Kraton Kraton vs Senton vs ....?

[heckofagator]

Hi group, I recently got my 10 year old a 2wd brushed ECX Ruckus for Christmas. I'm thinking about picking up a vehicle for myself and after doing some reading, am thinking about the Arrma line. We are both new to RC.

Looking for something that would compliment a Ruckus, be easy to work on and would be good for backyard/park bashing. I don't think we have any tracks around here and being really my first truck, I don't have a lot of experience working on these, so something easy to work on would be preferred. The Senton looks nice, just for being pretty beefy and with coupons at Tower, the price seems very reasonable. Plus the fact that its a SCT, it's a bit different than the MT Ruckus, so I thought that was a plus. The Kraton looks to be a bit more money but its very popular, so I wanted to make sure I covered all of my bases.

Also, any tricks to buying at Tower? Should I wait for the eCash thing to pop back up>

 

[AGHolman]

The Kraton has much larger tires and higher ground clearance, so if you're looking to bash in a lot of grass, I'd definitely choose the Kraton. It's easy to work on, but so is the Senton, although I think it's even a little easier to work on. Since it's your first one, definitely take a peak at the cost of 4s or 6s batteries, as they aren't cheap, but I prefer running a single battery (4s) instead of 2 2s in series. Just throwing that out there, as it's a hidden cost for a lot of people.

You can't go wrong either way..... I have both trucks and I'm surprised how much grass the Senton can go through even with it's smaller tires, so it really just comes down to preference.

 

[Va-jeeper]

The Kraton has much larger tires and higher ground clearance, so if you're looking to bash in a lot of grass, I'd definitely choose the Kraton. It's easy to work on, but so is the Senton, although I think it's even a little easier to work on. Since it's your first one, definitely take a peak at the cost of 4s or 6s batteries, as they aren't cheap, but I prefer running a single battery (4s) instead of 2 2s in series. Just throwing that out there, as it's a hidden cost for a lot of people.

You can't go wrong either way..... I have both trucks and I'm surprised how much grass the Senton can go through even with it's smaller tires, so it really just comes down to preference.

I agree you can't go wrong either way. Both are awesome trucks that are easy to work on and a durable as heck. The Kraton is a great all around basher and the Senton is a tank. I run my Senton with buggy wheels for a bit more clearance and more options for wheels. Both trucks run great on 4s and mind blowing on 6s. Most likely which ever one you get....you'll end up getting the other one in 6 months or less...lol! Good luck picking which one you'll get first!

 

[heckofagator]

Yeah, I think we're going to be running a lot on grass - and the big, thick stuff down here in FL. I've been looking around for some dirt, but haven't been having too much luck, except for some baseball fields.

So both trucks can run on one 4S versus two 2S? Yes, def something to consider.

So you don't think the Kraton is "too similar" to the Ruckus? I just don't know....thanks guys.

 

[dpricenator]

I'm no authority on the subject, but I can't imagine anything being similar enough to the Kraton to take it's place. I know the videos of the Senton are pretty Bad A$$, but my true experience with the Kraton has been Super Bad A$$. From What VA-Jeeper says, I would go Kraton just because of the deep grass. I do find with the Kraton, especially with 6S that your running area needs to be pretty big. It goes from point a to point b very quickly. So trying to run it in a front yard is going to require a big yard. I know FL has larger front yards than SoCal, so maybe you have plenty of room.

 

[heckofagator]

yeah, our yards aren't too big here either - just normal city yards for the most part, but we do have some parks with wide open spaces that aren't too far away. But the speed is something I hadn't considered. I'm guessing I'd be running on 2x2S or one 4S, so maybe that could help tone it down a little. I had always figured I would get a Traxxas Slash or Rustler for a next vehicle but then came across Arrma and really liked what I saw. It may come down to whichever is on sale at Tower first. I know the Nero was just down to $399. If either the Kraton or Senton would come down $100 or something, maybe that would decide it for me.

 

[dpricenator]

I use the softball fields around here. My daughter plays softball so I have to make sure I only use the fields from other leagues. Not saying I do any damage. I mean drifting the base lines is pretty cool and throws up some mean rooster tails. I'm just not saying there is ever any damage done to those fields.

