Swordfish 300 Pro+ ***Sent back for warranty repair to China!*** Disappointed***

[photohoward1]

***THIS IS NOT IN ANY WAY A KNOCK ON STEVE***


As the title says. I purchased a Swordfish 300 Pro+ from Steve this summer. (Steve warranties them for 30 days then off to China) I ran it with a Neu/2230/1y. on 10s/....I run it hard. Well it died. I could not get the Data off of it so I sent it back to China. 2 weeks later I get an email that they got the Data of of it and were removing the coating from it. 2 weeks later I get this reply.

From: Michelle <michellefuture67@gmail.com>
To: 'howard tucker' <h-tucker@sbcglobal.net>
Sent: Thursday, October 31, 2013 4:57 AM
Subject: Fwd: Swordfish 300 pro+

[I]Hello Mr. Howard Tucker,

Good day.
Sorry for late response.
We have finished check to the 300A Pro Plus ESC. As what the data logger shows, ESC was loaded hard in previous running, the peak current was almost 307amp, and ESC heated much. When open it and remove the glues here, ESC inside was damaged seriously, many electronic components were damaged.
In this condition, not only to change the damaged electronic components with new ones but also needs to change a new circuit board, so that it can bear the high power as it will.
Therefore, the repair cost is a bit expensive, needs 153USD.
Please keep me know if you accept the repair cost?

Best regards,
Michelle
Chongqing HIFEI Technology Ltd.
www.hifei.com
Skype:hifei-michelle

This is my reply to them: So what does everyone think?

Let me understand this. Under Warranty right? Max amps 307. (unit claimed burst rate of 380amps.) Unit claims 100 celsius max. I hit 91 Celsius. Seems within specs to me.
So I ran it hard. That is why I bought it. I shouldn't have to pay anything. How about just shipping me another unit that works?
BTW I will post this on public forums. I think you should honor your Warranties.
Please do the right thing. I will report my satisfaction or dissatisfaction on the forums. All of them.

Howard Tucker

[LiPo Power]

I feel sorry for you friend but here is my opinion.
So after reading this very unique English I have a feeling you are screwed... :crying:
In this case IMO they will not replace it and they are using the peak current as warranty violation...
Remember, their 380 amps are our 240 or so if you lucky.
Or the other choice is for me and you to go there and pay them a visit..... :-)
I was once there with HK aquastar 240....Lost the game, pay the shipping just to learn I was nowhere....

[photohoward1]

I feel sorry for you friend but here is my opinion.
So after reading this very unique English I have a feeling you are screwed... :crying:
In this case IMO they will not replace it and they are using the peak current as warranty violation...
Remember, their 380 amps are our 240 or so if you lucky.
Or the other choice is for me and you to go there and pay them a visit..... :-)
I was once there with HK aquastar 240....Lost the game, pay the shipping just to learn I was nowhere....

I hope that is what forums are for. Just keeping the world updated on the policy.

[LiPo Power]

Did you get their respond on this yet?

Let me understand this. Under Warranty right? Max amps 307. (unit claimed burst rate of 380amps.) Unit claims 100 celsius max. I hit 91 Celsius. Seems within specs to me.
So I ran it hard. That is why I bought it. I shouldn't have to pay anything. How about just shipping me another unit that works?
BTW I will post this on public forums. I think you should honor your Warranties.
Please do the right thing. I will report my satisfaction or dissatisfaction on the forums. All of them.

[oscarel]

I got the same response from them. While running one of the motor wires unsoldered. They claimed where I coupled the wires together MAY have contacted the case, which would have nothing to do with the failure. But there was no signs of arching. And I'm also without an ESC that was run well within specs.

[photohoward1]

No wiring mistakes made. I have to wait till morning for a response. I wonder if Steve had any say as a customer of there's?

[Southwest]

I had to send back a esc to Washington state ( HK ). The answer was , where's the instructions? I sent the instructions with esc in same package. They received the esc but no instructions came with it , so no refund will be sent to you, sorry. Same old answer I've read on many forums!

