My "Go-to" brand for motors has traditionally been Racerstar. To this day I still say that they are the best value in motors. We've all built those planes we've loved only to find out that they become shelf queens. Perhaps the $50 saved in cheaper gear would be better served being spent on better planes?
The turning point was the AR Wing. I had the Racerstar BR2212 1400KV on that plane and flew it a lot. The motor worked fine with the plane. It gave nice long flights, was efficient and never failed me. Then, one day the grub screw that held the motor shaft to the bell loosened up. I barely landed.
Not to fear, I had another $5 BR2212 1400KV motor ready to go.
This time I did some thinking. The plane does get a lot of use. Why not put a better motor on it? Why not spend a bit more money and try out a so-called "premium motor."
I can describe the experience this way. Image you're in a band and you're playing the local bars in town. You start dating some nice gals from around the area. Then, one day you sign a big record deal and you're a household name. Now you're dating Hollywood actresses and supermodels. Yes, it was like that.
Why it was better
Sound- When the plane fired up the sound was a lot smoother. Not pitchy and whiny, not dry sounding, but a nice smooth "Let's go flying" sound.
More thrust- I could feel that right away, this was a trade out of a 2216 to another 2216. There was around 30% more thrust. The plane flew faster and had no problem getting up to altitude.
Efficiency- The plane lasted around 30% longer in flight. This was very noticable.
My two cents
This is the point where I should say that I am swearing off cheap motors forever and only buying SunnySky. Bubs, you don't know me. I'll get by with the crap motors for a while. And that's not a bad move. Some planes just get flown to death while others seem to be mildly amusing./ I will gladly start off with a Racerstar motor and if the plane is belove it will get traded out for a Sunnysky along the way. I don't wait for the Racerstar to die, I just put it in my used motor box and the next plane to come along will get the motor. if applicable.
