Aloft needs to offer another line of ESCs

[u2builder]

I get pretty much all of my hobby supplies from Aloft. But I can never seem to find an ESC that meets my needs for airplane applications. I am typically using 15 A to 40 A ESCs in my small planes and sailplanes, I look for a light, compact ESC with a Switch Mode BEC capable of at least 3A that is reasonable affordable. The 1A linear BEC's are not something I would use in an airplane. Active freewheeling that reduces energy use and overheating at low throttle settings is a nice feature and available in modern ESCs. Propeller Braking is a must for sailplanes. A programming box is pretty much a must also. A mainstream brand is nice since items sometimes go out of stock and the consumer may need to find the component elsewhere to finish a project. Personally I think Hobbywing has a great lineup, and the FunFly V5 series meets the criteria I listed above. For tiny planes and small gliders the ZTW Manis Slim is pretty nice also, but hard to find as it is mostly out of stock.

BTW. HobbyWing has a US Distributor located in CA and has a network of Authorized Dealers and Hobby Shops. I think it would be a good line for Aloft to add.

 

[Wayne]

Great feedback! I'll get on it.

 

[u2builder]

Thanks Wayne! You have a great line of products at the best prices and with the best service anywhere. A more comprehensive line of ESC's would be great. HobbyWing has a great line, a US presence as well as actual product support. Of course, there are other companies also, and I would think any should like to have Aloft in their dealer network.

 

[Wayne]

Already email Hobbywing.

I have been pleased with the Dualsky units, but you are right, they leave some voids that need to be filled. I used to fly Hobbywing long ago and they were SOLID units that took my abuse, so easy for me to agree with youl. I will admit that I had not looked at their line up for many years and am pleasantly surprised with what I see.

Hope you and others will share this sort of feedback, it is a great help to me.

We are authorized to carry Castle Creations, but never got the first order sent in for them. I need to do that too.

 

[Konrad]

I second the comment about the quality of Hobbywing. I don't see any need for the bottom end Skywalker series. I use the Platinum series and Fly Fun all the time in my sport ships (foam/ARFs). The only down side I might see is that these don't have Heli 32 firmware.

I use the CC Talon series for the sport ships I value more. Like the ones I built or spent a lot of time reengineering. The Edge series are used where I might be pushing the spec's (Comp ships). Love that the firmware is easily updated with the Castle link. CC has changed owners so I don't about the customer support. But historically it has been great. This is unusual with electrical power components.

I'd like to see the aloft sales page emphasize the purchase of the programing cards.

 

[u2builder]

Agreed, no need for the Hobbywing Skywalker series. The FunFly V5's hardly cost any more, most have switch mode BEC with plenty of amps, many programming options, active freewheeling and, importantly, are lighter and more compact.

CC has always been a top brand with a great reputation. My Heli friends use CC in their expensive machines. I haven't used them because they tend to be more expensive and I have been using HW for years and have the programming cards for them.

 

[Konrad]

Now I remember, at the turn of the millennium having a lot of Kontronik and Castle Creation ESC as each was leap frogging the other with their Helicopter governor.

I really like that Castle Creation has a program of technical service bulletins should problems arise. This is a large part of what I see as value in the product (real engineering support of the product). Far too many bottom feeder product are able to be sold for so little, as there isn't any after sales engineering support.

 

[u2builder]

Not that I am pounding the drum for Hobbywing, but they also have good customer service out of their US Headquarters in CA. They respond quickly, have a technical understanding, and communicate well. Since their products are sometimes faked, there is a way to identify the real product by the dealer code on the package, which is only sold through authorized dealers or Hobbywing.(Amazon, eg., is not an authorized dealer according to their website).