Redcat - Everest 10 vs Gen 7 vs Gen 8

[s14rc]

Hi All,
First post here. I've been in RC since I was 8 years old racing, building, etc. (in my 40's now). Looking to purchase two crawlers - one for me and one for my step son. Did some searching and have narrowed it down to a redact - primarily due to the value they offer. I'm really struggling with which one to go with so looking for guidance. As far as my background, I would classify my skills as advanced, so not too concerned with fabrication, etc.


Everest 10 - seems to offer the most capable (articulation) base platform. Entry cost is really nice. 4WS capable - which might come in handy. Chassis upgrade abundant. I can see the fun in starting with some basic and building over time (I rebuilt my first RC car - a Tamiya frog, in this way - it’s now a billet and carbon fiber brushless monster). Seems to have the most upgrade potential - kind of an off the shelf design vs custom design.

Gen 7 pro- really like the scaler look even though its generic. Can't tell if it is 4WS capable, but looks like it might be.

Gen 8 - Probably my favorite looking rig - my grandfather used to work for IH, so the scout is near and dear. A nicer scaler, but maybe not as flexible on upgrades as E10 or Gen7. Seems like people have broken some parts so maybe not as durable as the Gen 7?

I've read most of the build threads, etc. I realize these "help me pick" threads are always hard - just looking for some feedback on experience using and real world based input. I doubt we'll end up owning multiple rigs - we tend to spread across disciplines for fun (we're already into pan cars, touring cars, rally cars, etc.).

Thanks in advance!

 

[s14rc]

Just realized - perhaps I should have posted this in the Redcat forum? Mods please move if you think it’s better in the other forum.

 

[crick0234]

i went with a Gen 8 because of the variety of upgrades you can do. it's not low on it, and if there is something that doesnt fit, then you can either fabricate or mod to make it work. It has the most scale features of the 3 as well, and room to add more scale accessories, including 3D printable interiors, trailer hitch, exterior accessories like door handles and such.upgrades are plenty from aluminum axles/braces/mounts to upgraded linkages/skid plate etc. even 3d printable upgrades like ie i got a 3d printed servo skid plate. i got a winch on mine, but had to mod the bumper and retap the mounting plate on the winch to fit.

The gen 8 also is flexible in terms of wheel base, something between 12-13 inches i think, so u can slap on different style bodies if you chose. it has wheel wells and a nice reciever box that u can hook up extensions to so that u dont always have to opent he reciever box to do things.

it also comes with lightpods preinstalled, and comes with these LED brackets/mounts so u can buy any lighting kit and install that without hotglue.


ultimately tho, its gonna depend on what you really want: a rig that is more capable to scale rocks but looks less scale, or a rig that looks mroe scale, but less capable at scaling rocks. that said, the Gen8 can crawl rocks. i was at a local shop that had a indoor setup and i was scaling rocks better than some of the axial fellas.

the gen 7 is great, i've seen that thing keep up with $1000 rigs. i like the gen 8 more cuz it seems to be a more versatile platform to upgrade/addthings. good luck on your decision!

some videos and photos for ref:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhTaEX-mKL8&feature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TR-iMF5jsJk&feature=youtu.be

there are a few things to keep in mind:

-it's an RTR, but doesnt come with battery or charger. i think its default setting is lipo batteries.
-straight outta the box, it's fun and fast for a crawler, but it's a bit twitchy, u can upgrade the ESC and it solves that issue (i went with a hobbywing 1080esc, $40)
-i havent had anything break, but i mostly crawl, i dont do any bashing with my rigs.

 

[hillbillyrc]

Are you looking for a scale based rig or compish kind of rig?

The Everest 10 is a fun kind of rig I got one for my step son. Tires aren't great and if you mod to get some steering out of it you won't be able.to use it the tires are really wide. I know you mention the articulation but it actually has more then it needs.

The gen 7 is a Everest 10 with a scale chassis rails.

The gen 8 seem it be a nice favorite of some guys. The stock portal gears are weak from what ive read.

It all comes down to what kind of rig you are looking for? What kind of terrain do you have around you? And how much money are you willing to put in to it to have fun without being frustrating every time you go out.