[kfxguy]

Sounds like im not getting that swordfish esc I was looking at. The most durable esc I've run so far is a mamba monster 2 car esc converted to water cool. It barely gets warm no matter what I throw at it. Its completely waterproof. Submerged it several times.

[photohoward1]

What do the instructions have to do with it? We need to post all this on public forums. If they don't hold to the warranty polices maybe we can force them to.


I had to send back a esc to Washington state ( HK ). The answer was , where's the instructions? I sent the instructions with esc in same package. They received the esc but no instructions came with it , so no refund will be sent to you, sorry. Same old answer I've read on many forums!

[ray schrauwen]

Not good, I hope they step it up some....

[iridebikes247]

pretty easy to rework everything they said to prove you did nothing wrong.

1. 91 celsius, within limits and also if heat was a problem the thermal protection should have kicked in. it didn't therefore the esc is at fault.

2. 307 amps. on the website in the specs it lists 300a constant, 380 surge. Is surge defined as a 5 second time constraint that the esc can handle 380 amps? I bet that motor pulled 307 for a second or two if that then dropped. Clearly within their definition of "surge".

--The data logging numbers reflect then the escs true limit, and the specifications listed on the website aren't accurate? I'm lost. Please let me know I'm willing to pay for shipping and inspection of $70 realistically but anything else seems outside of the warranty.

I'd send another email like this see what they say. worst comes to worst you could pay it then sell the esc on here as a refurbished hifei for $180 bucks buy a new one and lose $100 bucks total. If you're done with hifei I'd go with the modelbaupirate 300a esc or perhaps an atos formel.

[Southwest]

Howard, the esc didn't work and I emailed them and they said, send it back to Washington state ( HK ) with instructions of which I did. I never received a refund or an email regarding the esc again. Don't go jumping on me, just telling what happened to me about the esc. Steve had nothing to do with sale! Maybe we'll have to go to the European market place from now on! I'm a average rc boater with a champague taste on a beer income!

[jaike5]

Hi Howard, I-Care has access to new sch. 40/160 and 300's . as well as repairs
Cheers, Jay.

[photohoward1]

I wasn't jumping on you I was jumping on them. Weather the instructions were sent or not has nothing to do with warranty. I hold Steve in High regard. I would not want his issues with these Chinese vendors.
Howard, the esc didn't work and I emailed them and they said, send it back to Washington state ( HK ) with instructions of which I did. I never received a refund or an email regarding the esc again. Don't go jumping on me, just telling what happened to me about the esc. Steve had nothing to do with sale! Maybe we'll have to go to the European market place from now on! I'm a average rc boater with a champague taste on a beer income!

Mike: Basically that is the email I sent. So far no response. Then again it is Saturday there I think.

[photohoward1]

Jay, I thought they were out of Business? Do you know if they can still be sent back to Germany for repair?
BTW: fut-xxl-40.334WK, splash proof, water cooling $963.00 330/440 A 3 - 14 L

[T.S.Davis]

Howard........you'd pay it. You wouldn't want too but you'd do it if you could rely on it like the old bullet resistant 40/160's. Even when you did manage to wound one they rarely went crispy critter. You just sent it, paid for the repair, and they usually came back better than new. They even told you what they thought you were doing wrong so you would stop doing it.

It's way off on a tangent and worthy of a fresh thread but what happened to the designs and tech developed by Schulze? You would think the tech and design could be sold to someone willing to produce it somewhere. Maybe even here in the states. Rather than just flushing the company into nothing they could get something out of it. Must be some business thing that's over my head.

[photohoward1]

They might be back in business. They do have a new web site. IDK. You're right though on Bullet proof. I still have four 40/160's and a small 150 amper....

