New Kraton vs Xmaxx vs ???

What should I Get?

  • Super wicked Kraton 8s

  • He who shall not be named (X-maxx)

  • Hobo hyper MT

  • Tamiya Wild Willys Jeep

  • HPI Savage


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I'll just touch in this thread .
First and foremost my daughter and I are racers 1st , bash second ( racing shut down to current situation , more bashing now ). I just want enough out of my bashers to make them run/last , with minimal if any upgrades . Seems most get these RC's and feel the need to immediately upgrade them regardless how fast or durable they are , ESC / motor changes , pinions , tires , etc . To each their own .
I started running my DBXL-E now along with the Xmaxx , K8S so now have a pretty good feel what these big rigs all do , or don't !! LOL I know this thread was about Xmaxx vs. K8S , but I'll include the DBXL-E .
Before you slam me , I am not a fan boy of any RC companies , but actually own more Arrmas now than anything . While I won't buy another Traxxas , I have the Xmaxx and with good experiences .

Xmaxx 8s : owned for 2 1/2 years now , bought it brand new , and the batteries , Traxxas 6700 mah 4s . Still 100% completely stock .
Used : approx 25-30 full runs/packs
Broken parts : front bumper brace , orig body is cracking in the back , and last month lost a rear hub bearing , thats it .

Losi DBXL-E : owned for 4 1/2 months now , brand new , Team New Wave 8000mah 100c batteries . Stock except just went from 13t to 15t pinion , removed radio , installed my Futaba 3PV.
Used : 4 times
Broken parts : rear chassis brace ( hit a picnic table just right , went under and hit the crossbeam which hit rear shock tower ) .

Kraton 8S : owned for 4 1/2 months , brand new , Team New Wave 8000mah 100c batteries . Stock , except added the 23t pinion .
Used : 7 times
Broken parts : 1st break =rear arm ( 3rd jump not that high , 5 min in run ) ,and wing mount . 2nd break= front upper hinge pin came out , and when did snapped off the threads ( made it to LVC , noticed wheel wobbling ) . 3rd break= front pillow ball / and bent dogbone/cvd shaft right front ( landed on the wheel off a jump ) . These were all different runs , not same battery packs .

Lets talk about run times :

K8s : never timed when had stock pinion , but now with 23t , about 20-24 minutes , 8000mah 100c .
DBXL-E : 20-24 minutes wtih stock 13t pinion , timed yesterday with the new 15t , 18 minutes ( running hard in field , kinda not stopping but to check motor temp ) . 8000mah 100c
Xmaxx : STUPID run time !!!!! 45+ minutes .

Summary : which one do I like the best ? CAN'T decide !!! They all do something great !!!! At the same location/field/jumps , the K8S goes the farthest and you can see/hear it does not bottom out , and looks like a monster !! With the way I intend on jumping it , I'm not worried about bending the chassis , as I don't plan on sending to the moon ( thats what the Typhon and Talion are for , LOL !!!! ) The DBXL-E and Xmaxx go about the same distance , they both bottom out/chassis slap !!! ( Xmaxx soft suspension ) . The DBXL-E clear winner in turning/handling/planted to the ground , and wins best looks , light bar , awesome , ntm full tune of suspension just like their race vehicles !!! The Xmaxx wins for the extreme amount of fun factor run time . This is the one that I worry the least about breaking , every time the K8S lands wrong or does cartwheels I cringe thinking broken arm/bent chassis !!!!!
Not defending the Xmaxx but will ad this , mine is stock , and talking with my LHS , ( as most will agree ) they see more Xmaxx breakages when you put on the heavier Proline tires and/or put more power thru them ( broken diff's ) with bigger motors/esc's etc . They see stock Xmaxxs getting great durability feedback , hence why I am happy with the speed and durability of mine .

Take this with a grain of salt , this is how I run my big scale rc's .
 
3x9rtse - thanks for the detailed post. The lockdown has given me time to get back into thIngs after a few years away, and thinking about an 8s. I appreciate hearing what your experience has been Between the XMaxx and Kraton.
 
I just bought a complete set of xmaxx wheels/tires combo from my hobby shop for $80. I already modified the hex. Hopefully they are better than the stock tires.
 
So I have a dilema... I do like the new Kraton however a few things have me questioning if its worth it compared to other options so wanted to put it out to the community for thoughts?

In Australia, the preorder listing is in the $1600 range... I could probably get it for ~$1400 from the US if I tried hard enough. In comparison, an Xmaxx retails for about $1300 and ebay usually have 20% off to get that to around $1100... So thats a $300-$400 difference depending on options.

Also, because Australia, parts I’m sure will be difficult to get at least initially and at reasonable prices so there’s that too. Traxxas and Arrma I assume will be comparative in prices.

By far the most common 1/5 scale is the Xmaxx and they are abundant down under so parts shouldn’t be a problem at all for that. However all I ever hear about the X-maxx is how easily it breaks and I will constantly be buying parts for it... But how common is that really?

There is also a decent 2nd hand market for the X-maxx which is virtually not available for the new Arrma obviously.

So basically is the extra $$$ worth it in either the short or long run for the Kraton, or is there another option? $300 buys a decent chunk of parts and I will be able to get them easily enough in the retail wasteland that is Australia... (Not that online is that hard but still)

A quick list in summary,
  • X-maxx is cheaper initially but may need more parts later.
  • Australian availability of stuff
  • Could go 2nd hand if appealing enough and can also sell later if needed.
  • The Kraton probably has better electronics and newer platform, however untested chassis with the usual potential bendy issues has me a bit worried.
What does everyone think? I know the bias is strong in an Arrma forum but would be good to get some ideas?
May I know what did you end up buying?
X-maxx or K8s
 
May I know what did you end up buying?
X-maxx or K8s
Likely not.. if you look at their profile, they haven’t been on the forum for over two years. 🤷‍♂️

If you want my vote, get the K8s. 😎🤙
 
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