Senton Senton BLX 3S Driveshaft issues? Anyone? Senton 3s vs slash vxl?

[Blunt]

Hello everyone,

I am completely new here. Just joined the forum last night after going to my local hobby shop to look at purchasing a short course truck for my 11 year for his birthday (kinda for me too lol!). I was seriously looking at the Traxxas 4x4 VXL with TSM but the Hobby shop owner has pretty much swayed me to the Arrma BLX 3S. One thing I don't really like about the Arrma truck is the cheap looking driveshaft and it is actually making me sway back and forth with my purchase between the two mentioned. If anyone could help me out with their own personal experiences with this new 3s truck from Arrma and especially any driveshaft issues, upgrades etc, that would be so helpful in my decision.

Can anyone suggest a really good comparison between the 3s and the VXL traxxas slash video or written review. Again, I am a complete newb and am just a dad trying to buy my son a cool birthday gift.

Thanks for any and all help.

 

[jondilly1974]

Hello everyone,

I am completely new here. Just joined the forum last night after going to my local hobby shop to look at purchasing a short course truck for my 11 year for his birthday (kinda for me too lol!). I was seriously looking at the Traxxas 4x4 VXL with TSM but the Hobby shop owner has pretty much swayed me to the Arrma BLX 3S. One thing I don't really like about the Arrma truck is the cheap looking driveshaft and it is actually making me sway back and forth with my purchase between the two mentioned. If anyone could help me out with their own personal experiences with this new 3s truck from Arrma and especially any driveshaft issues, upgrades etc, that would be so helpful in my decision.

Can anyone suggest a really good comparison between the 3s and the VXL traxxas slash video or written review. Again, I am a complete newb and am just a dad trying to buy my son a cool birthday gift.

Thanks for any and all help.

The driveshaft is actually pretty decent. I’ve only seen one guy here melt his and we are pretty sure he had a rock stuck in there between his motor and the shaft.

The things you are more likely to need to replace are suspension arms, shock towers, and upgrade the servo. I haven’t had a single driveline issue yet.

 

[Blunt]

The driveshaft is actually pretty decent. I’ve only seen one guy here melt his and we are pretty sure he had a rock stuck in there between his motor and the shaft.

The things you are more likely to need to replace are suspension arms, shock towers, and upgrade the servo. I haven’t had a single driveline issue yet.

Thanks for your response. How long have you been driving your 3s. Are you driving it hard and bashing it hard?

Any thoughts on the traxxas comparison?

 

[jondilly1974]

Thanks for your response. How long have you been driving your 3s. Are you driving it hard and bashing it hard?

Any thoughts on the traxxas comparison?

I don’t have any Traxxas experiences so I can’t help there, but I’ve sent my Granite Mega 4x4 and my Granite 3S BLX to the moon. My first real break was a rear shock tower from a 15’ very wall jump at the skate park. The landing is asphalt so it’s pretty harsh.

You can see in the above pic the back side of the halfpipe is a green vert wall. I sent it 20 times with bad landings before it finally busted the shock tower. The body took some damage too. Rear bed is almost gone. A better driver would have avoided some of this damage.

 

[pl9171]

Hi,
We have 2 BLX serie and never had any problem with the driveshaft. This one has been run really hard at the track (when he was brushed);

The tower brace is much more for the plastic chassis protection than the driveshaft.
I don't know Traxxas.
PL

 

[roondog]

I have senton 3s and bash it hard. No issues with driveshaft

 

[Blunt]

Hi,
We have 2 BLX serie and never had any problem with the driveshaft. This one has been run really hard at the track (when he was brushed);

View attachment 40785

The tower brace is much more for the plastic chassis protection than the driveshaft.
I don't know Traxxas.
PL

What do you mean by the the tower brace is for chassis protection.
Thanks for your thoughts.

