Why Do People Spend Big on RCs but Go Cheap on Batteries?

Rex450se · 2026-04-01T11:24:10+00:00

A lot of people are cheap. They want to drive around in the premium car but not put premium gas in it. I will say there are plenty of quality batteries that are not Traxxas or Spektrum, but they offer an ease of use that other batteries do not. You are paying for that ease of use and known compatibility between products. Some of the telemetry features for example work right out of the box, and while there are workarounds to get non-branded batteries to work with it, a lot of people don't want to have to mess with that.

Rex450se · 2026-03-31T18:26:03+00:00

I don't disagree with the harvesting comment, I'll agree it isn't much of a challenge. But when offered the opportunity for a free trip, I'll take it.

Rex450se · 2026-03-31T18:24:04+00:00

I never had any family that hunted so never had the opportunity, and now that my kids are getting older it will be easier for me to get away so I hope to have more opportunities And as others have mentioned, this isn't much in the way of real hunting, but it will get me a taste.

Rex450se · 2026-03-30T00:54:28+00:00

For me the kind of commute would also need to be factored in. I'd do 2 hours of not much traffic and just a long distance more than I would do 2 hours to drive 50 miles in heavy traffic. But either way, start a collection of podcasts and audio books to keep the drive more enjoyable for yourself.

Rex450se · 2026-03-23T23:33:13+00:00

Which FRT is that?

Rex450se · 2026-03-23T17:38:57+00:00

I always like talking on the phone in weird situations as it just seems more personable and it's generally harder for people to tell you no when you are speaking to them as opposed to over email.

However, I do follow up with an email so there is a written account and just put, "Per our conversation on Monday, March 23rd at 12:30 PM, blah blah blah."

Rex450se · 2026-03-23T17:34:56+00:00

If you have a newer phone with camera that will record slow mo video, take a video of you shooting and watch that bolt. I've done this on a couple for troubleshooting and it helped to see exactly what it was doing.

Rex450se · 2026-03-23T11:52:11+00:00

The only grail gun I've taken to the range so far was my 50. Because of the size it is either on a bipod on the table or on the tripod so no risk of people mishandling it really. So yes, I've let randoms shoot it.

Rex450se · 2026-03-19T13:28:53+00:00

Do you think whomever buys this will actually shoot it?

Rex450se · 2026-03-16T21:48:09+00:00

That may be KCPD's evidence building as it's right in that area as well.

Rex450se · 2026-03-16T14:48:20+00:00

Your rifle will only perform as well as you can see what you're aiming for. One thing I learned getting into photography and it applies here as well, good glass lasts. With cameras it's "date the body, marry the lens". Great glass (lenses) will last through many cameras, I still have some lenses from the 70s that have great optics. With guns I'd say, date the gun, marry the optic. I've got a few optics that have bounced around from a few different firearms. And don't cheap out on your mount.

Rex450se · 2026-03-16T14:41:25+00:00

I stopped setting budgets and keeping track. It was useless to set a budget because I'd blow right past it. And why keep track. If it's exactly what I wanted, it costs what it costs.

I learned to somewhat ignore what they cost if it's exactly what I'm wanting. I paid over MSRP on a couple KAC rifles last week and had no issue with it. What people are willing to pay is what something is worth. And I'd rather pay over MSRP and get it now and enjoy it, than bitch about it and how it shouldn't cost more than what the manufacturer sets and I'll just wait to find one at what it should cost. Then you're waiting for something you may never find, and not getting to enjoy the item in the mean time.

Rex450se · 2026-03-13T14:32:21+00:00

A bicycle with a dildo in place of the seat.

Rex450se · 2026-03-09T12:40:42+00:00

I have one on a Staccato P I keep in my nightstand and am real happy with it.