[/QUOTE]It's way off on a tangent and worthy of a fresh thread but what happened to the designs and tech developed by Schulze? You would think the tech and design could be sold to someone willing to produce it somewhere. Maybe even here in the states. Rather than just flushing the company into nothing they could get something out of it. Must be some business thing that's over my head.[/QUOTE]

[photohoward1]

Found it!!!

http://www.matthias-schulze-elektronik.de/

[T.S.Davis]

Howard, there is also the big MGM (TMM 40063-3 for Race Boats X2-SERIES) I just don't personally know anyone that's run or seen one. I know their smaller units are high quality. It's an awful lot of money to spend on an unknown though. Very nice looking unit for what ever that's worth.

I have three beast I'm running at the nats. Two of them are getting old school Castle HV and one gets an ICE200hv. Just not sure that's enough. Don't really have a great alternative at the moment.

[keithbradley]

Sounds like im not getting that swordfish esc I was looking at. The most durable esc I've run so far is a mamba monster 2 car esc converted to water cool. It barely gets warm no matter what I throw at it. Its completely waterproof. Submerged it several times.

The SF300 is by far more capable than anything castle offers. There really isn't an ESC in this price range that compares. If you want something that can handle that kind of power and have a better warranty, prepare to pay for it.

I think that's part of the problem. A lot of these Chinese companies have profit margins that are so low (and the retail profit margins are usually low as well), they can't afford to warranty items in total-loss situations. It's a double edged sword. We want products that perform at a high level and the service to match, but nobody wants to pay $1000 for an ESC with these qualities when they can buy something almost as good for less than a third of that.

MGM just changed the way they sell ESCs. They sell them with a 3 year warranty option, and a more expensive model with a 5 year warranty option. That's probably the only place I know of that has an ESC capable of big power and a warranty to back it up. Hifei will warranty ESCs when they are repairable, but it's tougher to get them to replace them for free if the ESC is a total loss. To me this is just something that we have to accept if we want 15,000watt ESCs at $300.

In the end, we vote with our dollars. If people wanted to pay $1k for a better ESC, I have no doubt that Steve would be willing to sell them.

Howard: I totally understand why you're upset. I'm not disagreeing with you at all, just sharing what I know.

[T.S.Davis]

That's a pretty good point Keith. Pay 1k for something built like the space shuttle or buy 3 at 300 and accept that you are going to injure one or two from time to time. Cheap has a price too.

[Steven Vaccaro]

the best avenue is to contact me when there are problems like this. That way I can jump in the middle. From the data it looks like you should be getting a free repair. Im on this.

[T.S.Davis]

the best avenue is to contact me when there are problems like this. That way I can jump in the middle. From the data it looks like you should be getting a free repair. Im on this.

......and this is why Steven is the best.

[LiPo Power]

That is wicked...

[Doug Smock]

the best avenue is to contact me when there are problems like this. That way I can jump in the middle. From the data it looks like you should be getting a free repair. Im on this.

Awesome!

[jaike5]

Howard, I returned a 40/160 for repair in April at that time I was offered a 40/160 for 525.00 all in. I offered 400.00 they declined. I still had my 40/160 repaired and it was 110.00 all in. The amount of money we all pile into these boats to save 150,00 for cheap junk and a pile of grieve , where is the saving ??? I too have 4, 40/160's and they are worth every penny. Maybe Steve can put sch. back on the map and we can get rid of the sub standard equipment . we have the power, we have the cash, cash is king, lets put these jokers in there place, at the bottom of the food chain...... Sorry had a daydream their!!
Cheers, Jay. race on :rockon2:

[oscarel]

the best avenue is to contact me when there are problems like this. That way I can jump in the middle. From the data it looks like you should be getting a free repair. Im on this.

Can you ask them about mine as well?

[kevinpratt823]

I can't even begin to describe the very lengthy interaction I had trying to get a Warranty from them on a 1 week old 240HV pro+ bought from KBB. It smoked on the very first run, in a setup that previously maxed out at 237 amps, well within their claimed burst rating. Regaurdless of the fact that I continuosly pointed out the flaw in thier software that doesn't allow it to properly calibrate to my Spektrum TX with travel at 100%, therefore only maxing at 82% throttle, likely creating excessive heat. This is what I got in a nutshell, even with Steven onboard for the discussion(thank you).......

