Gaui H550 vs E550 Raptor vs E620 Raptor

[3D Dave]

Hey heli pros. I've added a contender to my possible choices.

- GAUI Hurricane 550 (or H550 XES PRO)
- Thunder Tiger E550 Raptor
- Thunder Tiger E620 Raptor (or E620SE)

I'm trying to decide which of these to get as my second heli. I know I asked about the E550 and H550 in a different thread but now I've decided that maybe I could/should bite the bullet and get an E-Raptor and I read a review of the E620SE that said it could run 6s packs.

I have a Thunder Tiger E325 mini-Titan that is AWESOME. I've been flying it for about 3 months and want something bigger that can handle the wind better.

I've read a few reviews on the Hurricane 550 and the one on the E620SE but wanted to get some more opinions.

I am a noob and just getting into flying circuits, nose-in hover etc. I won't be doing 3D but I do like to whip the heli around a little (upright of course).

I want to use no larger than a 6s Li-Po. I also want the longest flight time possible (with the appropriate motor). I'd like to get 8-10 minutes flight time.

So if you have flown at least 2 out of the 3 can you give me some comparisons as to:

A) Flight time (based on using a 6s pack in each)

B) Hover stability

C) Ease of repair

D) Cost and availability of parts (do the glow version Raptors share the same exact same parts?)

Any input is MUCH appreciated.

Dave D.

[helicraze]

The E620SE is really pointless if you plan to use 6S pack as the Ace hobby one for the E620SE is 65A and you really want 75A for 6S. Also the E620SE recommended motor KV is too low.

I have the E620SE and E550 and can tell you they are awesome. I would get the E550 and stick a 11T pinion on it (stock is 10) that will bring the headspeed up 200RPM to about 2100RPM.
Flight time on 6S 5000MAH pack is up to 10min
It hovers so easy!
Easy to repair
Parts are pretty cheap and almost everything is interchangable with the 30 and 50 size glow version. Obviously the frame is different as it uses ECCPM and no nitro motor but the head/tail parts/skids/canopy etc are the same aside from tiny differences. Parts are easy to come by.
TT helis are great, i built a Trex500 to see what the fuss was about, didn't like it at all, breaking a frame would be hell, almost the whole heli must come apart, the tail has slop where the thrust bearings were and so did the head slightly.

Only things I would do to the E550 is get the 11T pinion, get SUS tail hib upgrade (about $8US), get metal headblock if you change the pinion to 11T

[Vinger]

See the other thread as well: http://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=70311

I fly both the Hurricane and the E550, they both are amazing helis, but prepared to spend $ on the Hurricane.

My E550 is basically stock, except for metal head and 140 deg swashplate. It is really stable, but you can change to the ultra lightweight paddles and make it a 3D demon. I fly mine on the standard 10teeth pinion with stock motor and 5300mAh 6cell Lipos. With a mixture of FF, circuits, flips and hovering I easily get 10 min of flight before the ESC powers down.(85% used). The TT helis are built like tanks and will last a long time.

Regarding the E620, as mentioned by helicraze, it is designed to use 10 cells, so if you want to fly on 6 cells, you will have to get a motor in the 1100kV range to get the HS back to something useable. I have seen guys fly it on a Z50 1100kV/6 cell combo, but really if you want to swing big blades you have to high voltage iot get the amp draw down.

Buy TT and you will never look back.

[helicraze]

Get the E550, its really a good heli. On 6S with light paddles its pretty quick! Spares are easy to get.

[badriM]

Hy, everybody,

I have twoo of your list Gaui 550 and Raptor 550 E. The second is the best choice for fun, fly time and it is solid like a rock.
The 620 E is a very good hely but need 10 S to have a good power (like the Raptor 50).
The spare parts are very low price and you can upgrade it with all the Rapy catalog but in fact with the stock one you have already a good machine 100 % pleasure.

[3D Dave]

Thanks.

The problem/issue I've now found is that you must set up the E550 or 620 for 90 degree swashplate and that limits it.

My DX7 only has 90 and 120 for swash so I guess I can't go to 140 degrees with this radio. It seems like that's not a good thing.

How much hover/forward flight time would I get with a 6s 3300mAh pack.

Some others have told me I should wait for Thunder Tiger to come out with newer heli's as the E550 and 620 are getting a bit dated.

Any other input?

Thanks,

Dave D.

[helicraze]

Errrrggg i don't think they are coming out with something new. Its a good heli.
With that pack expect 5-6 min safely with 80% discharge.

Also you can use 140CCPM all you do is program a mix of 30% to the elevator its very common to do this.
But why change it? Use good servos and no need to change to 140CCPM

[Vinger]

My E550 flew just fine with the 90 deg swash coupled to a DX7 TX, so you should have now problem. I just wanted to fit a Cyclock and play with it's settings, therefore the 140 deg swash. In my opinion not much differrance to the two setups. The Cyclock is just an onboard mixing of the channels and it gives you less latency between the channels, but for my flying experience it was an overkill.

TT E550 on 6cell 5300mAh Lipos and stock power setup is more powerfull than a hot 450 heli, but can be flown docile and 3D, so it's a real allrounder.:cheers

[3D Dave]

Darn it! This is making me mad... ;-) Just kidding of course.

