Your honesty is great, Finally someone on here tells the truth. You were not mean, just gave your opinion and stated facts about what you are seeing with this particular model. Thank you very much, the viewer’s appreciate you man!
Thanks! I just try to give objective, in-depth, and competent reviews based on experiences with the other models available in the same class. Glad you enjoyed the video.
@@RazorRC did you have any problems with the chassis bending that's what I heard I'm literally about to get that or the xrt so if you see this message it was in a little bit let me know which one you would go with and I'm using like the last bit of my money that I can spend towards this so I want to go with the best one and I'm thinking xrt but I don't know it's kind of big
I love going back and watching reviews of new models a couple years later. Usually they age like raw meat. This model particularly. This was actually the best review I've found on the Sledge. Most folks were just happy to have a new model from Traxxas and had on their review beer goggles.
Thanks! Probably a couple ratings I would change now that some other cars have come out and gotten better. It would rate a little worse in Electronics and Performance now.
Excellent review. The fairest one yet I've seen on CZcams. A breath of fresh air in comparison to the 'reviews' from certain other CZcamsrs with paid sponsorship deals and those desperate to keep Traxxas happy in order to keep on receiving products to 'review' free of charge.
Once again excellent honest review. I haven't had the chance to put in the time I wanted on this model but I like it so far. Interested to see what everyone including Traxxas comes out with to right the issues. I will say Traxxas vehicles sure do bring out a strong selection of parts by third parties and I feel this truck will be no different. That is one superb 8th selection👌
I’m most likely going to be purchasing this truck after my birthday, I currently have the Traxxas e-revo 2.0 with a few upgrades, I am 99% positive I won’t be disappointed with this awesome truck!
What a awesome complete review, also the narration and tone make it a very nice and drama-free watch! Subbed :) I'm on the list for a end of may delivery Woohoo
Good video but these boys in the comment section are crazy if they don’t think any of those kraton that are real bashers don’t get big upgrades smh 🤦♂️
I've been waiting for this, nice to hear your thoughts! I just drove 200 miles roundtrip to pick up my Sledge because I didn't want to wait until late June for it to ship haha. IMO the Sledge has the best design out of all the 1/8 truggies. The shock towers are protected with plastic caps so they don't bend as easily, wing is better mounted so it won't snap off as easily, differentials are far larger and beefier so it can handle 20M center diff oil out of the box, chassis is stamped so from an engineering standpoint it's much stronger than the flat chassis of its competitors, steering links are plastic so they don't snap, and the clipless body is really great. The battery tray is love or hate, I love not having to fiddle around with straps but the lack of battery options does suck. SMC does make a 6200 mah 6S soft pack that fits perfectly. The motor cradle is also love or hate, like you said it slides around BUT if you leave it at the stock gearing (55mph for bashing is more than enough for me) it holds the motor securely in place, whereas the other 1/8 truggies the motor will slam against the chassis on big jumps and eventually will kill the motor. It does seem like an easy fix though so I hope someone comes out with a fix soon! I got my Outcast EXB when it came out at $720 and the Sledge for $770 and overall I would say they're equal in value. HH does have a better warranty on paper but their customer service sucks and parts supply sucks so every time I call I gotta jump through hoops and emails to get my issue resolved, and often I'm waiting 1 - 3 months for parts to come back in stock, so what's the point of the warranty if I can't even get it in a timely manner? That's the main reason why most of my trucks are Traxxas, they never sit around on the shelf waiting for parts!
Loving mine so far, although I did bend my shock towers...however, I didn’t even notice until I pulled them off to upgrade to BasherQueen’s carbon towers. CVD’s at all 4 corners, aluminum shock caps, carbon towers, TiN shock shafts, machined diff’s in both front and rear, sway bar kit, Response Pro wheels and tires... yeah, I’ve been going a little crazy with mine so far...lol. I don’t drive my cars too ridiculously hard, but so far I’m completely happy with mine as well. Glad to hear you’re as stoked as I am.
I have the Talion EXB and a Vorteks 3S. So far I have never seen an out of stock part. I haven't had to deal with customer service yet either though, so we'll see what that's like if I end up having to. I strongly considered the Sledge, but ultimately I'm glad I went with the Talion.
You have said some things that are not completely on point. Earl Moorhead researched it and called Traxxas about the L shaped motor stop, and it turns out that if you use the exact gear combinations that are on the box you can use the motor stop. He just put a video where he did this and has no problems with any of it. Also may content creators have removed the battery tray or modified it to work with any batteries. And one more thing the recommendation for LiPo batteries is to unplug them as soon as you can when it gives the love voltage cutoff. So you don't take to battery down so far that you damage it. So it is a really good idea that they made it not to shut off until it is unplugged.
I'm not saying you can't modify the tray, I'm saying it sucks the way it comes. As far as gearing, yes you can also run 18/46t, but that is going from a 4.00 ratio to a 2.56 ratio which is the equivalent of going up 6-7 TEETH on the pinion!!! Traxxas will not support you if you do that and burn up the motor because it's way overgeared. Yes, you can run huge fans, but that is just a band-aid because you're only cooling the outside of the can, and the inside is still burning up.
Apparently you have never had a switch quit on you if you are saying unplugging the batteries is a big deal to shut it off. I think it’s a great feature honestly
Did someone already ask where those jumps are… hopefully 5 minutes from my house, lol. Those dirt jumps are awesome. I laughed when the car flew over the fence, this thing looks awesome but I’m new to r/c cars so unsure exactly what to get. Thanks for the great review, this is helpful!