Hi,
We have 2 BLX serie and never had any problem with the driveshaft. This one has been run really hard at the track (when he was brushed);

View attachment 40785

The tower brace is much more for the plastic chassis protection than the driveshaft.
I don't know Traxxas.
PL

I also just noticed the dust cover over the chassis. Could you let me know where I can get one of those?

 

[BruiseRC]

I've done an (honest) comparison on the Slash 4x4 LCG (MT wheels/tires) vs the Big Rock Crew Cab which might be appropriate. BTW I own 3 Slash's and a BRCC, Granite and now a Typhon 3s.

That being said, my favorite 3S RC at the moment is my Slash 4x4 LCG with the Arrma 3S electronics!

 

[Blunt]

I've done an (honest) comparison on the Slash 4x4 LCG (MT wheels/tires) vs the Big Rock Crew Cab which might be appropriate. BTW I own 3 Slash's and a BRCC, Granite and now a Typhon 3s.

That being said, my favorite 3S RC at the moment is my Slash 4x4 LCG with the Arrma 3S electronics!

What is it about the Arrma 3S electronics that you like so much? I'm not disagreeing with you I don't know anything about them. Im just trying to educate myself. Would you say the quality of arrma is same as traxxas?

 

[DoNoHarm]

Long time slash 4x4 owner (actually 9 years before I sold it and bought a senton 6S) the Traxxas driveshafts are garbage plastic as well. Now, on the electronics side of things, servo was totally fine, radio was great, and the stock system never gave me problems until I started putting a lot of weight in aluminum upgrades onto the truck. (I ran on 3s lipo) but I traded my outdated 2 pole velineon for the updated 2014 4 pole and the issues went away. (All vxl’s made after 2014 are 4 pole) I sold it because the senton 6s is just something new (and WAY better LOL). From what I hear the arrma 3s electronics aren’t too good and overheat all the time on 3s even in short course trucks. Electronic wise I’m gonna have to say, with all the arrma esc nightmares I’ve heard, Traxxas takes the cake... but durability wise, they all have their weak points, but the slash is an outdated platform and just can’t match the modern arrma 3s line in the sense of durability. And keep in mind, electronics are changeable, the whole design of a truck itself is not. It’s much smarter to buy the arrma’s if you’re buying a 3s truck... not only that but they’re also cheaper.

Basically, Traxxas has been making those 3s electronics for many years and has really almost perfected them, but the downside is the chassis old design not being as strong as arrma’s newer one, HOWEVER arrma has had their current 3s system out for only a few years and it has many issues, many stick to 2s lipo.

 

[Blunt]

Long time slash 4x4 owner (actually 9 years before I sold it and bought a senton 6S) the Traxxas driveshafts are garbage plastic as well. Now, on the electronics side of things, servo was totally fine, radio was great, and the stock system never gave me problems until I started putting a lot of weight in aluminum upgrades onto the truck. (I ran on 3s lipo) but I traded my outdated 2 pole velineon for the updated 2014 4 pole and the issues went away. (All vxl’s made after 2014 are 4 pole) I sold it because the senton 6s is just something new (and WAY better LOL). From what I hear the arrma 3s electronics aren’t too good and overheat all the time on 3s even in short course trucks. Electronic wise I’m gonna have to say, with all the arrma esc nightmares I’ve heard, Traxxas takes the cake... but durability wise, they all have their weak points, but the slash is an outdated platform and just can’t match the modern arrma 3s line in the sense of durability. And keep in mind, electronics are changeable, the whole design of a truck itself is not. It’s much smarter to buy the arrma’s if you’re buying a 3s truck... not only that but they’re also cheaper.

Basically, Traxxas has been making those 3s electronics for many years and has really almost perfected them, but the downside is the chassis old design not being as strong as arrma’s newer one, HOWEVER arrma has had their current 3s system out for only a few years and it has many issues, many stick to 2s lipo.

I'm kind of planning on sticking with 2s lipos for now as it's mainly for my 11yr old. I really appreciate your thoughts as you have a long standing history with slash and now senton.