"Hello Kevin,

Sorry for my late response.

Each ESC is tested for at least 4 times under load and passes QC check by equipment in our factory, so less possibility of defect cases.
From the damage degree, the ESC once worked very hard and rather hot so that the motor cables were moved away and the PCB was broken.

Normally we would check ESC by tools and decide if it is covered under warranty or not, but as this Pro+ 240A was damaged so seriously that cannot be checked by tools.
As manufacturer, we very hope to provide best service as we can, but as the Pro+ 240A is made with high cost, so we cannot provide a new replacement at free for it is damaged without clear reason. We would afford some discount for new replacement and you can get one from dealer at discount price. Do you agree with this?"

Originally I said I absolutely do not agree with this, then explained very fully why, but eventually, I ended up paying about half for a replacement anyway, very dissapointing from a customer/product support standpoint.

[oscarel]

I seriously think these enclosed ESC's are getting too hot, no way to dissipate heat except contact with the cooling plates. They offered me a replacement as well for $180 I believe, but after paying for shipping both ways and an additional $180 without a guarantee it would work and without much warranty support I replaced it with an MGM.

[RaceMechaniX]

Guys,

To be brutally honest the old adage holds true: "you get what you pay for". I do not mean to target the OP, but to point the finger at all of us. We all know the marketing hype is complete BS and the ratings many of the companies use are at perfect conditions of 25C with bountiful cooling and with the most rigid power supplies imaginable. Look at the spec sheet for a typical FET and you will see the performance drop off significantly with temperature. Compound this with tightly packaged FETS, uneven cooling, inadequate ripple current capability and inconsistent quality. Technically their are a half a dozen reasons why the ESC's should fail.

Companies like MGM, Schulze, Jeti, Kontronik and YGE among others do their research before a production run and look at the details (cooling, FET spacing, board inductance, copper trace quality, capacitance, contact pressure, and the list goes on). They now have better onboard health checks coupled with safeties to prevent failures the majority of failures we see. Yes it does cap the performance, but I rarely hear of a MGM or newer Schulze just burning up without cause.

The gold standard may be the older 40.160 with simple controls, well spaced FET's, heavy copper PCB's and reasonable ratings. Compare this to any of the low cost ESC's and difference should be obvious. There are exceptions like the $100 T180 which continue to perform great within its limits.

The warranties most hobby ESC companies offer cover 90% of modelers probably with the exception of boaters who are able to run at high loads with larger capacity batteries compared to planes, helis and cars. Ever notice the "*for 2 minutes" or "*one battery pack"? It's there in the fine print as many of the ESC's can handle short bursts of high currents, but must see a lower duty cycle overall before the components reach a thermal failure point.

I do believe companies should honor their warranties within reason. That said many of us, myself included go way beyond what is reasonable and believe we are entitled to a full replacement.

I can't emphasize this enough "invest in quality the first time". Otherwise you assume the risks of low cost components. I'll get off my pulpit now. I am just a little fired up after working on a 120kW drive today trying to dissipate 15kW worth of heat from an area no larger than one side of a 8.5"x11" sheet of paper.

TG

[kevinpratt823]

I should add that, although it was denied fully and repeatedly(for weeks) that there was any issue with the SF software not calibrating correctly(she kept telling me I had to adjust my radio to 75%/125%), the day after I paid for the replacement Michelle sent me links to software updates for the 240HV, 240HV Pro+, and 300HV Pro+, that supposedly correct the issue......I guess she was holding out. If you have a SF ESC, I suggest you email her and get the update, especially if you have a Spektrum DX3c or similar.

Tyler obviously makes valid points. I typically don't have much of a problem paying where there is good customer support. If Castle made something compareable for these applications(I haven't had much luck with the HV200, and wanted the headroom of the higher ratings), I'd have bought it. Unfortunately, the other brands you mention have very little exposure/online prescence/accessibility, so not being in the hobby all that long I don't even know where to begin with them, I will have to begin some research for future purchases..........