Traxxas might have had excellent warranty in the USA and other parts of the World. Here in Australia it's discriminatory, frustrating and downright outrageous. Thanks to their shipping embargo, we are not able to purchase ANY Traxxas product from overseas shops such as A Main and RC Mart. They do this in order to "protect" local hobby shops. All it does is pisses off customers, as you will be waiting months for basic replacement parts & accessories to arrive in stock (tyranny of distance). The guys over at Velocity RC have also discussed this business practice in their semi regular youtube chat sessions.
@Memer Dreamer Tell me about it ! If you subscribe to the Velocity RC Channel and watch their blog episodes, they touch on this & Traxxas' other annoying business practises
Yea, that’s how a company has to operate. Think about it, all companies do that and then they take a percentage off the top for their time. Just like when you go to work your company makes a good chunk of money and gives you a small percentage for your time. But they have overhead and risk. Even with your Hyundai Sonata, Hyundai did that for their employees.
Great review, as usual. I think it's spot on especially with the value rating. For the price, Traxxas should have used better quality drivetrain parts. The motor mount also needs a redesign.
@@ryanfisher6402 just listen to people; “this mount is shit it allows the motor to slide around” false, anyone owning a sledge knows if they have minimal observation that there is fixed insert a part from the screws, that prevents the motor from moving in any direction…. I think some users just changed the gearing and removed the insert and then complain about an issue they caused themselves….
Ya, definitely like the traxxas electronics over the Spektrum and definitely miss the arrma electronics which I thought were better than spektrum aswell. Haven't had problems with any electronics except for the Spektrum. Have a Typhon 3s v3, Outcast 6s v4, Typhon 6s and a Kraton 6s v5. The Outcast has Arrma electronics and have had no problem with any electronics, the spektrum electronics in the others have had several parts warranted out. 3 servos, a motor seized up on second run within 2 min of battery pack, and when you wait for those parts on backorder for 2-3 months, then the second sero went out a week later so I bought an eco servo (great one by the way) and put it in and am holding on to the 3rd servo replaced. And after the second servo was replaced is the day I ran it on for the motor to seize in 2 minutes. 3 month wait for that. So the Typhon 3s got very little run time waiting for poor QC or poor Quality electronics. So out of a year warrant, I got to run a total of 3 months total out of the year. But yes Arrma and Traxxas electronics are alot better than spektrum. Thanks for the vid.may be getting rid of 5 1/10 scale and getting a Sledge. Should have been named the Traxxas Hammer. But now I know why they didn't. A little rc company put out a little one called the hammer.
Do you think throwing the rear shocks from the sledge onto the maxx v2 would solve some of or all of the travel issues with it? It would be as simple as a shock shaft and spring swap as long as you can buy the shock shafts alone. That could be a cool thing to test in a video.
Running the car stock, for me, biggest flaw is that exposed center diff and spur, pebbles and stones get in between spur and chassis and cause HAVOC, this is weird looking at all of their cars which feature enclosed spur and center diff… I hope they come up with an improvement or an optional part, I had to make an ugly 3d printed case for the spur and pinion…
I jumped in and bought one right away. First run was a basic up and down the road thing because I couldn't wait to run it. Quick enough for me as I bought this one strictly for dirt bashing. 2nd attempt ended literally in 2 minutes as the right rear dog bone came out doing a doughnut. I hope I fixed that with the o ring hack. Can't wait to get in in the air though..........
Bought a sledge. Its a lot of fun, but the foam fell apart on the tires after 5 runs and i keep loosing a screw pin. The screw pin is $3.50 for a pack of 6, but traxxas wants $65 to ship them to Canada. I asked their support about just throwing it in an envelope, and they told me if i didn't want to pay the $65 that i should go search the field for the screw. They had a lot of smart ass responses. Completely unreasonable, support is terrible and listen to the other reviewers who say they won't buy traxxas ever again.
I have always looked at Traxxas as the Apple of the RC world. Well designed products, that are made to be used with their other products. It all works, but you're going to pay for it. It does seem in recent years both companies have lost their way a bit. Great review!
I'm pretty sure the reason why they designed it to where you have to unplug the battery to turn it off, is to protect your lipos. To my understanding, even when an RC is off, the ESC still draws power from from the lipos, and will continue to do so until they are completely dead. And I doubt there is anyone who can say that they've never been in a rush, didn't unplug their lipos, and left them plugged in for days.
The best thing is the clip body, I sold my sledge cause my chasis bent was very weak, and motor mount is absolutely the worst thing ever unless you run stock spur and piñon
Good review man. The thing I keep encountering with this truck is half the people have a certain issue and the other half don’t but have a totally different issue. It’s kinda of nuts with this thing. Fun truck though
@@RazorRC I never have had motor mount issues and in geared up. And I know a few haven’t. I haven’t had tons of wing issues until I designed and printed my own mount. Seems like tons of people have motor mount issues and then tons don’t. Tons have wing issues and tons don’t. It’s weird to me how some can have the same issues but others have complete different issues. Like when the kraton exb came out majority had diff issues. Just seems so weird to me on how the issues are sporadic.
@@GarageLifeRC That is weird. I know for plastics, they can definitely be manufactured incorrectly and that could explain the wing mounts. For the chassis I'm not sure, but I only use orange or blue loctite, never red, so maybe that's the reason.
Rule number one• Never buy first gen anything. Especially vehicles and transmitters. There is no “best”. Every vehicle out there has its own problems and things that need to be updated or addressed with aftermarket stuff. Best at what ? That has to be considered too. Best at being launched like to the moon and being able to land and drive away? Best all around basher? Best Truggy on the track? After working in a large hobby shop, best really boils down to what makes us happy. I like different Randy’s and different models. Arrma has some kick Azz vehicles, so does Traxxas, I can’t choose one brand. They are both awesome and both have vehicles in there lineup that I just have to have in my R/C garage.
