Best brushless monster truck for @ $700
02-19-2016, 05:32 PM
#331
Tech Fanatic
I haven't read through all the pages, but it's great to see you're getting so much input for your decision. I recently got back into RCs after a many year hiatus and one of the first ones my son and I started running was my MT. I have a heavily modified, extended, widened, aluminized, beefed up E-Savage which basically turned it from a solid, 1/10 MT into a full 1/8 MT. I got the E-Savage before the Savage Flux was first released. After seeing it, I wanted to go bigger. The thing I like about my E-Savage is while it's strong and big, it's much lighter than most 1/8 MTs.
Anyways, we also dusted off one of my truggies and my son and I ran both recently. Many people say truggies can do everything MTs can and more. After running both mine again at the same time, I came to the same conclusion I recalled coming to years ago...that's not true...at least for me.
It depends mostly on what you consider "bashing". Many consider it just running in an off-road or dirt area that's not a track, but for the most part, consists mostly of uneven dirt. I've always considered bashing running around in really rough areas, rocks, plants, anything. With that in mind, I've always found the MT to be better suited for the areas I "bash". Yes, my truggy can get over and/or up most (not all) the obstacles my MT can by brute force of hitting it with enough speed and sliding the chassis over it, but the MT does so by driving over it. I can go over things at lower speed if I choose. Coming from my son, who doesn't know anything about RCs aside from the fun factor of driving them and kicking up dirt and rocks everywhere, he responded when I asked him "which do you like more, the MT or Truggy?"...he said "the MT, it goes over everything and I can't do that with the truggy" (paraphrased).
So, something to consider in your decision making process. I like both MTs and truggies and while truggies are the more versatile of the two (truggies make better bashers than MTs do racers, IMO), I like them more for their intended purposes. If I solely bashed (in my definition of bashing), then I'd go with a true MT with TVPs as opposed to a flat-chassis'd truggy with bigger MT tires.
As for brands, I have a soft spot for HPI MTs. They're tough as nails. I also have a soft spot for Associated cars in general though and like all their offerings. And I've seen and played with the old CEN MTs and they're just BEASTS! If I were getting a new 1/8 MT now, my 2 top contenders would likely be the Savage Flux and CEN Colossus (AE not there only because of the flat chassis). Savage would probably win out due to parts availability.
Anyways, we also dusted off one of my truggies and my son and I ran both recently. Many people say truggies can do everything MTs can and more. After running both mine again at the same time, I came to the same conclusion I recalled coming to years ago...that's not true...at least for me.
It depends mostly on what you consider "bashing". Many consider it just running in an off-road or dirt area that's not a track, but for the most part, consists mostly of uneven dirt. I've always considered bashing running around in really rough areas, rocks, plants, anything. With that in mind, I've always found the MT to be better suited for the areas I "bash". Yes, my truggy can get over and/or up most (not all) the obstacles my MT can by brute force of hitting it with enough speed and sliding the chassis over it, but the MT does so by driving over it. I can go over things at lower speed if I choose. Coming from my son, who doesn't know anything about RCs aside from the fun factor of driving them and kicking up dirt and rocks everywhere, he responded when I asked him "which do you like more, the MT or Truggy?"...he said "the MT, it goes over everything and I can't do that with the truggy" (paraphrased).
So, something to consider in your decision making process. I like both MTs and truggies and while truggies are the more versatile of the two (truggies make better bashers than MTs do racers, IMO), I like them more for their intended purposes. If I solely bashed (in my definition of bashing), then I'd go with a true MT with TVPs as opposed to a flat-chassis'd truggy with bigger MT tires.
As for brands, I have a soft spot for HPI MTs. They're tough as nails. I also have a soft spot for Associated cars in general though and like all their offerings. And I've seen and played with the old CEN MTs and they're just BEASTS! If I were getting a new 1/8 MT now, my 2 top contenders would likely be the Savage Flux and CEN Colossus (AE not there only because of the flat chassis). Savage would probably win out due to parts availability.
02-19-2016, 09:51 PM
#332
JC Rulux truggy wheels and I think PL tires (sorry don't remember tire name). Used to run it on track but currently just bashing since that's what my son enjoys. I initially had badlands on it since it started out bashing before using it on the track.
02-20-2016, 04:55 AM
#333
Tech Fanatic
Slap some MT tires on it. That will help solve the clearance problem you mentioned when bashing your truggy. That's why a lot of us are recommending the OP get a truggy like the Kraton. The Kraton comes with big MT tires. I've got a nitro powered RC8T that I like to swap different tires on. I usually run badlands which give alot more traction but have roughly the same ride height as track tires. When I want more ride height and wheelies I like to put the MT tires from my MT4. Of course I have to run a different clutch bell that gears it down a couple teeth to compensate for the extra size/weight of the MT tires, but it does transform the truggy and make it more fun to bash around.