Maybe look for a couple used scx10s if that's what you're looking for in a rig. More aftermarket and can be found for around the same price as a couple new gen 7 pros or gen 8.

 

[s14rc]

Thank you both for the guidance!

I’m kind of leaning towards a gen 7 pro for the kid and a gen 8 for me as I think scalers add some fun for us. I think he’ll appreciate all of the extras on the gen 7 pro body. I like the E10 but am thinking it would need a bit more work out of the box (metal lockers etc).

More guidance is welcome and appreciated

 

[Voodoobrew]

I don't know of an rc crawler I would say offers value. There are some that I think are overly expensive though. I think the best value might be the trx4 sport.

I think you get what you pay for between axial, traxxas and redcat.

Many people end up tossing the stock electronics for many of these vehicles making any of the rtr vehicles less of a value IMO.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

 

[Jim85IROC]

From a bang for your buck perspective, the E10 is going to be your best option. It's the cheapest by a wide margin, and is fairly capable. Drawbacks are that if you prefer a scale appearance, the E10 doesn't offer it.

The Gen7 Pro offers the scale appearance, and has some mechanical upgrades over the E10. It's got the metal lockers (E10 and Gen7 Sport come with plastic), it's got CV axles in the front (E10 and Gen7 Sport have dogbones), and the Gen7 Pro (and the Sport) come with the high clearance steering knuckles. Last time I looked, the E10 didn't get that upgrade, though that may have changed.

When I bought my Gen7, I went with the Sport, but at the time, the Pro was $280. I bought the CV axles and metal lockers for the Sport and still came out money ahead compared to the Pro. Now that the Pro is cheaper, the Sport is a less attractive option.

Moving up to the Gen8, I feel like it's a substantial improvement over the Pro. As mentioned, the portal axles are weak, but they aren't terrible either. Some guys seem to snap them like twigs. Mine haven't broken yet, though I expect them to eventually. Fortunately, Redcat is now offering heavier duty axles & gear sets affordably (Around $40), so if you break them, you have an upgrade path. Compared to the Gen7, the Gen8 portals offer noticeably more ground clearance, and I found that to be very noticeable on the rocks. The steering angle is improved as well. The CoG is a bit better on the Gen8 also, mainly because the cage and roof rack with all the cosmetic junk on the Gen7 makes it top heavy. The quality of the plastics is better, and of course, the body is substantially more detailed and realistic.

From a raw crawling capabilities standpoint, I'd say the Gen8 is superior, mainly because of the extra portal clearance. The Gen7 axles are huge and they hit a lot of stuff.

From an upgrade perspective, especially if you're handy, I'd say for the moment that the Gen7 has the advantage. The Gen7 has less bolt-on parts, but with a little fabrication skill, you can adapt SCX10 parts in almost every case. This opens the door for a wide range of upgrades that may be less available on the more unique Gen8 platform.

So, all that aside, between the two, I like my Gen8 better. It's probably 99% because of the Scout body, but since I got my Gen8 I haven't touched my Gen7.

 

[Bob_in az]

Of the three, the Gen8 is the one I would choose. It's a good truck out of the box & many upgrades are available for it. Redcat just released stronger axle housings & "heavy duty" portal gears & axle shafts, which are stupid cheap. They also offer the "extreme duty" chromoly gears & shafts. I've had my Gen8 since the day they were released & haven't broken anything. That being said, the top portal gears are cheap & some say they act as a fuse, breaking before anything else does. Many keep spares so they can change them on the trail if needed. I haven't owned a TRX4 yet, but I've had an Axial scx10.2 & I definitely prefer the Gen8 over the scx10.2.

 

[s14rc]

Thanks all! Settled on two gen8’s. Still eyeing a E10 for a build for fun (dual motor, etc) but one thing at a time.

 

[crick0234]

Thanks all! Settled on two gen8’s. Still eyeing a E10 for a build for fun (dual motor, etc) but one thing at a time.

did u get one in orange and one in blue? My g/f wanted a gen 8 in blue so i said "OK!" but i got selfish and just bought a cross SP4C kit instead...

but i painted it blue!

 

[s14rc]

Yup! One Orange for me and blue for him. Buying another for nephew now! These are awesome!