The shock length, why do you favor longer rear than front? Also why do you want a on/off switch on your esc's? Great review as always! Thank you for your work!
@@RazorRC I hear that. I haven’t had any problems with mine at all yet but I bought the last two 52 tooth spurs my local brick and mortar had...just to have them. I saw how scarce they are online and bought them just to be safe.
That motor mount is totally reliable if the stock plastic insert is used. It holds the entire cradle in place and prevents the motor from sliding in any direction… Just make sure the bottom screws are loctited.
Awesome review as always! I would still pick the K6S EXB with HW electronics and a good cheap Tx/Rx like the FlySky FS-GT5 6CH radio with a cheap servo. Max 6 and 1650KV motor 23T pinion. That would be a monster set up, better performance and durability than the Slede for around the same price point. 👍😉
Love the review. Came here because I'm looking at an 6S or 8S racer/basher, so I can get out there and race with my 7 year old son (who owns a Maxx V2). Money not really an issue, but I do like it good, right out of the box. I'll only upgrade once I break stuff. I was thinking of the xtr, but like the aggressive sledge a bit better. Then I see people recommend the K6S over the sledge. Seei g you own a lot of them, what do you think would be my best choice?
Call me a sceptic... but the stuff I would think more important is still plastic. Now I know they are known for being able to land from the moon but still. I would like to see aluminium arms, hubs, steering and diff housings especially with the high end price from the mid range manufacturer..
I had a stripped screw in my rear diff cover as well. They sent me a whole new bulkhead. The only downfall with the truck is like you said the motor mount system. I can't wait for m2c to get done making there's.
I think it’s an old nitro thing for the starter boxes. I also believe it allows air to cool it and a viewing window for wear on race vehicles. Doesn’t make much sense on a bashed to me but most badgers are built off of race platforms, and I believe Traxxas may try to release a race kit and sponsor pro truggy class especially if they make a nitro version.
The bottom doesn't need to be covered because of physics. Because of the rotational direction, it's almost impossible to get a rock into the gear. Also it lowers the center of gravity of the vehicle. This is my experience racing and bashing truggies.
Idc, say what you think, lol do what you want, but my Sledge (stock) is crushing Kratons on the track. Performance comparison? Just stop it. U will see.
I know you probably won’t reply since this is an old-ish video but I was planning on running stock hearing on this, so if I could use that with the plastic insterts that you were on about of the other metal insterts would the chassis still bend there?
How do you think about the red cat machete? It is $200 cheaper than Sledge. I think Machete maybe similar to the Sledge a little bit? Not sure if that would be better value than Sledge. Think about Maxx or eRevo as well. Hard to decide right now. Thanks in advance 😊
I'm not RazorRC but IMO the Corally XTR roller or the Kraton EXB roller would be my picks. Both those trucks let you put in your own electronics which would be orders of magnitude better than what Traxxas offers. Just my 2 cents.
week ago and the spur gear started slipping and that was it of that so check your stuff before you start running them check everything make sure everything's tight thank god traxxad is going to do their part but that's not the point
With so many issues like no battery options or motor options pot metal gears, no glue tires I don't see how its able to get 3 or more stars when its not average. To me the price should be reflected in the areas your grading it in. The high price isn't reflected anywhere other than the best body mount ever lol And that servo is garbage! As always great content, and you are prob one of the most unbaised around. Keep fighting the good fight! 💪
Thanks, yeah the categories are all meant to be totally separate. So if I didn't tell you what an RC car cost, but it was awesome in every category, it would get 5 stars in all the other categories. It wouldn't matter whether the price was $1 or $1000, it would get 5 stars in those other categories. Only the value rating would change depending on what it actually cost. Hope that makes sense.
@@RazorRC I get that, I'm just saying loosing a star or two in one category does't seem like much of a neg in comparison. Espesially with the price drop of a bunch of the Arrma lineup, the value is a bigger point of contiontion I'd argue. But it's your rating style I'm just tossing my .02 cents worth in When you say the value isn't there, its hard to say its worth suggestiong it over others....
You really can't complain about batteries not fitting into a Traxxas vehicles. At this point they made it pretty clear thier vehicles fit their own batteries. If you put a different battery in they don't care about your problems. 😂
Hello Razor, by any chance are you by Livermore? First park you showed looks like a park near to me called William Payne sports park. Just asking as other than this park I’m not sure where I can go bash so I thought you might know some cool spots. Thanks!
It has a lot of potential but chassis, motor mount, battery mount, sintered parts all need improvement as well as some sort of front bumper so the body doesn't fold in with the slightest front hit. Maybe they will nail it with the V2
Sledge is breaking pinions left and right, even the hardened pinions. Installed hardened spur and haven't had an issue breaking any teeth on that. I think its rocks and dirt that are causing it, anyone else having this issue?
Their are really some great reviews. With these trucks, doesn't it really come down to the stock gears that are installed? In terms if out of the box performance. I now just bought the Sledge and MA x then also have the 6s Talion. I have owned the Tyhoon 6s as well as both the Kaiju and Kaiju ext. Out of the box the fastest vechile I have owned was the Kaiju ext which with stock gearing hit 65 mph. Tyhoon high was 63 and Talion which I went up a couple of teeth and now hits 61. 53 out of the box disappointed me so when you mentioned Spektrum being under powered it caught my attention because everyone else says Arrma makes some of the fastest and most powerful out there and I do not agree. The Kaiju regular I believe comes with a smaller pinion than the ext version and is tough to handle on 6s. Stock I think I only got it to around 50 mph with those balloning tires. The ext runs on belted tires which contributes to its performance. I was not thrilled with thr redcats durability however, especially the ext which was not built as well as the original Kaiju. At least not the one I bought.