[Steven Vaccaro]

Howard, I returned a 40/160 for repair in April at that time I was offered a 40/160 for 525.00 all in. I offered 400.00 they declined. I still had my 40/160 repaired and it was 110.00 all in. The amount of money we all pile into these boats to save 150,00 for cheap junk and a pile of grieve , where is the saving ??? I too have 4, 40/160's and they are worth every penny. Maybe Steve can put sch. back on the map and we can get rid of the sub standard equipment . we have the power, we have the cash, cash is king, lets put these jokers in there place, at the bottom of the food chain...... Sorry had a daydream their!!
Cheers, Jay. race on :rockon2: The Swordfish 300 is a far cry from junk. I've sold well over 100 so far and the problems have been limited. But i agree its no 40/160. Anyone have a contact for Schultz? Ive tried in the past with no email response back.

[DPeterson]

Interesting thread.

[ray schrauwen]

There are copies to watch out for too...

YGE got knocked off by a manufacturer for Hobby King YEP esc's. Look the same but, who knows what you are getting??

Hobby King released a new 200 amp HV esc with no instructions or programmer, yet people bought them, why? Then these same people complain a blue streak in the comments section as if they deserved anything more. Who knows??? it might be a decent esc once HK gives you instructions...
I don't put Howard or anyone else in here in that category but, think before you buy some cheap stuff. I'd rather get my esc's from Steve these days just for some sort of support.

Pics of the YEP esc. Nice layout, just can't trust what is on it.

[ray schrauwen]

BTW, the SF220 pro is a totally redesigned esc from what I see on the older SF200. Sort of, and I mean slightly looks like the layout of the Fightercat escs but, I know that's not the case. MBP esc's also have that FC esc layout with giant cap bank. All interesting stuff but, not easy to trust.

I hope I can get the esc out to test before snow falls.

[kevinpratt823]

The Swordfish 300 is a far cry from junk. I've sold well over 100 so far and the problems have been limited. But i agree its no 40/160. Anyone have a contact for Schultz? Ive tried in the past with no email response back.

I would have to agree on that. Aside from a few minor things, like weight, wiring logistics, calibration issues(easily solvable once you're aware of it), and the fact that the logging doesn't seem to be capable of recording more than the last run, I really can't complain about anything (other than customer/product support, and for the prices, I know that even that may be a stretch). The fact is(especially with the SF300), I have been pretty hard on ESC's, (just take a whiff of some of my boats for proof:doh:), and the SF300 hasn't batted an eye to anything I've thrown at it so far.

On the other hand, if a company supposedly offers a warranty, and claims ratings on a product, I will certainly do everything I can to get them to honor it when the product fails while being used within those claimed ratings.

[jaike5]

Steve,
As Tyler stated in all the technical reasoning why these esc's fail or are set up to do so. Then you have to buy an other one at half price as a warranty, and that one is going to do the same thing. Just doesn't make sense to me. If you try I-care they might be able set you up with sch.
Cheers, Jay.

[Steven Vaccaro]

Steve,
As Tyler stated in all the technical reasoning why these esc's fail or are set up to do so. Then you have to buy an other one at half price as a warranty, and that one is going to do the same thing. Just doesn't make sense to me. If you try I-care they might be able set you up with sch.
Cheers, Jay.

Sorry Jay that's simply not true. If it was Id be out of business with a mountain of returned esc's or complaints.

I also personally use those esc's, the 300hv has been a wonderful control. I don't push it to 300 amps. but its in the 200-250 range consistently on 10s.

As for getting what you pay for and buying from Europe, sure their quality is better, but do some checking on some of there return policies. There have been complaints there also. Ask Mike Pags about Lehner. Ask Don Wollard about BK esc's. I've seen Schultz esc's fail. nothing is perfect.

Thanks for I-care. I've done that previously, I rather buy direct.

