Looking for reasonably priced 1/10 Servo Upgrade
 

So I just preordered the new Arrma Kraton 4S Version 2.0 expected to ship in mid-July. I normally wait for reviews but I had a one-time 15% off coupon for Horizon that ended on June 30th plus some loyalty points that got me another $10 off and so I got the truck including taxes and shipping for just $425, about $75 less than what you would pay normally out the door ($469.99 Plus Tax MSRP).

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rct...84098daa21.jpg

So the upgrades for the new generation are looking fantastic, including steel drivetrain, 17mm hexes, and aluminum shocks with improved travel for more plushless, along with new stronger A-Arms, longer and wider footprint, and some other improvements, all of which bring its feature set quite close to the Traxxas Maxx V2 feature set.

What is genuinely impressive is that Arrma fitted so many upgrades while keeping the price exactly the same as the original V1 4S trucks from 3 years ago, not even an inflation adjustment like everything else!

Despite all the awesome improvements, there are 2 negatives. 1.) Arrma has still not implemented a center differential - quite the disappointment but understandable I suppose; and 2.) As usual, the included Steering Servo is fairly weak and slow, I would like to plan ahead as to what I should upgrade it to.

Since this is just a 4S, mostly plastic (chassis, shock towers, main parts other than drivetrain), lightweight (just over 10 lbs with 4S LiPo installed) 1/9th scale truck, and not the larger 15+ lb 6S Kraton, I feel like an $80-$100+ high-end servo would just be complete overkill for this "Mini-Kraton". I was hoping to spend more like $40-$60 on a good servo for this truck instead.

The good news is, Arrma did upgrade the included servo compared to last gen, so I may not need an upgrade immediately. 1st Gen came with the same servo as the 3S trucks, which when combined with the higher weight and speed, really wasn't enough for the 4S trucks.

Now though, Arrma is giving the 6S Servo to the 4S V2 trucks, the same Spektrum S652 servo that comes on the Kraton 6S is what's included with this 4S, a very appreciated change indeed, however it is still fairly slow and underpowered, even for this smaller 4S truck.

With about 16KG (~220 OZ-IN) of torque at the 6.0V the ESC will provide plus a transition speed of 0.190/60 deg; I feel like we can do a little better with aftermarket servos for not much more cost.

A good, higher-end Servo I have been specifically eye-balling is the Shift RC XB, their premium 1/10 brushless, waterproof, high torque, and high speed steel gear servo for $65.99. It has a better transition speed at 6.0V - 0.150/60 deg, and more torque, all the way up to 360 OZ-IN even at just 6.0V.

Whats more, if I can get the ESC to run the BEC at 7.4V, the transition speed drops to 0.105/60 deg and the torque increases to 400 OZ-IN, more than enough for this truck to handle pretty much as well as it possibly can. Also, higher torque inherently means more speed. The closer to the limit a servo gets, the more it slows down as it fights the forces.

Of course, I will first use the factory Servo until it dies, but when it does, would the XB be a worthwhile upgrade, or should I go another route such as AGF or JX EcoBoost? What about Savox, they may be expensive but they may have a value option?

What do you guys think? What direction should I head in with this truck servo wise? Its a bit difficult to pinpoint a good value servo seeing as the truck is larger and heavier than a 1/10th 3S truck but is still way lighter than a typical 1/8th 6S truck.

Waterproof Servos are a huge plus as it is obviously a basher, and an Aluminum case is almost necessary to deal with impacts. Brushless motors are just a bonus and not usually reasonable to expect in this price range, but that is why I really like the Shift RC XB option, as it covers all the nice features for not much more.

If you guys wanna check out all the info and changes on the new V2 Arrma 4S trucks, head to this page here: https://www.arrma-rc.com/on/demandwa...?pid=ARA4408V2

It looks more like a advertising than a question for what servo......

And you will be amazed what you can find with a small effort of using a search, let me help you:
Digital Servos from China - R/C Tech Forums (rctech.net)

Well no I don't work in the industry or anything Im just exited to have a 4S basher from Arrma that actually makes sense for the price now. Plus of course I got my discounts which were pretty sweet but every RTR pretty much comes with an underpowered servo, its like literally the first thing you always upgrade on an RTR

Nothing wrong being excited about a product but people have to read too much to overlook the real question. Beside there are many topics to find about which servo to get it is wise to keep the story short and come directly to the point with your question.