The EXB RTR dropped 50$ in retail. From 749.99 to 699.99$ so 100$ more than the EXB RTR. its 100$ more doesnt come with metal chassi braces or 7075 tower and chassi(maybe not 7075 but better than 6061). Honestly this feels like a scam imo. My exb was 479$ i believe i do have a few m2c diff outdrives and an aluminium gearbox. My exb isnt now a 600$ truck its still a 479$ Truck To my eyes. Maybe that is just me. If i could buy the sledge and an EXB RTR and upgrade them both until they value 1500$ still the sledge will leave a sour taste in my mouth because i paid a lot more and got a lot less than what the outcast EXB RTR gave me. Value is everything at my eyes.
You also broke the spur gear right? Everyone seems to be breaking spur gears left and right because of the motor mount design. They were out of stock everywhere for a while idk if they still are
That chassis flaw is unacceptable for 800$. Should have had a sliding motor mount like any other truggy out there. Im surprised traxxas didnt come up with a 7075 update day 1 of release. That would have pissed off a lot of people. Hope m2c gets a better design to fix this.
I said every 1/8 6S. The Landslide is 4S if I'm not mistaken. Technically there are a couple of 6S trucks I don't have, but I have the 8-9 most popular from the biggest brands.
Pretty much nailed it! I didn't agree on every point but pretty damn close 👍 For me the price and lack of warranty is enough to take this out of contention. I mean the Kraton is $200 less and offers a two year warranty! Just boggles my mind. Guess what, though, they will sell a ton of these to the Traxxas faithful (Kraton for me, though). I will say one thing In Traxxas' defense, though, this is NOT an Arrma clone! People who say differently are just clueless! 🙄
This motor mount literally has a plastic locking spacer, it is impossible to alter the gear mesh, unless you start changing the gear ratio, for stock form that motor mount is perfect and has NO issues whatsoever.
I just put a set of arrma backflips on my e-revo. They arent as good as the talons IMO. The traction is about the same, and funny enough, I can no longer do backflips easily.
Your honesty is great, Finally someone on here tells the truth. You were not mean, just gave your opinion and stated facts about what you are seeing with this particular model. Thank you very much, the viewer’s appreciate you man!
Thanks! I just try to give objective, in-depth, and competent reviews based on experiences with the other models available in the same class. Glad you enjoyed the video.
It don't look like it has regular traxxas battery connectors
@@RazorRC did you have any problems with the chassis bending that's what I heard I'm literally about to get that or the xrt so if you see this message it was in a little bit let me know which one you would go with and I'm using like the last bit of my money that I can spend towards this so I want to go with the best one and I'm thinking xrt but I don't know it's kind of big
I love going back and watching reviews of new models a couple years later. Usually they age like raw meat. This model particularly. This was actually the best review I've found on the Sledge. Most folks were just happy to have a new model from Traxxas and had on their review beer goggles.
Thanks! Probably a couple ratings I would change now that some other cars have come out and gotten better. It would rate a little worse in Electronics and Performance now.
Excellent review. The fairest one yet I've seen on CZcams. A breath of fresh air in comparison to the 'reviews' from certain other CZcamsrs with paid sponsorship deals and those desperate to keep Traxxas happy in order to keep on receiving products to 'review' free of charge.
thanks!
I think the best thing that traxxas Sledge has to offer is the body clip system. Thank's for Sharing 💯👍
Once again excellent honest review. I haven't had the chance to put in the time I wanted on this model but I like it so far. Interested to see what everyone including Traxxas comes out with to right the issues. I will say Traxxas vehicles sure do bring out a strong selection of parts by third parties and I feel this truck will be no different. That is one superb 8th selection👌
I’m most likely going to be purchasing this truck after my birthday, I currently have the Traxxas e-revo 2.0 with a few upgrades, I am 99% positive I won’t be disappointed with this awesome truck!
You will
The Traxxas bullet (trx-10) was a aluminum chassis electric…from 1988 😂
What a awesome complete review, also the narration and tone make it a very nice and drama-free watch! Subbed :) I'm on the list for a end of may delivery Woohoo
Good video but these boys in the comment section are crazy if they don’t think any of those kraton that are real bashers don’t get big upgrades smh 🤦♂️
I like your honesty. A rare thing these days.
I've been waiting for this, nice to hear your thoughts! I just drove 200 miles roundtrip to pick up my Sledge because I didn't want to wait until late June for it to ship haha.
IMO the Sledge has the best design out of all the 1/8 truggies. The shock towers are protected with plastic caps so they don't bend as easily, wing is better mounted so it won't snap off as easily, differentials are far larger and beefier so it can handle 20M center diff oil out of the box, chassis is stamped so from an engineering standpoint it's much stronger than the flat chassis of its competitors, steering links are plastic so they don't snap, and the clipless body is really great. The battery tray is love or hate, I love not having to fiddle around with straps but the lack of battery options does suck. SMC does make a 6200 mah 6S soft pack that fits perfectly. The motor cradle is also love or hate, like you said it slides around BUT if you leave it at the stock gearing (55mph for bashing is more than enough for me) it holds the motor securely in place, whereas the other 1/8 truggies the motor will slam against the chassis on big jumps and eventually will kill the motor. It does seem like an easy fix though so I hope someone comes out with a fix soon!
I got my Outcast EXB when it came out at $720 and the Sledge for $770 and overall I would say they're equal in value. HH does have a better warranty on paper but their customer service sucks and parts supply sucks so every time I call I gotta jump through hoops and emails to get my issue resolved, and often I'm waiting 1 - 3 months for parts to come back in stock, so what's the point of the warranty if I can't even get it in a timely manner?
That's the main reason why most of my trucks are Traxxas, they never sit around on the shelf waiting for parts!