[iridebikes247]

the swordfish 300 is far from junk. hifei will not be going out of business any time soon either. A lot of these escs are being sold and the failure rate is prominent because of sales volume compared to higher end escs. this is something to keep in mind. If you're running one of these escs close to the limit expect to burn one once in awhile. I understand its not the burning of the esc as much as its the failure of hifei to do the right thing. They would be smart to just warranty it they sell so many of them and threads like this hurt sales im sure. granted profit margin is smaller than some escs but who cares its one esc.

so you can either buy two mgms or 40.161s or buy 3 hifeis and keep one in the packaging and still save money. it comes down to expectations. If you're expectations are very high then a cheap esc is not for you as it will only dissapoint. Me, I'm blown away a $280 esc can crank out 13kw. Schulze 40.160 is an amazing esc from what I've heard but I really don't think many applications call for the additional overhead this esc provides. swordfish 300 should work in most hardcore setups. I know people running setups with lehner motors and other high end european electronics I can't think of one of them that has provided free rebuilds or whatever.

If the boat can make or break your day buy the best escs out there.

[photohoward1]

the best avenue is to contact me when there are problems like this. That way I can jump in the middle. From the data it looks like you should be getting a free repair. Im on this.

Thanks Steve.

Keith, I agree but they sell it with that warranty. I know the margins are low. But it's fraud to advertise a warranty and not stand by it.

[photohoward1]

There is not many high end options out there for big fast Boats. What I really don't understand is why it just didn't shut down if I was pushing it hard. It Monitors everything. The software could shut it down. My Schulze's shut down if they get hot or over amp. My Seakings shut down for Pete's sake, and they are cheap. All in all I have been satisfied with the SW controllers. I also have a 240 pro that works and another 300 that works. You can't beat them for price. Castle's never liked me. I touch them on the bench and they go poof. (I just have an electric touch I guess.)

[iridebikes247]

I have a feeling they're going to do the right thing now. Steve is without a doubt their top retailer

[ray schrauwen]

One thing I'd like to see from SF or others is the ability to replace the caps easily by solder or connector. To me they are disposable and if I was really good I could tell when to replace them or just replace them after every hard weekend of running as they are cheap to replace, just not so easy when they cram them into the space as they do.

[LiPo Power]

I like this idea Ray....

[jaike5]

Thanks for your honest input Steve . It would be a lot better if they would stand behind there warranty and not mince words and leave you hanging out to dry. Hope you can get a hold of sch. or an other high end esc company so we all have the choice on what product to buy.
Cheers, Jay.

[liteumup69]

http://www.matthias-schulze-elektronik.de/ Matthias Schulze new web site, But I do not think they are making any products??

Another newer unit to consider.. http://www.atos-modellsport.de/

[cybercrxt]

Guys, I will say this once and say it loud. If you are not adding external cap banks, then you are going to get poor results. I personally have never lost a esc, castle hydra, hydra ice, airplane ice converted to water cooling, ul-1 controller, etc, with the use of an external cap bank. Every time I have tried an esc without it...poof. I run SAW trials and again had success yesterday....with an ice controller and cap bank. A good friend with a hydra ice, but no cap bank....poof. Spend the $25 and quit wasting money on esc replacements. There is a reason a 40.160 has a ton of caps on board!!! Year in and year out I see these complaints on blowing esc's and in most cases...no extra caps.

Mike

[oscarel]

Guys, I will say this once and say it loud. If you are not adding external cap banks, then you are going to get poor results. I personally have never lost a esc, castle hydra, hydra ice, airplane ice converted to water cooling, ul-1 controller, etc, with the use of an external cap bank. Every time I have tried an esc without it...poof. I run SAW trials and again had success yesterday....with an ice controller and cap bank. A good friend with a hydra ice, but no cap bank....poof. Spend the $25 and quit wasting money on esc replacements. There is a reason a 40.160 has a ton of caps on board!!! Year in and year out I see these complaints on blowing esc's and in most cases...no extra caps.

