Hong Kong Connection
By Tony Arnold – StampedeProject.com
[IMAGE1.JPG - MAIN IMAGE]
[IMAGE2.JPG - CAPTION - Internals of the MG995]
[IMAGE5.JPG - CAPTION - Even Dean's includes instructions.]
[IMAGE7.JPG - CAPTION - Dean's pair (left) vs. fake Dean's pair, the fit is obvious]
[IMAGE8.JPG - MAYBE USE THIS AS ONE OF THOSE FANCY BACKGROUND/WATERMARK IMAGES YOU DO WITH IMAGE1.JPG]
Hong Kong Connection
By Tony Arnold – StampedeProject.com
We have all seen it, the un-believable deals on eBay from some far East retailer claiming like specs of our favorite servo, high current plugs,…etc. We all think the same things – is this legitimate, are they junk, or is there a possibility that they will really perform like of the genuine article? I gave it a try with five pairs of counterfeit Dean Ultra-Plugs and two sets of two of the infamous TowerPro MG995 high speed and torque digital servos. I ended up with an average cost including shipping of $9 per five pair bag of Ultra-Plug like copies and $40 for a set of four servos.
Reality Checked
My real high-torque metal-gear Hitec and JR Servos came with instructions, support & warranty information, and accessories. Dean’s less glamorous packaging still include heat shrink tubing and instructions/support information printed on the back. Both are readily available at my local hobby shop anytime and have plenty of online documentation. Our Hong Kong
Upon initial inspection, only four of the five faux Ultra-Plug pairs would fit together and one plug was missing a terminal. The disappointment was endless with the remainder Ultra-Plug copies featuring sharp plastic edges, squared off prongs which made plug-to-plug fit difficult, a different shape and plastic material from male to the female plug, and a smoke on contact plastic which made soldering eventful. Once installed, the imposters did work interfacing with both the faux and real Dean’s plugs however after taking out the defects and smoked plugs the price is about the same as the real Ultra-Plug – not an impressive value.
The TowerPro MG995 servos included the typical dual horns, grommets, washers, and screws – it looked promising. The reality was of the four servos ordered, only one worked correctly. Of the four MG995 servos, two jittered almost constantly and one was DOA. With the complexities of a servo, a 25% failure rate for a sales price of $10 each might be livable; however, this is the first DOA servo I have ever encountered. The reality was speed and torque should be considered more of an average rather than a stated spec and there were wide variances between each servo’s performance. The servo speed was definitely in the slow category. I will admit that even if we agree this $10 servo is in truth a servo with questionable dependability and average speed, I would not call it “a deal”. The upsides are that I have really punished the three remaining servos in everything from crawlers to 1/8thscale buggies and not one has died yet, but they do get a little goofy with momentary stops, turns, and jitters. You do get metal gears and base model digital function and fairly high torque for a lost cost but it is not a the quality of the Hi-Tec or JR servos. If you somehow feel you must have international purchasing experience, assign this servo to non-critical RC bashing or you may find yourself hanging an unexpected hard left at the next race.
Soap Box
Some would say, these knockoffs are a great deal in spite of problems/defects, however the real problem with supporting these knockoffs through sales is the long-term detriment to this hobby. This is a very small almost tiny industry being supported by either large manufacturers involved in other more profitable industries or very small manufacturers and retailers. For example the revenue of the large multi-billion dollar company I work (my “day job”), exceeds the entire RC hobby’s annual sales – kind of puts things into perspective. Knockoffs masquerading as equals or originals dilute the drive of designers. Would you want to continue to create ground-breaking designs just to have them ripped off? With our globalized economy there is certainly a lot of re-branding going on however everything has its price. Mainline manufacturers provide support for our hobby in the form of instructions, websites, event and driver sponsorship, tradeshows, magazine advertising, manufacturer longevity, and product quality assurance which all increase costs but also allows the hobby to progress. What would we all do if Losi, Kyosho, HPI, Muken, CEN, Schumacher, Hitec, JR, Airtronics, and Traxxas and others all suddenly all went away because they could not compete with counterfeit products? My advice is to support your local hobby shop and mainline manufacturers who support you. It may cost a little more however you will be assuring the future success of the hobby… and no un-expected left turns.
Sources: eBay – www.eBay.com, Dean’s www.WSDeans.com, Hi-Tech - www.HitecRCD.com, JR - www.JRRadios.com
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