That must be very exciting
Loving mine so far, although I did bend my shock towers...however, I didn’t even notice until I pulled them off to upgrade to BasherQueen’s carbon towers.
CVD’s at all 4 corners, aluminum shock caps, carbon towers, TiN shock shafts, machined diff’s in both front and rear, sway bar kit, Response Pro wheels and tires... yeah, I’ve been going a little crazy with mine so far...lol.
I don’t drive my cars too ridiculously hard, but so far I’m completely happy with mine as well. Glad to hear you’re as stoked as I am.
I have the Talion EXB and a Vorteks 3S. So far I have never seen an out of stock part. I haven't had to deal with customer service yet either though, so we'll see what that's like if I end up having to. I strongly considered the Sledge, but ultimately I'm glad I went with the Talion.
You have said some things that are not completely on point. Earl Moorhead researched it and called Traxxas about the L shaped motor stop, and it turns out that if you use the exact gear combinations that are on the box you can use the motor stop. He just put a video where he did this and has no problems with any of it. Also may content creators have removed the battery tray or modified it to work with any batteries. And one more thing the recommendation for LiPo batteries is to unplug them as soon as you can when it gives the love voltage cutoff. So you don't take to battery down so far that you damage it. So it is a really good idea that they made it not to shut off until it is unplugged.
I'm not saying you can't modify the tray, I'm saying it sucks the way it comes. As far as gearing, yes you can also run 18/46t, but that is going from a 4.00 ratio to a 2.56 ratio which is the equivalent of going up 6-7 TEETH on the pinion!!! Traxxas will not support you if you do that and burn up the motor because it's way overgeared. Yes, you can run huge fans, but that is just a band-aid because you're only cooling the outside of the can, and the inside is still burning up.
Apparently you have never had a switch quit on you if you are saying unplugging the batteries is a big deal to shut it off. I think it’s a great feature honestly
If the switch went out on your VXL-6S, you wouldn't be able to turn it on...
... and if a switch quit on ya, you then unplug it, doncha?
@@RazorRC go with no switch then lol
Did someone already ask where those jumps are… hopefully 5 minutes from my house, lol. Those dirt jumps are awesome.
I laughed when the car flew over the fence, this thing looks awesome but I’m new to r/c cars so unsure exactly what to get. Thanks for the great review, this is helpful!
Traxxas might have had excellent warranty in the USA and other parts of the World. Here in Australia it's discriminatory, frustrating and downright outrageous. Thanks to their shipping embargo, we are not able to purchase ANY Traxxas product from overseas shops such as A Main and RC Mart. They do this in order to "protect" local hobby shops. All it does is pisses off customers, as you will be waiting months for basic replacement parts & accessories to arrive in stock (tyranny of distance). The guys over at Velocity RC have also discussed this business practice in their semi regular youtube chat sessions.
@Memer Dreamer the big Asian shops such as RC Mart in Hong Kong are the same story. Hobby shops in Europe - same deal
@Memer Dreamer Tell me about it ! If you subscribe to the Velocity RC Channel and watch their blog episodes, they touch on this & Traxxas' other annoying business practises
Great breakdown. The warranty is a huge bummer.
Thanks. I wouldn't be surprised if Horizon follows suit, people abuse the warranty way too much.
I didn't expect the electronic to get a 4. I was expecting 3.
Yeah, I thought so too, but the motor and servo are actually pretty good!
One phrase to summarize your review.
“The most expense rc body clip system ever invented”. We, the consumers are all paying for that r&d as we speak.
Yea, that’s how a company has to operate. Think about it, all companies do that and then they take a percentage off the top for their time. Just like when you go to work your company makes a good chunk of money and gives you a small percentage for your time. But they have overhead and risk. Even with your Hyundai Sonata, Hyundai did that for their employees.
Great review, as usual. I think it's spot on especially with the value rating. For the price, Traxxas should have used better quality drivetrain parts. The motor mount also needs a redesign.
Plastic gears are cheap but motor is not. Thing will break but what you want to deal with breaking
Motor mount is no issue at all.
@@DashzRightwhy do you say that.. Im interested in buying this
@@ryanfisher6402 just listen to people; “this mount is shit it allows the motor to slide around” false, anyone owning a sledge knows if they have minimal observation that there is fixed insert a part from the screws, that prevents the motor from moving in any direction….
I think some users just changed the gearing and removed the insert and then complain about an issue they caused themselves….
Ya, definitely like the traxxas electronics over the Spektrum and definitely miss the arrma electronics which I thought were better than spektrum aswell. Haven't had problems with any electronics except for the Spektrum. Have a Typhon 3s v3, Outcast 6s v4, Typhon 6s and a Kraton 6s v5. The Outcast has Arrma electronics and have had no problem with any electronics, the spektrum electronics in the others have had several parts warranted out. 3 servos, a motor seized up on second run within 2 min of battery pack, and when you wait for those parts on backorder for 2-3 months, then the second sero went out a week later so I bought an eco servo (great one by the way) and put it in and am holding on to the 3rd servo replaced. And after the second servo was replaced is the day I ran it on for the motor to seize in 2 minutes. 3 month wait for that. So the Typhon 3s got very little run time waiting for poor QC or poor Quality electronics. So out of a year warrant, I got to run a total of 3 months total out of the year. But yes Arrma and Traxxas electronics are alot better than spektrum. Thanks for the vid.may be getting rid of 5 1/10 scale and getting a Sledge. Should have been named the Traxxas Hammer. But now I know why they didn't. A little rc company put out a little one called the hammer.
Excellent review man!!! I am very happy with Arrma so far 😊
Do you think throwing the rear shocks from the sledge onto the maxx v2 would solve some of or all of the travel issues with it? It would be as simple as a shock shaft and spring swap as long as you can buy the shock shafts alone. That could be a cool thing to test in a video.