Mike

Mine had extra caps, I also add them to all my ESC's.

[T.S.Davis]

If it were that simple why don't they manufacture them with extra caps?

[cybercrxt]

Well, call castle creations, and talk to their techs. They will tell you they highly recommend them in boat applications, and the reason they do not put more on, is cosmetics. Having a bunch of extra caps in a solid panel would take up a lot more space. Yes, these companies need to add more, but users also need to run temp checks, and be realistic with setups, and use quality batteries. There are a lot of factors, but I highly believe the biggest, most widespread killer of ESC's, is ripple current. The way to combat that...caps, and quality packs.

[T.S.Davis]

most widespread killer of ESC's, is ripple current. The way to combat that...caps, and quality packs.

I can't argue that. I don't own junk cells anymore. Keeps the ripple down. I haven't lost a speedo to a mysterious issue in some time. The last one I wrecked was due to an impact.

I did have a 2215/1y motor that kept killing ICE240LV's speedos at first pull of the trigger. Never did figure that out. Castle couldn't figure it out either. Couldn't have been ripple. Runs great on the ICE200 HV.

[photohoward1]

The did the right thing! And Thank you Steve!

Hello Mr. Howard Tucker,

Steve in OSE emailed us and indicated your case, he is also rich experience to assemble boats and know much about ESC and motor.
We will warranty your ESC.
Meanwhile, we want to claim that Swordfish Pro/Pro+ 300A are definitely reliable controllers, and we stand behind our all products all the time.

[RaceMechaniX]

Good to hear Howard. Steve you are the man!

TG

[gixx1k2]

I bought 2 of these back in August and just got my boat together last week. I got both ESC's programmed no problems, took the boat out yesterday for the maiden run and within 30 seconds one of the swordfish 300+'s went out on me. Brought the boat in no smell, no smoke, no heat, nothing. unplugged everything tried to power it back up and nothing it wont arm at all. I plugged the other motor into the suspect esc and same thing will not turn on. Any ideas ? I hope they would warranty it considering it was basically the first time having power to it.

[photohoward1]

I bought 2 of these back in August and just got my boat together last week. I got both ESC's programmed no problems, took the boat out yesterday for the maiden run and within 30 seconds one of the swordfish 300+'s went out on me. Brought the boat in no smell, no smoke, no heat, nothing. unplugged everything tried to power it back up and nothing it wont arm at all. I plugged the other motor into the suspect esc and same thing will not turn on. Any ideas ? I hope they would warranty it considering it was basically the first time having power to it.

Send it in for warranty:

You have to fill out the PDF and send with it. Look on the web for the return form. http://www.hifei.com/list.asp?mid=20

Chongqing HIFEI Technology Ltd.
www.hifei.com
Skype:hifei-michelle

Company: Chongqing HIFEI Technology Ltd.
Address: 2/F, K Building, 52 Keyuan fourth street, Gaoxin District
City: Chongqing
Country: China
Zip code: 400041
Receiver: Michelle
Tel: 86 23 68621580

Michelle <michellefuture67@gmail.com>;

[gixx1k2]

Thanks for the info, I've already printed the warranty form. Just hope they don't give me the run around

[oscarel]

Thanks for the info, I've already printed the warranty form. Just hope they don't give me the run around

Prepare for it.

[avinash inalsingh]

strange I got the same response from michelle>>> but I never ran mine, it just never worked, same price 153 US...I think the product is defective>>>I would go with a castle I don't believe in hi fei again...I using etti and castle.. cut out the headache>>

[ray schrauwen]

Every esc maker will create a headache at some point. I miss the old SF200's as I used to beat the day lights out of those and they came back for more.

Too bad HK screwed the pooch on their new 200A HV esc, could have been a contender.

By Spring there will be many new esc's out on the market, there always are.

[ray schrauwen]

If it were that simple why don't they manufacture them with extra caps?

YGE sells some massive cap banks, have a peek...

Maybe the SF esc's need some extra caps right from the go???