02-20-2016, 05:14 AM
#334
I haven't read through all the pages, but it's great to see you're getting so much input for your decision. I recently got back into RCs after a many year hiatus and one of the first ones my son and I started running was my MT. I have a heavily modified, extended, widened, aluminized, beefed up E-Savage which basically turned it from a solid, 1/10 MT into a full 1/8 MT. I got the E-Savage before the Savage Flux was first released. After seeing it, I wanted to go bigger. The thing I like about my E-Savage is while it's strong and big, it's much lighter than most 1/8 MTs.
Anyways, we also dusted off one of my truggies and my son and I ran both recently. Many people say truggies can do everything MTs can and more. After running both mine again at the same time, I came to the same conclusion I recalled coming to years ago...that's not true...at least for me.
It depends mostly on what you consider "bashing". Many consider it just running in an off-road or dirt area that's not a track, but for the most part, consists mostly of uneven dirt. I've always considered bashing running around in really rough areas, rocks, plants, anything. With that in mind, I've always found the MT to be better suited for the areas I "bash". Yes, my truggy can get over and/or up most (not all) the obstacles my MT can by brute force of hitting it with enough speed and sliding the chassis over it, but the MT does so by driving over it. I can go over things at lower speed if I choose. Coming from my son, who doesn't know anything about RCs aside from the fun factor of driving them and kicking up dirt and rocks everywhere, he responded when I asked him "which do you like more, the MT or Truggy?"...he said "the MT, it goes over everything and I can't do that with the truggy" (paraphrased).
So, something to consider in your decision making process. I like both MTs and truggies and while truggies are the more versatile of the two (truggies make better bashers than MTs do racers, IMO), I like them more for their intended purposes. If I solely bashed (in my definition of bashing), then I'd go with a true MT with TVPs as opposed to a flat-chassis'd truggy with bigger MT tires.
As for brands, I have a soft spot for HPI MTs. They're tough as nails. I also have a soft spot for Associated cars in general though and like all their offerings. And I've seen and played with the old CEN MTs and they're just BEASTS! If I were getting a new 1/8 MT now, my 2 top contenders would likely be the Savage Flux and CEN Colossus (AE not there only because of the flat chassis). Savage would probably win out due to parts availability.
Anyways, we also dusted off one of my truggies and my son and I ran both recently. Many people say truggies can do everything MTs can and more. After running both mine again at the same time, I came to the same conclusion I recalled coming to years ago...that's not true...at least for me.
It depends mostly on what you consider "bashing". Many consider it just running in an off-road or dirt area that's not a track, but for the most part, consists mostly of uneven dirt. I've always considered bashing running around in really rough areas, rocks, plants, anything. With that in mind, I've always found the MT to be better suited for the areas I "bash". Yes, my truggy can get over and/or up most (not all) the obstacles my MT can by brute force of hitting it with enough speed and sliding the chassis over it, but the MT does so by driving over it. I can go over things at lower speed if I choose. Coming from my son, who doesn't know anything about RCs aside from the fun factor of driving them and kicking up dirt and rocks everywhere, he responded when I asked him "which do you like more, the MT or Truggy?"...he said "the MT, it goes over everything and I can't do that with the truggy" (paraphrased).
So, something to consider in your decision making process. I like both MTs and truggies and while truggies are the more versatile of the two (truggies make better bashers than MTs do racers, IMO), I like them more for their intended purposes. If I solely bashed (in my definition of bashing), then I'd go with a true MT with TVPs as opposed to a flat-chassis'd truggy with bigger MT tires.
As for brands, I have a soft spot for HPI MTs. They're tough as nails. I also have a soft spot for Associated cars in general though and like all their offerings. And I've seen and played with the old CEN MTs and they're just BEASTS! If I were getting a new 1/8 MT now, my 2 top contenders would likely be the Savage Flux and CEN Colossus (AE not there only because of the flat chassis). Savage would probably win out due to parts availability.
what kind of truggy and what tires are on it ?
02-20-2016, 05:18 AM
#335
MT's do crawl better...but if your into crawling buy a crawler !
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02-20-2016, 05:34 AM
#336
The slower the ground speed the better the MT will be..
the faster the ground speed the better the Truggy will be
Tall grass the MT is better
construction sites with dirt hills and big jumps the truggy is better
Durability and reliability the truggy kills the MT... you will need to wrench on a truggy 1/10th the amount of time you will need to wrench on a MT...
MT's wheely better
MT's crawl better ( Slow Speed )
Truggies jump much better
Truggies climb steep hills much better then MT's
The higher the ground speed you want to play at the more the truggies separate themselves from the MT's....