Running the car stock, for me, biggest flaw is that exposed center diff and spur, pebbles and stones get in between spur and chassis and cause HAVOC, this is weird looking at all of their cars which feature enclosed spur and center diff… I hope they come up with an improvement or an optional part, I had to make an ugly 3d printed case for the spur and pinion…
Cool RC and great overview, have a great weekend brother
I jumped in and bought one right away. First run was a basic up and down the road thing because I couldn't wait to run it. Quick enough for me as I bought this one strictly for dirt bashing. 2nd attempt ended literally in 2 minutes as the right rear dog bone came out doing a doughnut. I hope I fixed that with the o ring hack. Can't wait to get in in the air though..........
These videos are so unbelievably informative. Thanks for taking the time to do them!
Bought a sledge. Its a lot of fun, but the foam fell apart on the tires after 5 runs and i keep loosing a screw pin. The screw pin is $3.50 for a pack of 6, but traxxas wants $65 to ship them to Canada. I asked their support about just throwing it in an envelope, and they told me if i didn't want to pay the $65 that i should go search the field for the screw. They had a lot of smart ass responses. Completely unreasonable, support is terrible and listen to the other reviewers who say they won't buy traxxas ever again.
I have always looked at Traxxas as the Apple of the RC world. Well designed products, that are made to be used with their other products. It all works, but you're going to pay for it.
It does seem in recent years both companies have lost their way a bit. Great review!
thanks, that's a good analogy
Really shows too.
I'm pretty sure the reason why they designed it to where you have to unplug the battery to turn it off, is to protect your lipos. To my understanding, even when an RC is off, the ESC still draws power from from the lipos, and will continue to do so until they are completely dead. And I doubt there is anyone who can say that they've never been in a rush, didn't unplug their lipos, and left them plugged in for days.
Correct, you even got a big ass shiny red sticker telling you to unplug the lipos to power off the ESC.
Sweet they just try and make it easy. For everythinb
The best thing is the clip body, I sold my sledge cause my chasis bent was very weak, and motor mount is absolutely the worst thing ever unless you run stock spur and piñon
Great review, but curious since you alluded to it, but never mentioned it: What, in your opinion, is the best 1/8 scale 6s on the market?
He would saygo watch the video
@@coolhawk2003 he didn't say...
@@jamesprice187no he didn't say ....
Good review man. The thing I keep encountering with this truck is half the people have a certain issue and the other half don’t but have a totally different issue. It’s kinda of nuts with this thing. Fun truck though
Thanks, what’s the other issue people have?
@@RazorRC I never have had motor mount issues and in geared up. And I know a few haven’t. I haven’t had tons of wing issues until I designed and printed my own mount. Seems like tons of people have motor mount issues and then tons don’t. Tons have wing issues and tons don’t. It’s weird to me how some can have the same issues but others have complete different issues. Like when the kraton exb came out majority had diff issues. Just seems so weird to me on how the issues are sporadic.
@@GarageLifeRC That is weird. I know for plastics, they can definitely be manufactured incorrectly and that could explain the wing mounts. For the chassis I'm not sure, but I only use orange or blue loctite, never red, so maybe that's the reason.
woah @Garage Life RC, out here uncovering a Traxxas conspiracy. 🔥😱
I live next to a traxxas only store .. so parts availability is at 100% no matter what at all times .. that’s my selling point
Rule number one• Never buy first gen anything. Especially vehicles and transmitters.
There is no “best”.
Every vehicle out there has its own problems and things that need to be updated or addressed with aftermarket stuff. Best at what ? That has to be considered too. Best at being launched like to the moon and being able to land and drive away? Best all around basher? Best Truggy on the track? After working in a large hobby shop, best really boils down to what makes us happy. I like different Randy’s and different models. Arrma has some kick Azz vehicles, so does Traxxas, I can’t choose one brand. They are both awesome and both have vehicles in there lineup that I just have to have in my R/C garage.
Best review out there. Great job!
Traxxas Bullet was electric with aluminum chassis over 30 years ago.
The shock length, why do you favor longer rear than front? Also why do you want a on/off switch on your esc's? Great review as always! Thank you for your work!
Sledge at 599 would be awesome. Traxxas needs to be called on their shit
Thanks for the great review. Was considering a Sledge, but that motor mount is a dealbreaker for me. Hope they fix it with a 2.0 eventually
I wouldn't be surprised if they did a running update on the mount. Spur gears are out of stock already!
@@RazorRC I hear that. I haven’t had any problems with mine at all yet but I bought the last two 52 tooth spurs my local brick and mortar had...just to have them. I saw how scarce they are online and bought them just to be safe.
M2c makes a great motor mount I hear. Probably will fix all these issues.
That motor mount is totally reliable if the stock plastic insert is used. It holds the entire cradle in place and prevents the motor from sliding in any direction… Just make sure the bottom screws are loctited.
The Nero had a 2'000KV motor, and I miss them so much 😢
Awesome review as always! I would still pick the K6S EXB with HW electronics and a good cheap Tx/Rx like the FlySky FS-GT5 6CH radio with a cheap servo. Max 6 and 1650KV motor 23T pinion. That would be a monster set up, better performance and durability than the Slede for around the same price point. 👍😉
That works!!! 👍
@@RazorRC M2C is working on a chassis and motor mount for the Sledge. But the Slede is already $800+ so yeah. That would be an expensive endeavor.
@@joseCalderon1976 prob be $150 for the M2C upgrades
@@goreyboggs sounds about right. From what I've seen, I think the chassis and motor mount would make the Sledge very durable.
