THURSDAY TESTIMONIALS: BK Servo DS-S-HT digital high-torque coreless servo

As a local 17.5 Buggy class racer, I’m always looking for the best performance-to-value ratio in the products I use. In my 15 years of R/C Racing, I’ve put several brands of servos through their paces and have seen basic broken gears to burned up motors - especially racing on today’s astroturf tracks with a buggy that has no servo saver. The most important part I look for, especially in evaluating a servo, is its toughness. BK Servos, a new brand to the RC car market, gets its namesake from Bert Krammerer - a world-renowned RC helicopter pilot with over 30 years of experience. He’s recently released a line of servos for surface vehicles that I’ve been excited to try since I first laid eyes on their beauty - and while I had intended to use this unit in my 1/8-scale buggy since they offer the low-profile BLS-SS-HS for 1/10-scale cars, my third servo failure in the last two months, it was time to give this one a try.

 

 

Once out of the packaging, you can tell from the onset of the brand that they mean business. Built with a beautiful, billet-machined alloy case that contains titanium gears and a cordless motor, there’s no question that this servo would shrug off abuse that could cause case failures for the many plastic-cased options on hobby shop shelves. The color-coded wiring for the receiver is welcomed for wire-phobes like me, who like to shorten and tidy them up without losing track of which wire is which. Not only will the aluminum case resist distortion but also acts as a heatsink, which would prove especially useful during long nitro races. The case is machined to gain as much surface area as possible to dissipate heat. Because the machining is done after the anodizing process, the case has a stellar two-tone appearance that also sets it apart from the monotony of black-cased servos that dominate the marketplace.  

 

 

Yes, it looks good. How does it perform? One word sums it up: flawlessly. The almost-industry-standard 25T-splined output shaft fits both my plastic and alloy horns perfectly, without having to jam one on and then use the screw to push it on the rest of the way. The specs are unworldly, too: a .10 sec transit time with an insane 566.3 oz/in torque will make this servo the leader of the pack in any form of 1/10- or 1/8-scale surface use. The new wave of adjustable BEC’s in speed controllers will allow you to take advantage of these numbers, and the proliferation of LiPo receiver batteries for nitro vehicles will as well. In my Yokomo YZ2-CA, the servo is a brute to say the least - perhaps a bit overkill. Even when fitted with an alloy servo arm and no servo saver, it took collisions and hard landings like a champ. My local astroturf track is well-known for torturing servos, and has forced many racers away from the lower-cost brands. Never once when smashing a pipe (it came out of no where!) did this servo budge, with its stout case and strong gears. I challenge my fellow racers to give this servo a chance - it has flaunted its strength on a continued basis in my weekly racing. 

 

 

Beautifully machined alloy case

Super strong torque and speed numbers

Long receiver lead for 1/8th scale applications

USA based support from a long-time Hobbyist

Low Profile version available for stock racers

 

Would like to see a version with a shorter wire specifically for 1/10th scale

 

In short, Bert means serious business releasing these servos to the car market. With products that perform like this, I believe BK Servo will be an industry leader in no time. Already carried by major retailers like Amain.com, you’ll see these in many-a-privateer’s racing rigs soon enough! I know for now, this will continue to be my servo of choice.