a steering servo, the merv needs a nice size list of parts for sure. In the summer months a merv over heats all the time, flips over all the time, the only thing the merv has on the mini 8ight is in a straight line, but the way my mini 8ight truggy is setup the merv stares at my ass end the whole time. Yes the mini 8ight is more of a track car than the merv but its pounds the pavement better than the merv in my opinion. The mini 8ight is also a hell of a lot easier to work on than the merv too. To get a merv to be a top performer on the track and for bashing a hefty amount of money needs to be spent. The mini 8ight doesn't. The other point I would like to make is that the merv is 319.99 and the mini 8ight is 249.99. So the merv being 70.00 more you can get the 8ight and some lipos or hops ups and still be cheaper than the merv. Again this is only my opinion your mileage will vary.
11-26-2012, 06:10 PM
#12
Lol I may have stirred the shit pot!!
I don't mean for this to get heated....but I thankful for detailed views/opinions of each! I agree there's a place for each of these RCs. Just not sure what place it is where I'm at.
I have an old nitro Duratrax Overdrive ST (
) and I run it on the lean side to put some balls in it. Spend my tanks flyin down my driveway then into my yard, maybe a ramp then whip it around and then maybe chase a car! 
I'm not sure where driving will take me once I step into BL. Theres a skate park by me and lots of woods/parks for bashing.
I don't mean for this to get heated....but I thankful for detailed views/opinions of each! I agree there's a place for each of these RCs. Just not sure what place it is where I'm at. I have an old nitro Duratrax Overdrive ST (
) and I run it on the lean side to put some balls in it. Spend my tanks flyin down my driveway then into my yard, maybe a ramp then whip it around and then maybe chase a car! I'm not sure where driving will take me once I step into BL. Theres a skate park by me and lots of woods/parks for bashing.
11-26-2012, 08:21 PM
#13
okay i have mini 8ight and a mini revo/summit that i built and hands down i would choose the mini 8ight over my mini rev-summ any day because it handles better and has a lot more balls and is easier to work on and has the ability to be converted into a buggy or a truck or a truggy and its so fast and so much fun and mine has proline dirt hawgs on it and is a beast on road and off road so me id say get the mini 8ight the mini revo is a great platform just costs a lot more money in upgrades to make it as off road worthy as the mini 8ight is with a different set of tires
11-27-2012, 05:13 AM
#14
okay i have mini 8ight and a mini revo/summit that i built and hands down i would choose the mini 8ight over my mini rev-summ any day because it handles better and has a lot more balls and is easier to work on and has the ability to be converted into a buggy or a truck or a truggy and its so fast and so much fun and mine has proline dirt hawgs on it and is a beast on road and off road so me id say get the mini 8ight the mini revo is a great platform just costs a lot more money in upgrades to make it as off road worthy as the mini 8ight is with a different set of tires