If you update it for more power just use the same washers that the dhk maximum uses for there motor mount instead of the plastic
Thanks for the review. Loved it.
Love the review. Came here because I'm looking at an 6S or 8S racer/basher, so I can get out there and race with my 7 year old son (who owns a Maxx V2). Money not really an issue, but I do like it good, right out of the box. I'll only upgrade once I break stuff. I was thinking of the xtr, but like the aggressive sledge a bit better. Then I see people recommend the K6S over the sledge. Seei g you own a lot of them, what do you think would be my best choice?
Call me a sceptic... but the stuff I would think more important is still plastic. Now I know they are known for being able to land from the moon but still.
I would like to see aluminium arms, hubs, steering and diff housings especially with the high end price from the mid range manufacturer..
the more metal you add the heavier the car is making it weaker
U would’t want aluminum for most of that. Heavier and bends with more breakage.
I had a stripped screw in my rear diff cover as well. They sent me a whole new bulkhead. The only downfall with the truck is like you said the motor mount system. I can't wait for m2c to get done making there's.
Now that m2c have come out with parts it looks insane!
The motor mount is totally reliable if left stock. The insert doesn’t allow the motor to slide in any direction. Just make sure screws are loctited.
Quick question and it may be obvious but why do RC cars have an exposed spur gear. Why not cover it up to keep dirt and rocks from getting in there
I think it’s an old nitro thing for the starter boxes. I also believe it allows air to cool it and a viewing window for wear on race vehicles. Doesn’t make much sense on a bashed to me but most badgers are built off of race platforms, and I believe Traxxas may try to release a race kit and sponsor pro truggy class especially if they make a nitro version.
The bottom doesn't need to be covered because of physics. Because of the rotational direction, it's almost impossible to get a rock into the gear. Also it lowers the center of gravity of the vehicle. This is my experience racing and bashing truggies.
Idc, say what you think, lol do what you want, but my Sledge (stock) is crushing Kratons on the track. Performance comparison? Just stop it. U will see.
did you ever do a review on the X Maxx???🤔
Not yet…
@@RazorRC I'm considering the sledge or the X maxx, any advice on the two???
@@Shiroe-K XMaxx
@@Shiroe-K X- Maxx is my favorite RC & I'm a RC Plane guy...
I know you probably won’t reply since this is an old-ish video but I was planning on running stock hearing on this, so if I could use that with the plastic insterts that you were on about of the other metal insterts would the chassis still bend there?
How do you think about the red cat machete? It is $200 cheaper than Sledge. I think Machete maybe similar to the Sledge a little bit? Not sure if that would be better value than Sledge. Think about Maxx or eRevo as well. Hard to decide right now. Thanks in advance 😊
So, what truck in that category would you say is the best for your money?
I'm not RazorRC but IMO the Corally XTR roller or the Kraton EXB roller would be my picks. Both those trucks let you put in your own electronics which would be orders of magnitude better than what Traxxas offers. Just my 2 cents.
I know it late but have u try lock washer and blue lock tie on the screws mount
week ago and the spur gear started slipping and that was it of that so check your stuff before you start running them check everything make sure everything's tight thank god traxxad is going to do their part but that's not the point
With so many issues like no battery options or motor options pot metal gears, no glue tires I don't see how its able to get 3 or more stars when its not average. To me the price should be reflected in the areas your grading it in. The high price isn't reflected anywhere other than the best body mount ever lol And that servo is garbage!
As always great content, and you are prob one of the most unbaised around. Keep fighting the good fight! 💪
Thanks, yeah the categories are all meant to be totally separate. So if I didn't tell you what an RC car cost, but it was awesome in every category, it would get 5 stars in all the other categories. It wouldn't matter whether the price was $1 or $1000, it would get 5 stars in those other categories. Only the value rating would change depending on what it actually cost. Hope that makes sense.
@@RazorRC I get that, I'm just saying loosing a star or two in one category does't seem like much of a neg in comparison. Espesially with the price drop of a bunch of the Arrma lineup, the value is a bigger point of contiontion I'd argue. But it's your rating style I'm just tossing my .02 cents worth in When you say the value isn't there, its hard to say its worth suggestiong it over others....
Great vid
What is the best truck for someone just getting back into RC ?
Maybe the traxxas maxx
You really can't complain about batteries not fitting into a Traxxas vehicles. At this point they made it pretty clear thier vehicles fit their own batteries. If you put a different battery in they don't care about your problems. 😂
Great Well Informed Video! 👍👍🏆 I’ll wait til Traxxas fixes the Issues First. This has Loads of Potential, but for now Pass.
It's definitely ALMOST there. If they just fixed the motor mount and dropped the price by $100, this truck would be so awesome!
Hello Razor, by any chance are you by Livermore? First park you showed looks like a park near to me called William Payne sports park. Just asking as other than this park I’m not sure where I can go bash so I thought you might know some cool spots. Thanks!
Wonder if the motor mount might move around? Sheesh.
Fair honest review
Nice review as always 👍👍
thank you!
Love the intro 😂😂😂😂 👍
It has a lot of potential but chassis, motor mount, battery mount, sintered parts all need improvement as well as some sort of front bumper so the body doesn't fold in with the slightest front hit. Maybe they will nail it with the V2
Sledge is breaking pinions left and right, even the hardened pinions. Installed hardened spur and haven't had an issue breaking any teeth on that. I think its rocks and dirt that are causing it, anyone else having this issue?
Do the gear mesh adjusting inserts from the proline pro mt possibly fit to help hold the motor in place better?
Razor😁 What is the name of the new intro track please I LIke it’🤤🫡 more than the sledge 🤔 found it
Is the X01 and aluminum chassis vehicle? Not really as comparable as it’s on road.