Long time slash 4x4 owner (actually 9 years before I sold it and bought a senton 6S) the Traxxas driveshafts are garbage plastic as well. Now, on the electronics side of things, servo was totally fine, radio was great, and the stock system never gave me problems until I started putting a lot of weight in aluminum upgrades onto the truck. (I ran on 3s lipo) but I traded my outdated 2 pole velineon for the updated 2014 4 pole and the issues went away. (All vxl’s made after 2014 are 4 pole) I sold it because the senton 6s is just something new (and WAY better LOL). From what I hear the arrma 3s electronics aren’t too good and overheat all the time on 3s even in short course trucks. Electronic wise I’m gonna have to say, with all the arrma esc nightmares I’ve heard, Traxxas takes the cake... but durability wise, they all have their weak points, but the slash is an outdated platform and just can’t match the modern arrma 3s line in the sense of durability. And keep in mind, electronics are changeable, the whole design of a truck itself is not. It’s much smarter to buy the arrma’s if you’re buying a 3s truck... not only that but they’re also cheaper.

Basically, Traxxas has been making those 3s electronics for many years and has really almost perfected them, but the downside is the chassis old design not being as strong as arrma’s newer one, HOWEVER arrma has had their current 3s system out for only a few years and it has many issues, many stick to 2s lipo.

I'm planning on sticking with 2s lipos for now anyway. It's mainly for my 11yr old son. Do you regret your purchase of the senton 3s in any way?

 

[DoNoHarm]

I'm kind of planning on sticking with 2s lipos for now as it's mainly for my 11yr old. I really appreciate your thoughts as you have a long standing history with slash and now senton.

I'm planning on sticking with 2s lipos for now anyway. It's mainly for my 11yr old son. Do you regret your purchase of the senton 3s in any way?

I have a senton 6s, not a 3s.. was just giving my $0.02, if you’re sticking to 2s everything will be fine and the truck will be ultra reliable. You’ll need almost no upgrades.

 

[BruiseRC]

What is it about the Arrma 3S electronics that you like so much? I'm not disagreeing with you I don't know anything about them. Im just trying to educate myself. Would you say the quality of arrma is same as traxxas?

I've burnt out 2 VXL ESC's on my Slashes while running on 3s. After replacing it the 2nd time, I now only run my Slashes on 2s. Haven't had that issue with my Arrma's on 3s, running in the same terrain/jumps. I've had more breakages on my Arrmas, but that's due to the added speed/air on 3s

 

[DoNoHarm]

I've burnt out 2 VXL ESC's on my Slashes while running on 3s. After replacing it the 2nd time, I now only run my Slashes on 2s. Haven't had that issue with my Arrma's on 3s, running in the same terrain/jumps. I've had more breakages on my Arrmas, but that's due to the added speed/air on 3s

For the op, this is all totally possible by the way and I wouldn’t be surprised. Whatever the case, any esc blown up from 3s in these trucks will be replaced by the manufacturer free of charge.

 

[pl9171]

1- What do you mean by the the tower brace is for chassis protection.


2- I also just noticed the dust cover over the chassis. Could you let me know where I can get one of those?

Hi
1- IMO, the Mega 4x4 chassis is a bit "soft" plastic chassis. Last year, a member broke one in front of us at local track (30 feet high jump and rebounds on camel jumps...) So, IMO, the channel brace helps to protect chassis + center drive shaft + power module.

2- T-Bone racing. It's a universal size... Senton size where BO.

PL

 

[Zgills1]

I own the Outcast 4s, Kraton v3 6s, and the Big rock crew cab 3s. I've owned a rustler vxl, and a mini e revo and sold both of them after purchasing an arrma.

The Big Rock crew cab is my favorite of the 3 trucks. It is essentially a senton/granite mix.

I've put about $150 of upgrades into it (HR 10mm extended -> 17mm hex, Proline bad lands, HR aluminum pivot balls, and HR steering rack). It drives like a dream, and is very durable.

Out of the box it drove well too, just tipped more than my liking.