Any recommendations for EDF brands other than Freewing?

[Valkpilot]

E-Flite F4ZF Wildcat and P-47D Razorback 1.2. (flys perfectly every time regardless of having AS3X or not).
Not gonna rehash everything I already mentioned in the other post, but one point of clarification, my F-86 is the 64mm version, not the larger version.

First of all, you probably have the same problem I do, and that's tossing a plane then getting it under control. I see that you've flown tail-draggers. My first recommendation would be to get some time in on a midwing
tricycle landing gear plane, such as the Parkzone T-28 PNP version. The original was a tough bird, but had a tendancy to have one of the mains come off, but was easily glued back on. After that, I'd go with a T-45/BAE Hawk, either the Volanex or TS-TS829. With the TS-TS829, you can use the same batteries(with the proper MRC adapter) that you used in the P-47. Beyond that, I can't recommend anything because
I learned on a Sky Angel T-45 but have a paved runway to fly from.

[themudduck]

Chipset35, I would like to say that Freewing has an excellent selection of EDF jets, you're not going to go wrong with them, as you can see here a lot of us feel that they offer some really good quality products. Most if not all of the competition (for similar planes) are inferior. But there are alternatives out there. Freewing's planes can be a little intimidating, since they are top notch and can be more expensive than cheaper offerings. Some are harder to fly as well (I mean, the top-end ones are for experienced pilots).

The Freewing BAE Hawk is an excellent choice. But since you asked about alternatives I'd like to chime in and give you another option.

The Durafly Vampire (sold by HobbyKi...oops, the Company That Shall Not Be Named) is a really excellent little EDF. Its 70mm and flies really well (I recommend a 4-cell 2500). It comes with retracts. The wheels are a bit small but it does OK on short grass. It can be hand-tossed or belly landed without any problem at all - unlike many EDFs it glides extremely well when the power is off. And its not expensive. These traits make it quite attractive if you want to have an EDF that acts the part and won't bust your wallet. I have two of them.
(the original one and this one)

[Tom]

Would love to buy an E-Flite EDF but do not see any I would like to purchase yet.
Been researching FMS and Dynam, but it seems like the quality varies per model.
I like Freewing's large selection, but their foam is too brittle IMHO after owning one.
I am currently considering the Dynam A-10 and ME-262, the FMS A-10, and the FMS F-18 Super Hornet.

Welcome to HS. I'd encourage you not to judge the entire line of Freewing planes based on the Freewing 64mm F-86 you have. While the 64mm F-86 is a great little plane, it is the oldest plane in the Freewing lineup. That little guy pre-dates Motion RC. I'd guess the 64mm F-86 is 8 years old (or so). It is one of the first planes Freewing ever made and 8 years in RC technology is an absolute eternity. The strides the industry has made in design and materials during the last few years is massive. The little F-86 was designed and the tooling was made in a very different time. The tooling cannot be updated easily and the plane still flies extremely well so it is one of the few planes of that age still on the market. Clearly you are also looking at larger and more expensive planes. You'll find the construction methods, electronics, and materials are very different from the little F-86 as you go to larger and more expensive planes. I noticed you are looking at a couple Dynam planes, Please be aware Dynam is a price point brand. This is not to say the brand is bad but please be aware of this.

[Jhnybgd]

FMS Yak 130 hands down better plane than FW(had both sold FW)
I now have 3 FMS yaks I love them so much.
I did plant 1 in a field due to bad esc....will replace though

[chipset35]

Welcome to HS. I'd encourage you not to judge the entire line of Freewing planes based on the Freewing 64mm F-86 you have. While the 64mm F-86 is a great little plane, it is the oldest plane in the Freewing lineup. That little guy pre-dates Motion RC. I'd guess the 64mm F-86 is 8 years old (or so). It is one of the first planes Freewing ever made and 8 years in RC technology is an absolute eternity. The strides the industry has made in design and materials during the last few years is massive. The little F-86 was designed and the tooling was made in a very different time. The tooling cannot be updated easily and the plane still flies extremely well so it is one of the few planes of that age still on the market. Clearly you are also looking at larger and more expensive planes. You'll find the construction methods, electronics, and materials are very different from the little F-86 as you go to larger and more expensive planes. I noticed you are looking at a couple Dynam planes, Please be aware Dynam is a price point brand. This is not to say the brand is bad but please be aware of this.

I knew something had to be different about that F-86, had no idea it was an old design.
Probably, going to take the other members advice and go with one of the 3 jets they were recommending for me.

[Valkpilot]

Chipset35, I would like to say that Freewing has an excellent selection of EDF jets, you're not going to go wrong with them, as you can see here a lot of us feel that they offer some really good quality products. Most if not all of the competition (for similar planes) are inferior. But there are alternatives out there. Freewing's planes can be a little intimidating, since they are top notch and can be more expensive than cheaper offerings. Some are harder to fly as well (I mean, the top-end ones are for experienced pilots).