Their are really some great reviews. With these trucks, doesn't it really come down to the stock gears that are installed? In terms if out of the box performance. I now just bought the Sledge and MA x then also have the 6s Talion. I have owned the Tyhoon 6s as well as both the Kaiju and Kaiju ext. Out of the box the fastest vechile I have owned was the Kaiju ext which with stock gearing hit 65 mph. Tyhoon high was 63 and Talion which I went up a couple of teeth and now hits 61. 53 out of the box disappointed me so when you mentioned Spektrum being under powered it caught my attention because everyone else says Arrma makes some of the fastest and most powerful out there and I do not agree. The Kaiju regular I believe comes with a smaller pinion than the ext version and is tough to handle on 6s. Stock I think I only got it to around 50 mph with those balloning tires. The ext runs on belted tires which contributes to its performance. I was not thrilled with thr redcats durability however, especially the ext which was not built as well as the original Kaiju. At least not the one I bought.
thanks!
haha i didnt know they madeee it to where u have to unplug. I thought I was just getting bad escs. thanks for clarifying that
Can you adjust the speed??
awesome video. Thank you
Can u do a race between the 6s kraton and the sledge so we can see if the kraton is slower?
The EXB RTR dropped 50$ in retail. From 749.99 to 699.99$ so 100$ more than the EXB RTR. its 100$ more doesnt come with metal chassi braces or 7075 tower and chassi(maybe not 7075 but better than 6061). Honestly this feels like a scam imo. My exb was 479$ i believe i do have a few m2c diff outdrives and an aluminium gearbox. My exb isnt now a 600$ truck its still a 479$ Truck To my eyes. Maybe that is just me. If i could buy the sledge and an EXB RTR and upgrade them both until they value 1500$ still the sledge will leave a sour taste in my mouth because i paid a lot more and got a lot less than what the outcast EXB RTR gave me. Value is everything at my eyes.
What is the length of the truck without the wing please?
That battery tray is adjustable
Isn’t the motor 2050kv? Just curious. Otherwise great review. As always.
Is there a motor mount upgrade yet?
You also broke the spur gear right? Everyone seems to be breaking spur gears left and right because of the motor mount design. They were out of stock everywhere for a while idk if they still are
I stripped it at the oval track-like BMX park when the motor moved, and yes it is difficult to find now.
So what is the best 1/8 6s? I am looking to buy one.
I just got mines. I got the same color
That chassis flaw is unacceptable for 800$. Should have had a sliding motor mount like any other truggy out there. Im surprised traxxas didnt come up with a 7075 update day 1 of release. That would have pissed off a lot of people. Hope m2c gets a better design to fix this.
And not get sued
Add the Arrma Copperhead tires. The sledgehammers are good on the Hoss and that's really it. Not that good on the Xmaxx either.
Almost all of them. What about the talion exb lol jk. Nice video.
You said you have every 1/8 brushless truck available, how come you never mentioned anything about the Red Cat Landslide XLT?
I said every 1/8 6S. The Landslide is 4S if I'm not mistaken. Technically there are a couple of 6S trucks I don't have, but I have the 8-9 most popular from the biggest brands.
@@RazorRC I see, I'm on a 500$ budget, what would you say is the best & most durable 1/8 6s truck I could get?
@@Patriot-hz8xk is 6s at that price?
Pretty much nailed it! I didn't agree on every point but pretty damn close 👍 For me the price and lack of warranty is enough to take this out of contention. I mean the Kraton is $200 less and offers a two year warranty! Just boggles my mind. Guess what, though, they will sell a ton of these to the Traxxas faithful (Kraton for me, though). I will say one thing In Traxxas' defense, though, this is NOT an Arrma clone! People who say differently are just clueless! 🙄
0:30 Doesn't the xo1 have an aluminum chassis?
I think you're right
Yep, too bad the diffs in it were a nightmare. I still have 2 bodies from mine I made to fit an Infraction.
What’s the intro song if you don’t like me asking
Servo died on me in 2 days. Dropped an OMG 40kg 8.4 volts 0.065 speed with a castle BEC. I do not trust Traxxas servos anymore.
Are you serious?
All brands seems like.
Motor mount is a deal breaker. Aftermarket parts required already for a major component 🙁 The gears are monkey metal too, big but weak. 👍
That motor mounts ha been used for decades in Rcs...
Just need to make sure the screws are tight and loctite is used.
I'm pretty sure a few decades ago people were not sending these 20 feet high doing double backflips. In fact, they didn't even have Lipos.
@@RazorRC lol don't comment back just go buy lock tight
This motor mount literally has a plastic locking spacer, it is impossible to alter the gear mesh, unless you start changing the gear ratio, for stock form that motor mount is perfect and has NO issues whatsoever.
whats the best Team Corally in your opinion ?
'22 Kronos XTR for sure
This looks different than the one I bought.
should have pointed out uts currently unavailable and on back order
not something I review, because when people watch this 6 months from now, they'll think they can't buy one.
Thats really cool but I still like Nitro better
Was that some NIN on the intro!?
😉
Yes, yes…bur how does it compare to Arrma’s current flagship and hybrid platform the Fireteam. Thats the $800 question .
I'm not really interested in the Fireteam. Scale, low-altitude vehicles are not my thing.
2:05 i dont see no Talion?
Yeah, they discontinued it
@@RazorRC they have now but i bought mine 2 years ago, same age as the video lol
For that price there should not have been a motor mount problem.
I just put a set of arrma backflips on my e-revo. They arent as good as the talons IMO. The traction is about the same, and funny enough, I can no longer do backflips easily.
I think they’re lighter than the Talons
@@RazorRC They are WAY lighter. talon is 460 grams and the backflips are 340 (same traxxas wheels)