I was all set to order the Gaui H550 XES PRO SE and now I want the E550 again!

I'm going to my LHS today and will be drooling over the E550 they have in the box.

It's going to be VERY tempting to take it home.

I CAN'T DECIDE!!!!

VINGER, I love my mini-Titan. Which one (H550 or E550) flies the most like the MT?

Dave D.

[helicraze]

No offense but i put the gaui 550 in the not so good catagory. I have never flown one but from what i read about the upgrades need and the flight times on 2 3S packs I have based that opinion.
TT is very good, don't go cheap, get the E550.

[Vinger]

Darn it! This is making me mad... ;-) Just kidding of course.

I was all set to order the Gaui H550 XES PRO SE and now I want the E550 again!

I'm going to my LHS today and will be drooling over the E550 they have in the box.

It's going to be VERY tempting to take it home.

I CAN'T DECIDE!!!!

VINGER, I love my mini-Titan. Which one (H550 or E550) flies the most like the MT?

Dave D.
Both the Hurricane and E550 fly so much better than any 450 heli, they are more stable because of the larger size. The TT E550 is really a fly out of the box heli, powerfull and you can do any style of flying. The hurricane needs upgrades, not bad out of the box, 2 x 3 cell 2200 mAh batteries can be used, but to really make it fly well 6 cell 3300mAh is needed. Hacker or equivalent motor upgrade needed to make it efficient. My upgraded Hurricane flies just as well as the E550.

The choice is really if you want to tinker (I love it) or if you just want to fly straight out of the box. Go bigger and you will realise that you should have bought bigger the first time round. I now use my MT to practice the new stuff and fly indoors.

Enjoy your dilemma, thats why I bought all three!!!!!!!!

[Vinger]

Double post! Sorry

[3D Dave]

Thanks Vinger.

When you say you had to "upgrade" your Hurricane 550, I'm not sure how much but this is what I'm comparing to the E550 Raptor:

The list looks like this:

- H550 XES Pro SE (comes with all metal head and new short boom)
- Castle Phoenix 60 ESC
- Castle 10A BEC switching regulator
- Tonic-X z20A 980kv brushless
- Futaba GY401
- Futaba 9257 tail servo
- JR DS821's on cyclic
- Gaui long tail boom 204191
- Gaui long tail control rod 204195
- Gaui long tail pushrod 204669
- Gaui Long belt (I can't find this online yet)

I'm going long tail to get the most stability I can for learning.

I'm not sure if that compares to what you upgraded your H550 to does it?

Comparing my H550 XES PRO SE and a stock E550 would they be about equal?

Dave D.

[helicraze]

Would it be equal? The question you ask is not really realistic, they are both different helis.

Raptors are known for their stability and reliability, why argue with that???

[Vinger]

My upgrades included the following after I bought the basic kit wit 890kV motor and 50 A ESC:


MGM Commpro 60 A ESC, Apower 3300mAH 6cell packs
Hacker A40 motor
GCT Carbon 515mm blades
Full G10 readyheli frame
Raptor metal tail case and blade holders
Tail control bellcrank
Short tail and belt
Full metal head and swashplate
Cyclic and elevator metal bellcranks
Raptor then Align 600 skids
Fibreglass Canopy
Hobbywing 7A UBEC
Delrin gears
20t OWBSo as you can see a full rebuilt of the original and she now flies perfectly. I really enjoyed the mods and rebuilt. The $'s we won't talk about.:YeaBaby:

Few photos (still have the old ESC fitted)

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o273/Vinger01/RH.jpg

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o273/Vinger01/LH.jpg

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o273/Vinger01/HT_Tail_4.jpg

[3D Dave]

Very nice Vinger.

I don't know if I mentioned it of or not but I'm just a newbie that was only hovering 6 weeks ago. Disregard my screen name. I just want to hover and fly basic "upright" flight. I didn't think I'd need to upgrade much from the Hurricane XES PRO SE which comes with a full metal head. I was only going to power it with a 980kv z20A brushless.

The only other things I thought I'd add to the XES PRO SE kit are metal tail parts and Align skids.

I might upgrade to CF frame next season unless I trash the plastic one first.

Dave

[GatoVolador]

I have a heavily-modded Hurry 550 I'm running on 10S A123 and when it's dialed-in it flies great! However, if you don't want to spend a lot of time tinkering with your heli I'd probably advise going for the Raptor. The Hurry I see as a "V1" product that needs quite a few "patches" to get it running smooth. I just bought an E550 myself because I'm getting a bit tired messing with the Hurry trying-out different tail assemblies, chasing-down vibes, etc. Although the Gaui parts are cheaper, by the time you add-in the extra expense of your time plus burning through more parts trying to eliminate any issues, I'd say the price advantage is more than eliminated. The Raptors are built like tanks and have a proven design.

[3D Dave]

Thanks GatoVolador.

I have not read one report on needing to change the tail or chase vibrations down on a brand new heli. Only reports of vibrations after crashes or guys upgrading the tail so they can use higher KV motors and increase headspeed really high.

Dave

[GatoVolador]

True. But you will eventually crash and you will eventually want to try upping your headspeed, etc. So caveat emptor. Don't get me wrong though, the Hurry is a great heli but it does take some TLC...