Originally Posted by
LaserPimp
I can't condone anyone buying a clone esc from hobbyking. I can't comment on the quality as I've never used one, I wouldn't use one because they are stealing designs from manufacturers that have put time, effort and money into development. When you buy an esc you are not just paying for a bunch of circuitry an capacitors, you are paying for the R&D that is required to bring us quality products.
Absolutely! If anyone can show that a company is selling clones of a licensed tech... either by owning the original and clone.. or posting screenshots or whatever... then that may factor into your buying decisions. In this case the hard part is going to be showing a premium vendor owns the IP of a specific ESC... and that it's not just a reference design made by a factory.
If it looks like one manufacturer is selling the same ESCs to multiple vendors, each with their own custom stickers on the side... then buy with confidence!
Pay a bit more if it's from your LHS and you want better service: pay a bit more to get it from a premium brand that offers better warranty: or pay less and get it mail-order (but lose on warranty and service) - you're likely getting the same hardware in any case.