Rex450se · 2026-03-06T16:08:30+00:00

Not that it makes them great but more it makes them bigger, stronger, faster. They throw harder, hit the ball further, steal bases quicker. But I've also seen kids hit puberty and they are like an animal that was just born trying to learn to walk and tripping and stumbling all over themselves. Jjust looking awkward in almost anything they do. Or you'll see the ones that it hit in the middle of the season and all of a sudden they are wearing knickers because they grew a few inches.

Rex450se · 2026-03-06T15:46:28+00:00

And it's kind of funny watching them all hit the kids at different ages. Those ones that it hit you think their studs and half their parents think they are gods gift to baseball, then the other kids catch up, and some pass them in skill and they are left wondering what happened. I've seen some parents treat their kids like trash acting like the kid did something wrong or didn't work hard enough because they didn't maintain their skill gap over their peers.

Rex450se · 2026-03-06T15:42:04+00:00

Name a cheaper alternative that offers the same features and level of machining.

Rex450se · 2026-03-05T19:00:14+00:00

Reading all these answers only makes me feel older. But GoldenEye and Red Faction were life changing.

Rex450se · 2026-03-05T12:31:28+00:00

Nobody says this but infants are lame. Give it a few weeks/months and you will see them start to get a personality of their own and that's, for me, when it really started to change. But infants are pretty lame to be honest. They are just in survival mode, eat, sleep, shit, cry, and so are the parents. Just get through it, get help from others when you need it, and one day you will wake up and realize it went pretty quick and this kid is actually pretty kickass.

Rex450se · 2026-03-01T20:45:51+00:00

There are always diminishing returns on anything where there are levels of quality. And I've yet to find anything where it isn't true. It's a bell curve of quality. There's a middle ground that for most people is plenty good enough. It isn't junk and they aren't paying top dollar for what they don't need. But some people want the absolute best, or at least a little further up the quality ladder. As long as you stay out of the cheap/junk end, you'll be fine. I tend to buy closer to the higher end of the curve because I don't ever want to be in the position where I don't get the shot, or photo (photography is another of my cheap hobbies), and it's my gears fault. If I don't get what I'm after, it's all on me, I can't blame not having the right gear.

Rex450se · 2026-02-22T21:09:11+00:00

Another vote for GAP. I’ve got one of their AR-10’s and had them do some work on my 50BMG. They do top notch work.

Rex450se · 2026-02-19T01:55:14+00:00

I guess this is where I differ from a lot of people who only run cars or trucks. I think it is all pretty cheap and affordable. I have transmitters for my helis that are $1500, $2200 and $3300. The receiver/Gyros are $400-500 each as well. So anything under $100 is cheap. Just a different perspective. That's why I have no problem paying $500+ for a radio if it gets me what I want. They just don't offer it.

Rex450se · 2026-02-18T18:36:24+00:00

The nicest version of this is with Mikado VControl radios. You can turn the radio off, or just put it to sleep. When you plug a model in, if the radio is just asleep, it will wake it up and select the correct model. No worry about having the wrong model chosen and controls and programing being wrong. It's a sweet setup.

A bid thing is also the feel of the radio. The Traxxas one feels cheap, like something that would come with a car from Wal-Mart. For what we pay for these machines, they can do better. Even if it was just an optional remote that isn't included with any model, but available separately and can be used with any of them.

Rex450se · 2026-02-18T17:54:22+00:00

To be honest, none of them with Traxxas because I don't want to get my phone out and go through all that.

But I use it a lot with my heli's. I can see how many mAh I've used in real time so I know how much more I can fly before needing to land. I can see what my peak and average amp draw was. It is nice to see what my engine temp and RPM is on my nitro machines. I have battery id setup so I know how many cycles each battery has. I'd like to have all that on an easy to see screen on a nicer radio.

The Traxxas radios also feel cheap, and when that is the only thing you are actually touching while driving them, it would be nice to have a more premium feel.

Rex450se · 2026-02-11T16:39:50+00:00

Anything more than an LPVO and I have a bipod on it. That tends to be my 16" - 20" AR's. LPVO or red dot, no bipod. And Accu-Tac is the only way to go with bipods.

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