Every day more and more people make the jump into the wonderful world of hobby grade rc’s. Most of these people end up walking out the hobby shop door with a RTR and low-end Ni-MH battery. New people to the hobby don’t really need some high-zoot uber charger, they need a charger that is easy to use with enough power to get the job done. Today we are taking a closer look at such a charger, the Radient Origin. Is the Origin easy for a noob to use? Can it stand up to the day-to-day beating of a basher? Most importantly, is it worth the cash? Read on and find out…

From: Radient
Direct Link: Origin Battery Charger

Review By: Cubby
Pics By: Cubby

Specs-

AC Input: 100-240v
DC Input: 12-15v
Battery Type: Ni-MH and NiCd
Max charge rate: 4 amps
Charge rates: 1, 2, 3, or 4 amps
Maximum cell count: 8 cells
Interal Power Supply: 35 watts
Connectors: Tamiya, mini/micro adapter
Dimensions: 150x70x40mm
Weight: 300 grams
Street Price: $35

Primary Competition: Duratrax Onyx 100 and Dynamite Prophet Plus II

What’s In The Box: The Charger, mini-micro adapter, and instruction manual.

Build Quality: The case is constructed entirely out of plastic but had a decent feel to it.

Testers: Cubby, Brian, Iron Mike

Set-up Notes: As we didn’t have any packs laying around with Tamiya connectors still on them, we ended up using a Tamiya to Traxxas adapter. While the Origin can be run off AC power we elected to power it DC style off a TrakPower DPS 25 amp power supply.

Ease of Use: Exceptionally easy. None of our testers had to refer to the manual to perform a successful charge, however, if you are truly a noob I would highly recommend reading the instructions from front to back. The Origin has one light on the front and just one button. The instructions in brief are printed right by the button. Press once for a 1 amp charge, again for a 2 amp, etc. To start the charge simply hold the button down. The light is red while charging, green when finished, thus making it very easy to use.

Power: 4 amps is the maximum charge rate of the Origin. That might not sound like much at all, but when used in context that is a decent charge rate. For example, the only Ni-MH batteries we had laying around the office were some RTR batteries from ECX. These were 1800 mah 6 cell Ni-MH packs. A 2 amp charge rate was just above a 1C rate, giving us slightly under 1 hour charge times. Had we elected to turn up the charge rate to 4 amps that would have resulted in charge times of less than 30 minutes (just above 2C). I would not recommend you charging RTR Ni-MH packs faster than 1C, but the moral of the story is that Origin has more than enough power for most low-end RTR batteries.

Broken Parts/Issues: We put Iron Mike in charge of beating on the Origin and he did a great job. He dropped it from the drivers stand, stood on top of it (Mike weighs around 180 lbs) and would throw it at us when we least expected it, giving us no chance to actually catch it before it crashed to the ground. The Origin still lives today, working just fine. It looks much rougher around the edges, but proved quite durable for us.

Perhaps the biggest thing that kills chargers is time/heat. We have used the Origin for roughly 50 charges thus far with no issues.

Misc Notes:

The instruction manual was easy to understand and well written with the noob in mind.

The Origin has two foam strips on its top. The manual states this area can be used as a “storage tray” when the charger is not in use. We used it as rather handy parts tray all the time.

The Origin is quite small, which we REALLY like. It fits easy in a toolbox and takes up very little space on your table or tailgate.

Downsides:

We would like to have seen more options for connectors included in the box. Yes, the stock Tamiya connector is the best choice for this particular application, but having more choices in the box would be even better.

SUMMARY

Time To Bash: C If you are using Tamiya connectors you are dialed, if not get ready to do some soldering or to buy an adapter.

Car Show Rating: C Clean but very basic look.

Bash-A-Bility: A We went above and beyond to destroy the Origin and it still works fine today.

Power: C More than enough power to quickly charge low-end Ni-MH batteries, but the exact same power as its direct competition.

Value: B The Origin is a few bucks more than the Duratrax, a few bucks less than the Dynamite, and all have similar specs. It earns a B here because of its form factor and storage tray, offering a little bit more for the money.

Big Squid Rating: B- If you are looking for a reliable and simple to use Ni-MH charger the Radient Origin is a solid choice.