 

[heckofagator]

Anyone familiar with the TOwer Hobbies Super Saver club? I know its only $5, but is it worth joining? I just came across something about a super sale on the Senton last year - $270 or something like that. wow

 

[Jerry-rigged]

yes, join the SS club. It is a no brainer. And for grass running, Kraton > Senton. Last - My kraton on 4s, 14t pinion make my bakyard feel very small. My house is older, with a "good sized" yard - modern builders would probably put a 2000sf house in my back yard... Lots of 1/4 and 1/2 throttle work in the yard, almost zero at 3/4 and higher.

I have the Kraton and Typhon. I don't have the Senton, but the typhon is basicly the same size. The typhon works fine around the yard, but if the grass is thick or extra tall, it will struggle - just not enough wheel size and ground clearance.

Really, though, for yard usage, I would look to the Outcast. The SWB will make it more maneuverable in the yard, and bigger tires vs Kraton, I think.

 

[heckofagator]

thanks for the thoughts....you know, when looking at the Arrma site for the first time, the first truck that caught my eye was the Outcast. As I did a little more research, it seemed to be more of a stunt/jump truck, and without big dirt jumps around here, I wasn't sure it was the truck for me. But maybe it deserves a second look.

 

[Jerry-rigged]

the Outcast is basically just a Short Wheel Base Kraton. With the shorter wheel base, it is no longer really a "Truggy", and I guess Arrma though just calling it a Monster Truck would be boring, so instead they call it a "Stunt Truck" But really, it is just a Monster truck with a wing and a wheelie bar.

 

[Friso Fox]

I have a Kraton but reading all i can about the Outcast. Because off the shorter wheelbase the Outcast is less stable to drive they say. Seems to me for a first rc the Kraton is better, more allround. Once you have more experience, especialy with jumping, the Outcast is the next step (for me)

 

[Mikeyr30]

thanks for the thoughts....you know, when looking at the Arrma site for the first time, the first truck that caught my eye was the Outcast. As I did a little more research, it seemed to be more of a stunt/jump truck, and without big dirt jumps around here, I wasn't sure it was the truck for me. But maybe it deserves a second look.

The guys are mentioning batteries, as far as your truck is concerned there's really no difference between 1-4s battery or 2-2s batteries, you might find that two 2s 5000 mah batts are cheaper then one 4s-5000 mah battery, if you buy two 2s-5000 you also have to charge both of them, they have to be the same battery, type, c-rating, and mah, biggest difference is going to be the battery charger, first buy a quality balance charger, it may be in your best interest to buy a multi-port charger so you can charge more batteries at once, seeing how your son has a truck, and it probably uses a different chemistry battery, most of the ecx trucks come with an nmih battery, and you'll want to run lipos in your arrma it'll be best to buy a charger that charges many different types of batteries, these trucks are addictive and in the long run you'll probably have several, you'll want to run lipo batteries in your arrma whichever one you end up getting, so invest in a quality multi-port balance charger, nothing is worse than buying something that turns out to not be big or versatile enough to suit your needs I run a dual port charger and use parallel charging boards on both ports so I can charge 8 batteries at once, I don't do that very often but it's nice to be able to when I want to

 

[Bulvine]

Yeah, I think we're going to be running a lot on grass - and the big, thick stuff down here in FL. I've been looking around for some dirt, but haven't been having too much luck, except for some baseball fields.

So both trucks can run on one 4S versus two 2S? Yes, def something to consider.

So you don't think the Kraton is "too similar" to the Ruckus? I just don't know....thanks guys.

Baseball fields are fun. but MAN does the truck get full of the orange clay and thats hard to clean out. I'm in FL with the same issue of finding a good place to run that not in the grass....

 

[cmadon]

.... I run a dual port charger and use parallel charging boards on both ports so I can charge 8 batteries at once....

This is a great idea. I'm just getting ready to make some purchases. I'd like to hear your recommendations on battery manufacturer and the manufacturer and model of charger you recommend. Thanks!