Redcat racing pinion

[Trucking in space]

Anyone have any experience with this brand? It was the only 10t pinion I could find, but it lasted maybe 1.5 packs and one top of the visible carnage, the set screw head stripped.
My mesh must have been very loose for this damage to occur so soon, correct?

I have a Tekno 11t that I'll replace it with, but my only thought is my mesh was way too loose.
Any thoughts on this ?
I had another pinion that stripped very early (stock 13t) and I had the idea my mesh was loose then as well, since it got the "shark fin" effect, (I think that's what you call it) where the teeth were worn in a sort of curve on one side.
But this Redcat pinion was demolished. I walk 15 minutes to my bash spot and it started to sound funny (the gear noises) 3/4 of the way there. After 10 minutes the sound was like a well-muffled tiny 4 stroke engine.
I started walking home, was dumb and took it on the grass in the last 3/4 of the way, and it fully stripped.
I must be calamity Jack (and a poor builder) because I have an issue every run. I'm not complaining, just trying to learn as I go.
But it's slow going.

On the plus side, the new servo worked excellently. Turned on a dime. I also noticed I forgot to thread lock the pillow ball retainers when I changed the CVD. These heavy Badlands with aluminum hex inserts play help on my wheel adjacent parts. The right side is not loose at all, so I'm hoping it's not too much extra weight, it's me forgetting thread lock.

Thanks in advance for the input.

 

[SirCrashALot]

Are you sure that pinion was the right size for your car? Mod0.8, Mod1?
That mistake could strip pinions almost instantly, because then the teeth don't match and they grind against eachother.

 

[Trucking in space]

Are you sure that pinion was the right size for your car? Mod0.8, Mod1?
That mistake could strip pinions almost instantly, because then the teeth don't match and they grind against eachother.

It was listed as mod 1.0
Looking back on the site, it's actually a Redcat pinion. So I fail the paying attention test.
Maybe Redcat pinions are poop. I wouldn't know.
Thanks for the input.
I put a Tekno pinion in there (11t) and since Amazon didn't specify whether it was hardened steel, I bought a hardened steel 11t pinion from Amain Hobbies, whom I know I can trust in their listing accuracy.
I made the mesh tighter this time (still with enough play to allow the pinion to be held still and the spur moves with a click sound. That's how I was taught to mesh) and rolling the truck by hand already sounds less grind-y.

 

[Horatio]

Tekno pinions are best, with their M5 grub screws.

 

[KnowAir]

Redcat pinions suck, been there.
Losi makes one.
https://www.amainhobbies.com/losi-mod1-5mm-bore-pinion-gear-10t-losa3570/p454421?v=108548

 

[KnowAir]

Alternatively you could possibly run a larger spur gear. What rig ya working on?

 

[KnowAir]

Lower kv motor would also be an option.

 

[Trucking in space]

Okay, I goofed. The Redcat pinion has awful reviews mirroring my experience. Sorry to waste folks time. I read the Robinson brand pinion reviews and bought the wrong one.

I have since replaced with an 11t Tekno pinion.
The Tekno pinion is superior in every way, and I don't heat up the ESC anymore, possibly my mesh was too loose previously.

This time around I rotated the pinion 360 degrees, checking the mesh every 90 degrees. Feels solid.
I don't know if that Redcat pinion was made for a crawler, or just garbage.
I know some people trust Redcat, so I'm not going to say this pinion reflects the brand's overall product quality. Thanks for everyone's input. Stick to Tekno pinions, they've got a great grub screw design.

 

[KnowAir]

Okay, I goofed. The Redcat pinion has awful reviews mirroring my experience. Sorry to waste folks time. I read the Robinson brand pinion reviews and bought the wrong one.

I have since replaced with an 11t Tekno pinion.
The Tekno pinion is superior in every way, and I don't heat up the ESC anymore, possibly my mesh was too loose previously.

This time around I rotated the pinion 360 degrees, checking the mesh every 90 degrees. Feels solid.
I don't know if that Redcat pinion was made for a crawler, or just garbage.
I know some people trust Redcat, so I'm not going to say this pinion reflects the brand's overall product quality. Thanks for everyone's input. Stick to Tekno pinions, they've got a great grub screw design.

If it’s running cooler you may have been unde rgeared. It’s really a thing, can make them run hot. Or mesh, that could create problems when too tight. Glad you got it going good

 

[Horatio]

Yeah, I think if the mesh is off - for example if you're using a rubbish, out of round, mildly chewed up pinion - it's going to run tight regardless of the ratio, and that in turn will make your motor run unnecessarily hotter than it would otherwise.

Under-gearing can result in spinning up your motor to very high revs for much of every run, which can, in some instances, lead to heating the motor - especially the motor bearings.

Given the choice though, it's safer to under-gear than over-gear.

It's all down to use.

If you're running in wide open spaces, gear up to the moon - but check the temperatures every 30 seconds.

If you're running in a confined space on grass, constantly on and off the throttle, or braking a lot - you must use appropriately lower gearing, otherwise you risk magic smoke from your motor and/or ESC.

For example, I can't use my 22/46 high gearing that I run down at the 1/4 mile strip, on a grassy paddock. It would literally melt.

Checking the mesh requires spinning the spur 360° - because no matter how good your new pinion is, no spur is perfectly round. You have to set the mesh - for that perfect 'tick' of play/backlash - at the spur's tightest point.

For inaccessible gears, a strip of thin paper between the gears can help. Mate the pinion to the spur with the paper in between. Then remove the paper. The backlash tends to be slightly more done this way, but it's better than too tight.

It's very easy to do, but it's amazing how bad some people's mesh is - you can literally hear how bad it is - it sounds like a bag of nails.

However, if you mention it, it hurts people's feelings. It's probably less hurtful to ask them 'have you taken a shower lately?'

So here's definitely the place to iron this stuff out. You can't tell people down the bash site - 'your mesh is wrong'. It's like being in a music shop and playing stairway to heaven on a guitar - one would be asked to leave immediately.

RC ethics....minefield, innit?!