Intro- There are a whole lot of noobs out there that have been driving their brushed powered RTR’s and have mastered the stock power system. When that happens, boredom sets in, and a new brushless system goes on the wish list. The crew over at Firelands Group has a new entry level brushless system called the Radient Reaktor. This 540 system should be an easy swap for RTR gear, and should instantly transform boring RTR power up to “Holy Cow this thing rips!”. How does the Radient Reaktor truly hold up? Lets find out…

From: Fireland Group/HobbyTown USA, Radient RC

Reviewed by: Cubby
Pics by: Cubby

Part #: RDNA0023
Street Price: $99

Speedo Specs:

Waterproof: Yes
Amp rating: 35 amps
Low Voltage Cut-off: Yes
BEC: 5 volt, 3 amps
Motor Connectors: 3.5mm bullet
Battery Connector: Tamiya
Reverse: Yes
Cell count- 8 cell NiMH or 3S Lipo
Sensored- No
Fan- Yes, 25mm

Motor Specs:

Size- 540
Sensored- No
Kv- 3500, 2 pole
Stator- Slotless
Top Speed (measured by BSRC)- 32 mph

What’s In The Box: Speedo, motor, double sided tape, zip ties, instructions, and a few stickers.

Build Quality: The speedo and motor both looked well assembled, but we were not fans of the small bullet connectors on the motor, nor the ultra-stretchy insulation on the power wires.

Test Drivers: Cubby, Brian, and Iron Mike

Test Venues: RC Outlaws in Collinsville Illinois, local city park, streets of a local sub-division, baseball diamond, and a grassy backyard

Set-up Notes: We reviewed the Radient brushless system in an Associated T4 2wd stadium truck. The truck was equipped with a Hitec steering servo, Futaba transmitter, and was powered with a MaxAmps 2S 6500 mah Lipo battery. We used a RRP 24 tooth pinion on the stock spur gear.

Ease of Use: The manual was clearly written, calibrating and changing of the minimal settings turned out to be quite easy.

Drivability/Feel/Powerband: From a dead stop, to lets say 2 mph, the Radient took off like an older Castle system. Which is to say, it wasn’t buttery smooth like a typical sensored system would be, it was slightly rough, yet got going just fine. As far as the powerband goes, the low end was exceptionally soft, especially for a non-sensored system. There simply was no low end slap in the face, it was subtle and smooth. The Reaktor was so soft in the low end that it took a bit of getting used to for long time brushless drivers. The upside is the super soft low end makes the Radient exceptionally drive-able for noobs. Where as a typical non-sensored system punches you in the face off the bottom, the Radient was quite tame.

The mid-range was where the Radient really started picking up the pace offering loads of usable power, and the top end just kept on pulling with robust power till the gearing topped out.

One last note on drivability here, the Reaktor comes with a small amount of drag-brake programmed in. If you are used to driving brushed motors it will feel about right. If you are used to nitro or you are a long term brushless driver, you are used to “free wheeling” in neutral, therefore the built in drag brake will take some getting used to.

Thermalling: We didn’t have any problems with heat, but, the highest ambient temp we drove the Radient in was 50 F. The highest temp I measured was 110 F, that was after 15 minutes of running in grass, which is pretty much a torture test for any power system.

Cogging: We did not experience any cogging with the Radient system.

Power: The Radient has plenty of pure power on tap, but to access it you’ll need to keep the revs up. For example, because of the soft low-end, making short run doubles out of a corner can be harder than with other systems. But, in mid to high speed sections there is more than enough power on tap to make all the crazy obstacles without issue. The Radient has more than enough power to easily break the tires loose on demand, and more than enough to make monster sized jumps and pull decent wheelies.

Overall power- compared to a typical RTR stock brushed motor, the Radient has insane levels of power, but if you were to compare it to some of the other 540 non-sensored systems (on higher cells counts) it is not in the same league. Yes, the Radient has a lot of power on 2S, perhaps even more than you could ever use on a track, but no, its max power isn’t in the same league as some of the other more costly systems on 4-6S. But rest assured, if you are used to stock brushed power, the Radient Reaktor will easily make your RTR feel much faster, in both acceleration and in top speed (with proper gearing). Driving our Radient powered Associated in the yard was quite the thrill, it always kept pulling, the front tires were nearly always in the air, and that big tree that was “far away” just a second ago is suddenly right in front of you.

