duratrax evader question

[toolmakerman48]

hi i have a Nitro team associated gt2 and my girlfriend wants to race me at the track i built in the back yard. well tuning nitro motors isnt my thing and expecially not hers so i wanted to get her a electrit and the duratrax evader cought my eye because its almost identical in shape and size as my gt2. not only that but the price is great because i dont know how much she will be into this. does anyone know anything about these duratrax evaders? are they good trucks? and do you think it will be able to keep up with my gt2 on the track with the batt pack that comes with this combo http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0161p?&I=LZ115962 when i buy it i was just gonna buy like 6 of those "DuraTrax Shark 6-Cell 7.2V 1500mAh NiCd Sport Std Plug" so i can run for a while. any info would be great, thanks

 

[Metalhead Matt]

Buying a couple good packs would be far more fun than a bunch of 1500's.

 

[toolmakerman48]

any suggestions on some good packs. perferably cheap

 

[frickenjoey]

I had the electric Evader and that sucker was made of glass. If you looked at it hard it would break. It was nothing but heartach the entire time I had it...The front of the chassis has a very weak design....I got tired of fixing it. I got rid of it. I gave it away...it was either that or run over it with a 1:1 scale just to make me feel better. If you are looking for a decent priced rig that is not as fragile try a Traxxas E-Rustler or a XTM X-Cellerator. The XTM is about the same price as the Duratrax ($20 more) but WAY tougher and better made. Has some nice goodies already installed too. For the money I would say go XTM over Duratrax any day. For $40 more you can get the Traxxas Rustler...about the same as the XTM in toughness but a bit more parts support than the XTM. But PLEASE save your self the hassle and don't get an E-Evader. Just a word of warning.

http://www.hobbypeople.net/gallery/145612.asp

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXNJH9**&P=0

 

[Hyster]

I can't say that all of Duratrax stuff is bad but the first few times I asked someone about Duratrax the first thing they said back was "oh, you mean DuraCrap?" I started hearing the trendy phrase all around the lhs's. When I was at on where they sold the product, well they first look around for the owner and then say it. I guess that says something about thier products. I have bought thier batteries and they are damn good. And I haven't heard anything bad about the 1/18 scales.... yet.

 

[frickenjoey]

I didn't say all of Duratrax stuff is bad...their chargers are top notch. The ICE charger is one of the best out there. Batteris and temp guns good too. But I have owned 3 Duratrax vehicles and all 3 were not the greatest. I had a E-Evader ST, nitro Evader BX and a Warhead. The Warhead actually had good handling it was just heavy and underpowered. The E-Evader ST however, was miserable; by far the worst RC I have ever owned. I broke three chassis one it in a week. Heck I am not sure if I ever even made it through a full battery pack with out something breaking. I tried upgrade parts...snap.. stock...snapped even quicker. I gave it away to rid of the anger it brought me every time I ran it. I would hate to see someone go though the same crap I did with it. I just want to put out a warning. It was just a incredibly poor designed vehicle.

 

[Metalhead Matt]

Well, I always recommend Traxxas xl5 vehicles when people want to save a little cash. As far as batteries, stick with Tenergy or Intellect cells. You don't want to skimp on batteries. I'd think a rustler with some 4000+ mah 7 or 8 cells would be killer to learn with. Parts are dirt cheap and performance will be pretty decent. If you don't have a charger that can handle 8 cells, do a search on ebay for "rc universal smart charger". They're only $25 and have gave me no problems for the last year. But with using such a cheap charger, I highly recommend monitoring the batteries very carefully. Just hang out and shoot the temps every few minutes. But for the price, they are very effective.

 

[Hyster]

I'd think a rustler with some 4000+ mah 7 or 8 cells would be killer to learn with.

I agree, when I put a 7 cell 4500 mah duratrax battery in my Slash it really came to life. I really pondered if I should go brushless or not. Went brushless anyways later but if you go with 6, 7 or 8 cell with at least 4000 mah battery you will have loads of fun.