Slow speed boulder crossing and curb climbing the MT is better
For using as a chase toy for a dog a truggy is much better....
Truggies have more suspension travel...just they are usually at near full droop at idle..where MT's tend to be stacked at the top of the suspension travel..... truggies can have their suspension raised and have larger tires put on if more ground clearance is needed...
the faster the ground speed the better the Truggy will be
Tall grass the MT is better
construction sites with dirt hills and big jumps the truggy is better
Durability and reliability the truggy kills the MT... you will need to wrench on a truggy 1/10th the amount of time you will need to wrench on a MT...
MT's wheely better
MT's crawl better ( Slow Speed )
Truggies jump much better
Truggies climb steep hills much better then MT's
The higher the ground speed you want to play at the more the truggies separate themselves from the MT's....
Slow speed boulder crossing and curb climbing the MT is better
For using as a chase toy for a dog a truggy is much better....
Truggies have more suspension travel...just they are usually at near full droop at idle..where MT's tend to be stacked at the top of the suspension travel..... truggies can have their suspension raised and have larger tires put on if more ground clearance is needed...
02-20-2016, 05:49 AM
#337
I still can't believe a new Arrma Kraton, which has had some quite good reviews(but is, alas, probably not perfect..), costs less than half what a Savage Flux costs.
02-20-2016, 06:21 AM
#338
Tech Fanatic
I'm with you on that. In my opinion the more established brands are just gouging people with their prices. If Arrma can make money selling the Kraton at its price point, I'm sure HPI, Traxxas, Losi, ect... could also. I'm not saying nobody should buy those brands, just pointing out that the quality isn't any better just because the price is a lot higher.
02-20-2016, 06:26 AM
#339
$630 for Savage
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...CIAaAncV8P8HAQ
$490 for Kraton
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...=LXECKV**&P=ML
Even elsewhere the Savage can be found for $619 and the Kraton can be found for $480, far cry form "less than half"
02-20-2016, 06:27 AM
#340
I'm with you on that. In my opinion the more established brands are just gouging people with their prices. If Arrma can make money selling the Kraton at its price point, I'm sure HPI, Traxxas, Losi, ect... could also. I'm not saying nobody should buy those brands, just pointing out that the quality isn't any better just because the price is a lot higher.
02-20-2016, 07:25 AM
#341
Tech Fanatic
I never said that a Kraton could be bought for $300. Right now in the good old USA a Savage flux is around $640. Arrma Kraton is around $450. The ERevo brushless is still north of $700 lol! The new Losi ELST is like $650. With the money saved buying a Kraton you could buy some nice batteries and charger. I'm not saying all the more expensive vehicles aren't good, just saying they aren't any better for the extra money spent.
02-20-2016, 07:52 AM
#342
Prices in Europe: Savage Flux €900, Arrma Kraton €380.
LST €700+.
I thought I'd seen someone mention a price of more like $400 for the Kraton in the US?
LST €700+.
I thought I'd seen someone mention a price of more like $400 for the Kraton in the US?
02-20-2016, 08:05 AM
#343
I never said that a Kraton could be bought for $300. Right now in the good old USA a Savage flux is around $640. Arrma Kraton is around $450. The ERevo brushless is still north of $700 lol! The new Losi ELST is like $650. With the money saved buying a Kraton you could buy some nice batteries and charger. I'm not saying all the more expensive vehicles aren't good, just saying they aren't any better for the extra money spent.
$400 would be a great deal on the Kraton, maybe with enough clicking around and coupon codes it could be had?
02-20-2016, 09:04 AM
#344
Kraton is $435 at Tower with code.
Talion is $428 at Tower with code.
Savage Flux is $574 at a Tower with code.
XXL2-E is $660 at Amain and Horizon , not sure if there are any codes.
And the brushless Erevo is $770 at Tower with no codes allowed. Traxxas is a joke.
Talion is $428 at Tower with code.
Savage Flux is $574 at a Tower with code.
XXL2-E is $660 at Amain and Horizon , not sure if there are any codes.
And the brushless Erevo is $770 at Tower with no codes allowed. Traxxas is a joke.
02-20-2016, 09:26 AM
#345
OK, found the Flux for €800.. Still, Kraton for €380. Shipped..
No wonder HPI distributors are going out of business.. That US price at Tower is far more reasonable, in relation to others anyway..
What's the verdict on a Flux these days anyway? Bullet-proof out of the box, or does it need upgrades?
No wonder HPI distributors are going out of business.. That US price at Tower is far more reasonable, in relation to others anyway..
What's the verdict on a Flux these days anyway? Bullet-proof out of the box, or does it need upgrades?