The Freewing BAE Hawk is an excellent choice. But since you asked about alternatives I'd like to chime in and give you another option.

The Durafly Vampire (sold by HobbyKi...oops, the Company That Shall Not Be Named) is a really excellent little EDF. Its 70mm and flies really well (I recommend a 4-cell 2500). It comes with retracts. The wheels are a bit small but it does OK on short grass. It can be hand-tossed or belly landed without any problem at all - unlike many EDFs it glides extremely well when the power is off. And its not expensive. These traits make it quite attractive if you want to have an EDF that acts the part and won't bust your wallet. I have two of them.
(the original one and this one)

There's only one problem Duck. From what I've read, they still haven't quite corrected the exploding ESC problem. And I had two of the originals do that to me, one over the "deep brush" and one on take-off.

[fhhuber]

If a model I want has a reputation for unreliable ESC... I just pull the ESC, scrap it and put in a Castle rated higher amps.

I will replace any failed ESC with a Castle. I have never had a Castle ESC fail for any reason other than being shattered in a crash

Note that Castle Thunderbird 54 is rated 3S LiPo, but if you look up the exact specs, its 0.2 v lower rated than 4S at full charge. They do just fine on 4S. The 36 on 3S can get quite warm when pulling 35 amps... so make sure it has some cooling airflow. I have one with browned "clear" heat shrink over it. Heat shrink is a bit brittle, but the ESC is fine.

[themudduck]

Well OK, yeah I have heard about that problem, but I have two Vampires and both of them have been fine. Nothing has exploded. (maybe I've been lucky)
I'm suggesting this one mainly because its an easy EDF to fly and not expensive.

I still feel Freewing models are the best.

[xviper]

I've had 3 of these HK Vampires ................. 2 of the original ones and my current Canajun theme. All the ESCs were fine. My first one was plowed into the dirt due to the wrong CG published in the manual. My second one, after moving the battery back, flew fine till I buried it in the hillside on take off at the end of the runway. My current one has been doing just fine. Those little dinky wheels haven't been much of a problem for me on our bumpy grass field. This little plane is quite powerful so it drives itself through the grass very well for take off. It's also fast but floats in nicely for landings. Nevertheless, my FW Venom 90mm is a much nicer plane in terms of quality, presence, sound and size.

[Valkpilot]

I've had 3 of these HK Vampires ................. 2 of the original ones and my current Canajun theme. All the ESCs were fine. My first one was plowed into the dirt due to the wrong CG published in the manual. My second one, after moving the battery back, flew fine till I buried it in the hillside on take off at the end of the runway. My current one has been doing just fine. Those little dinky wheels haven't been much of a problem for me on our bumpy grass field. This little plane is quite powerful so it drives itself through the grass very well for take off. It's also fast but floats in nicely for landings. Nevertheless, my FW Venom 90mm is a much nicer plane in terms of quality, presence, sound and size.

The quality of Freewing now is why I put the Vampire on the suggestion list for Alpha, preferrably a 64 mm or 70 mm. Not everybody can afford a $400 plane that takes $100 batteries.

[xviper]

The quality of Freewing now is why I put the Vampire on the suggestion list for Alpha, preferrably a 64 mm or 70 mm. Not everybody can afford a $400 plane that takes $100 batteries.

I understand where you're coming from. Had the HK Vampire been a bit higher quality, it would have been near perfect. That weird nose gear steering needs to go. However, if you fix that and a couple of other small deficiencies, it would be hard to hold the line on the price. It's really hard to beat HobbyKing's pricing on the Vamp. But if anyone can do it, Motion/Freewing could do it along the lines of their small "buzz bomb" type of hand launched 64mm planes (eg, P.15, F-105 & Crusader). I mean, $98.00 for those are a steal.

[Valkpilot]

I understand where you're coming from. Had the HK Vampire been a bit higher quality, it would have been near perfect. That weird nose gear steering needs to go. However, if you fix that and a couple of other small deficiencies, it would be hard to hold the line on the price. It's really hard to beat HobbyKing's pricing on the Vamp. But if anyone can do it, Motion/Freewing could do it along the lines of their small "buzz bomb" type of hand launched 64mm planes (eg, P.15, F-105 & Crusader). I mean, $98.00 for those are a steal.

Freewing's quality has GREATLY improved since their first generation(F-86, F9F, and MiG-15) And the fact that they come with a fixed landing gear option is great for those of us who can't hand launch. I'll probably buy an F-8, and maybe an F/A -18 once I get my que cleared (5) and two others that are pending a current experimental test flight. I would DEFINITELTY buy an 18 if it were Blue Angels, and a F9F if it were in some other scheme than the grey and yellow.