Ok so do you have a suggestion or are you here to just talk smack too? The hell is with you people? Chill out already

Tell you guys what, you want a discussion thread about the trucks? I made one for ya, have fun: https://www.rctech.net/forum/electri...tting-one.html

Lets try to stay on topic about the servo here

To compliment that thread, I've broken down my experience here:

• The Good, the Bad and the Ugly about AGFRC servos
  

Simply put, I would pass on AGFrc however I would highly recommend the CT2 from NitroPro which is a modified AGFrc servo which has fixed every imaginable flaw into the "perfect servo" for the price.


That said, the $120 CT2 is out of the OP's price range, so the next best thing I would recommend is the JX-HV7232MG which can found on eBay for around $65

Again, I only give you a huge tip to avoid discussions like these and get direct aswers.... and I did give you an answer.
How could you miss my link, there is a lot of talk about good servo's for a decent price in that topic but probably.we have to understand your very large offtopic topic start and give you the right answerrs on a silver plate.

Smells like déjà vu in here...

Step 1. Go to amain website
Step 2. Search for servos.
Step 3. Sort by price.
Step 4. Find some servos in your price range.
Step 5. Compare specs of the servos in your price range and buy the one you want.

Substitute amain for whichever site you like. Personally, I like servos from Futaba, Sanwa, and KO Propo. I prefer servos from the very well known manufacturers. I've got a couple from Xpert that I like and even a few Savox servos for non race vehicles. Although my 1/8th nitro buggy runs Savox servos.

Yes I had actually considered JX EcoBoost to begin with, especially as they can be found on Amazon for as little as $35 depending on the model.

Some models are a bit more at $40 or even $45 but they do seem to be a decent value. In my efforts to find reviews to see if the hold up, I discovered that Kevin Talbot actually prefers them as budget servos as well. They are certainly an option.

As for one at $65, at that point I would probably just go with my original plan and just get the Shift RC XB. Being that it is sold on AMain Hobbies, you can be fairly confident that it is a good product.

Yes I have done so and looked through a lot of servos on AMain, however the issue seems to be that basically all servos on AMain under or around $50 have basically no torque or speed at all, with most options having around 120 OZ-IN of torque and 0.016-0.020 transition speed. They are incredibly weak for the price.

The Shift RC XB at $65.99 is one of the first servos you will find on Amain with good specs as you ascend in price, as a matter of fact that is exactly how it has become an option.

I will admit that the Shift RC XB looks very intriguing as it offers Bluebird servo specs and Bluebird servo pricing but the main question is: How will the gears hold up to hard bashing or demanding racing? As of now, I don't see any real feedback so at this point it's a $65+tax+shipping gamble that could go towards proven servos. I'm partial to the Savox 1211SG that have almost never failed me (never issues with the gears) which I could get for as low as $70 with good consistency if I was buying more than one at a time. Unfortunately, prices have gone up and it's a $92 servo now.

I agree, the lack of feedback on the XB is the only thing making me hesitate towards purchasing it. There are only 2 YT videos I can even find using the thing and they are both crawler vids. While it does seem quite powerful and fast, you raise a good point considering bash-ability.

Luckily, its not as if I am dirt poor, I could try it out and it does at least seem to have some merits: It is IP67 Waterproof Rated for one, its got steel gears, and an aluminum center case. All of these things are leaps above the stock Spectrum servo, which itself costs $51.99. Not to mention its brushless, far more powerful, and far faster at any voltage. The big vote of confidence for me is that the servo is sold on AMain Hobbies. A Company that refused to sell JX servos or other chap Amazon servos and yet they carry the Shift XB, which must mean something.

Yea, I agree the Savox Servos right around $100 are great overall servos indeed. I mean its not like I can't afford a 1211SG, although Id probably just spend the extra and get the waterproof version of it, but doesn't $100 seem like a bit much for a servo when the entire truck isn't even $500 MSRP?

The whole reason I did this thread is to find a more reasonably priced alternative. Sure, a waterproof 1211SG costing around $100 would make sense for maybe the larger Kraton 6S or EXB that has a few upgrades and is now a $1000 truck. It just doesn't quite make as much sense putting such a heafty, expensive servo into a truck worth less than half as much.

As far as Im aware the 4S won't even have any many upgrade options. Just like with the 3S series, M2C Racing will probably only make a new motor mount for them, or possibly stronger diff rings and pinions. Most of the truck will remain plastic.

If I do decide to try out the Shift XB Servo, I will be sure to watch it over time, and I will post a review here on RCTech, which no worries, I will leave a link in this thread. But of course this is assuming I don't find a better alternative.

no need to go to Amain and pay outrageous prices for anything. decide what specs you want in your servo go to amazon.Ive purchased at least 20 never had a bad one