YGE is an alternative and the YEP HK knock offs too if you dare...:hide:

[grsboats]

I second Tyler and have learned the hard way.Gill

[photohoward1]

Just not persistent enough.

[drwayne]

Castle's warranty for any claim to Australia is half new cost, and a previous refurb gets returned. Add postage. :sad:
Lost faith over the amount of times returned for damn near new cost ( inc postage both ways ) !
EVERY Castle ever across my desk had been returned at least once for warranty.. not so the Sf.

Spektrum are one of a dozen radio manufacturers world wide.. SF software catered to 11 of the 12 before they acquiesced and rewrote script to support that single manufacturer's deficiency in channel endpoint width ... why didnt you chase Spektrum for an update to match the still current world standard ??? ... because then all the other 11 manufacturer's systems would work with their bind&play rtr market . !

FUTABA, SANWA, AIRTRONICS, JR, MULTIPLEX etc etc etc ad nauseum have zero problems with any esc.. only Spektrum needs a tissue for some brands not of US origin/input.

SF have been alright re warranty claims for me.
Any warranty dept has limited ability to read your complaint and ascertain if your words are truthful or deceitful to gain claim where such is not applicable ... not suggesting any claim is false, but there are many who try.
Steve V has an honest face.. and his supporting words should clear their mind of any doubt re claim authenticity where you are a known reputable person.

Cap banks are a necessary inclusion to EVERY boat esc application... inbuilt esc capbanks rarely cater the needs of our various beasts .. build external banks accordingly. !!!!!!!!!

[ray schrauwen]

Interesting Wayne.

[Tbauer]

The Turnigy Aquastar's ARE JUNK.............Stay away from them, FOR NOW. I bought 2 of them for a really good price when they first came out, BEFORE all the hate and discontent went public. I think the 180's are still far superior. Hopefully they will work out the bugs.

I have done really well with Flier esc's. I had many many many issues with the Swordfish esc's, MANY. Keith can attest to my troubles with multiple failures and returns. I was 50/50 on free vs. pay.

They call me the black cloud for a reason tho..............

[ray schrauwen]

Tell us how you really feel!? LOL... Kidding.

Which Aquastar's are you talking about? The HiFei Aquastar's or the car Aquastar's with water cooling that I know are recycled junk?

Hobby King is so funny. They sell a Sky Rc 120A Aquastar that is re-badged as a Swordfish on other sites. Then there is the recent 200A HV Lunchbox let down for $130. I can't believe people bought those with no programmer or anything and now HK is back peddling to fix the issues. Crazy.


The Turnigy Aquastar's ARE JUNK.............Stay away from them, FOR NOW. I bought 2 of them for a really good price when they first came out, BEFORE all the hate and discontent went public. I think the 180's are still far superior. Hopefully they will work out the bugs.

I have done really well with Flier esc's. I had many many many issues with the Swordfish esc's, MANY. Keith can attest to my troubles with multiple failures and returns. I was 50/50 on free vs. pay.

They call me the black cloud for a reason tho..............

[oscarel]

I've never had a denied warranty from Castle, even Hobby King has warrantied a T180 ESC that wasn't as waterproof as claimed. Can't say the same for Swordfish, plus it cost an extra $40 in shipping to tell me it wasn't warrantied!

[Tbauer]

Tell us how you really feel!? LOL... Kidding.

Which Aquastar's are you talking about? The HiFei Aquastar's or the car Aquastar's with water cooling that I know are recycled junk?

Hobby King is so funny. They sell a Sky Rc 120A Aquastar that is re-badged as a Swordfish on other sites. Then there is the recent 200A HV Lunchbox let down for $130. I can't believe people bought those with no programmer or anything and now HK is back peddling to fix the issues. Crazy.


Sorry, I should have clarified, yes, the Lunchbox....... I was beyond P.O.'d that they would release that without telling anyone that they short changed us. I wish I was late on hearing about those so that I could have been in the loop. Even after receiving the program box, they still don't function right.....