How good is the Esmart

[alodsman]

Hi guys i currently own a belt cp. I am considering getting an esmart. How good a heli is it . I have seen a lot of guys say its a good heli. but parts are not replaceable with the Trex 600 which we all know is better.

Is it really worth looking at this heli given that most users just move on to the Trex.

I also belive there is a new version due to come out soon is taht true.

If this is a good heli then theres also so much confusion abt parts availability. These are just a few concers i have .

I am sure u guys will be able to advise me.

[Locitur]

As you may have seen and read on the previous posts you will realize that there is a little shortage of spare parts for this heli. In plain text it means that even though it is a very good heli, without spares it is worth nothing. Of course unless you want to have a relic just like me.
As far as I understand, when I asked Esky directly about spares, their answer did not suggest that they were going to continue production anytime soon.

Since flying means the possibility of a not totaly controlled encounter with the Earth, spare parts are somehow important. And I have this heli grounded because I have not found yet any replacement that fits the E600 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You might think I am a little angry about this - be sure I am!

At least I can fly my CopterX 450....and still have fun!!!!!

[nuttcaze]

The E-Smart is an AWESOME heli.

I am a HUGE fan of the E-Smart and ESk helis which is why I have been working hard to find companies will to make some upgraded parts for the "hard-to-find" parts for the E-Smart. New "Upgraded" main gears are already in the works. Hopefully main shafts are next.

And for anyone else who is frustrated by ESky dumb a@@ descision about stop making the E-Smart, e-mail them and tell them that they NEED to re-start production of it. I could really use all ESky fan's help with this one.

CEO@TWF-SZ.COM
SERVICE@TWF-SZ.COM
ORDER@TWF-SZ.COM
EXPORT@TWF-SZ.COM

[nasukaren]

ECB sent to the TWF folks!

[Donnie D]

Email sent.

Donnie D

[anschuter2013]

Sent my Two Cents worth as well.

[Tyree]

I sent an email also....just to make sure they don't change their minds about
restarting production.... :-)))

Ty

[nuttcaze]

believe me, that has been my second biggest concern, that they will change their minds, But I have some plans to make sure that doesn't happen .

[Trinot]

I am wondering exactly what this guy asked several months ago. Why would you go with the E-smart when you can go with a Trex? I see that you say "it is good" but im not sure of what specific parts of it are better? It seems like you replaced just about everything except the frame, boom, and main motor on yours? If you are going to end up with 5-600 bucks in it why not just go with a Trex?

[damyxz]

If you are just moving up from a belt CP to a bigger heli, why even think about a trex 600? The trex 600 is only bigger, not better in the sense of performance using a 6S batt., The trex 600, as most people will tell you, has to be converted to an 8S system. conversion now will cost $$( HV ESC, new motor, pinion, batts...etc). I was one who dived into investing on a trex600 as soon as it came out. I thought this heli was awesome due to promotional vids on the internet. First lesson, upgrades and spare parts of the trex 600 are expensive(compared to other brands in it's class), There was a reported defect on the stock plastic grips, so I spent more money on metal grips, Then I realized that I needed a large heli that I can use as a practice platform...enter the E-smart( after a little bit of upgrades on critical parts( which cost less than a set of trex600 metal grips), I was actually enjoying myself without the fear of crashing and spending $$ on repair. I outfitted the E-smart with inexpensive electronics and now I have a low cost performer. The E-smart is more agile than the Trex 600, lighter, less power hungry, and easier to learn on....Then I tested an outrage 550, the story then changes a to a new direction....The heli(outrage 550), is insanely fast, agile and tracks like a train. Also uses a 6S power system and the cost of repair is 50% cheaper than the trex 600. The 550 does not need upgrades out of the box(everything stress bearing and moving is made of CNC aluminum alloy). It uses 550 mm blades like the E-smart. Now the trex 600 took a back seat and became an AP ship(still on 6S), with two 550 size performers(E-smart and the outrage 550) I think Henry Caldwell posted on the earlier E-smart threads that he thinks the heli rocks. If you are trying to move up to a bigger heli, go for the e-smart or the outrage 550. The outrage 550 can be adjusted to be very docile ( for a beginner) to being a 3D monster. Imagine a 550 size heli moving faster than a 500 size heli. Don't be a lemming...there are better options out there better than something from align.

[rcmiket]

Without parts availability and customer support all the E Smart is a doorstop. Regardless of what anyone tells you about how great something is, if you cant get parts you cant fly. Buy a Raptor or a Align 600 just due to the fact that there's parts out there. If your budgets bigger than do your homework. Buy smart.
Mike

[signal7]

My doorstop flies quite well

Curious if anyone has their heli grounded b/c they can't find parts?

[akent]

Not me!
The ONLY complaint that I have is that not any single distributor has all the parts. So you end up buying stuff from several places. That's OK! As long as you can get parts!
I am surprised that these folks all seem to have different parts in stock, though.

I am only aware of one part that appears to be not available at the moment. That is the tail pitch control arm. I was able to buy one from Lakeside (Ron said it's the last one anywhere). I was able to repair a second broken one.
Ron also said that he expects Esky to start to provide kits and parts for the G-smart and E-smart in November. At least that's what Esky apparently told him.

That said, I now have my ES600 flying VERY nicely! This is with these bogus black dampers, too! It seems that this heli is VERY sensitive to blade balance, and the mains MUST be balanced to the CG as well as overall. That made mine go from a mildly vibrating skid and tail to NONE!, by balancing the blades to the CG and overall. To do this, check out Finless's video on 'Blade balancing 101'! Man oh man, thank you Finless!

Also, this heli is more nimble than my Trex 500. It cares less whether it's on it's back or front than the Trex, too!

So, the ES600 is growing on me. I find myself lately getting home from work and 'needing' to hear the growl of the ES600! I haven't flown the 500 or the 450 much at all lately! But I have been debugging this thing, until now. It drives me nuts when something doesn't fly right, no matter the reason. This is flying great now! But I still find myself needing to hear the growl!

I love this thing!
Kent

[damyxz]

I made it a point to stock up on critical parts(normally damaged in a crash) like main gears, main shaft, feathering shaft, etc. In fact I have enough parts to last me another season. I did this because I have planned what to do with this bird and also to avoid the hassle of waiting for parts. I also try to find ways to substitute parts that are more durable and readily available. In fact people at the field mistook the E-smart for a logo once they saw how it flew and they were surprised at how this thing flies. If customer support means that they will replace a part that you broke...or shipping back a $5 dollar defective part and spend $10 in shipping...or having somebody to coach you over the phone on how to put this thing together...No thanks, I think I know what I'm doing (most of the time). Problem solving, modifying and building is a part of any hobby. That's what makes it a hobby. If you want something to fly out of the box...then maybe look into one those coaxial thingies.

[rcmiket]

No what I meant by customer support is supporting the product. By that I mean having parts available for purchase not having to look under every rock for a part. While I'm happy you were able to acquire enough parts for another season then what? What about the rest of those who didn't? I only see a handful of guys here and on other forums still flying theses due to the parts problem. I'd like to know just how many are grounded. Now I see there's a 900 coming out that's really a 500 size. This should be interesting to see how that pans out.
Mike

[damyxz]

The one fault that Esky made is that they designed a very unique heli and parts compatibility with other models are really a gamble. I agree that the manufacturer should provide parts for the heli( it's a bummer looking for parts) but how would you supply parts if there is not enough sales of the model. Another fault of the manufacturer is they did not have an aggressive marketing strategy like align does. The business model of E-sky seems to concentrate on the easy to sell, and easy to afford type of models. I think the e-smart is a venture to see if the company can compete in the market for this size heli.I think they released the model when the most anticipated trex 600 electric was announced the the hype for the trex 600E was widespread.
If TWF(E-sky) would spend some money to have a known figure to represent their products, maybe therewill be a boost in sales of the model. Then there will be a reason to produce spare parts en masse. Anyway that new 500 coming from them is another futile attempt for a low cost 500 size heli which the US market is flooded with.