Brakes: When used in our 2wd stadium truck the Reaktor brakes felt awesome. They weren’t too strong, yet brought our truck to a halt in a hurry. In fact, out of the box, the brakes were set nearly perfect for 2wd on a loose dirt surface. However, the relatively soft brakes just weren’t quite enough on high grip surfaces like pavement, and I will speculate that if you were to use the Radient system in a 4wd, they would come across as too soft.

Fit: The motor is a standard 540 unit, which should easily bolt into pretty much any 10th scale platform, and the speedo fit neatly into our stadium truck without issue. The Radient is a bit tall with its fan attached, and its footprint isn’t all that small either, so in certain buggy or TC applications it may be a tight fit. If you are putting it in a stadium truck or SCT there will be plenty of space.

Summary:

A = Outstanding/Best in Class, B = Above Average, C = Average, D = Below Average, F = Horrific

Time To Bash: B The Reaktor comes with all connectors attached. If you are running Tamiya connectors no soldering will be needed, simply bolt in the gear, calibrate and set the speedo, and you are on the track.

Car Show Rating: C Decent looking system, especially if you are into the “murdered out” look, but not blingy enough for the old school crowd.

Bash-A-Bility: A No thermalling, no wires came off, and nothing burnt up. We experienced no issues at all with the Reaktor brushless system.

Fun Factor: C Whether you be driving on a ball diamond or the backyard, the Reaktor has enough yank to keep things interesting.

Drivability: B The Radient Reaktor was very easy to drive. Where some non-sensored systems might have their power “kick in” at exactly the wrong time, the Reaktor system was extra smooth, especially in the low end.

Power: C Compared to other 2S non-sensored systems, the Reaktor held its own. You won’t find “instantly destroy your tranny power” here, but you will have more than enough for making huge jumps and digging massive trenches in the dirt.

Value: B The Reaktor has a street price of $99, which puts it towards the low end of the price spectrum for brushless systems. The Reaktor performed better than most of the systems we’ve driven in its price range.

BigSquid Rating: B- The Radient Reaktor is a solid motor/speedo combo that we highly recommend for moderate bashing. The price point is right, the Reaktor was easy to set-up, it proved quite reliable, and it put out plenty of usable power. Take the Radient Reaktor for a spin, you’ll find it’s worth the cash.

* Charges up to 4 amps on AC or DC
* Charges 1-8 cell Ni-MH
* Charges Ni-MH and NiCd type of cells
* Single button interface
* Uses LED to show charge status
* Slim design to save space
* Part #RDNA0014

The Radient Origin has a street price of $35 and they are available right now at your local HobbyTown USA dealer.

Want to read one of our previous Radient battery charger reviews? HERE is the link you want.

New from Radient RC is this brushless motor and ESC combo. The 3500kv system is built to be ideal for your 2WD 1/10th scale vehicles and can even handle running in your 4WD Helion Dominus SC and TR. It can handle 2S or 3S lipo setups, and the waterproof esc is ready for your bashing.

The Radient product line can be found at the Hobby Town Website.

Looking for more Radient RC news on Big Squid RC?

New from the Radient RC folks is a entry level charger called the Origin. It’s a one button, NiMH/NiCd charger that is meant to keep it as easy as possible. It can handle 1-8 cells and charge from 1 to 4 amps.

Radient chargers can be found on the Hobby Town Website.

We have reviewed several Radient chargers in the past, click HERE to check them out.

Tired of using that 8 hour wall charger that came with your new RTR? Looking for a quality “do-it-all” charger at a decent price? Have ya seen one of the new Radient chargers at your friendly/local HobbyTown USA and are wondering if it’s any good? Well… welcome to Cubby’s Radient Ascend review where I’ll give ya all the answers.

From: Radient RC
Direct Link: Ascend Surface Charger

Review by: Cubby
Pics by: Cubby

Specs-
Heat Sensor: No
Connector: Tamiya, Mini/Micro plug
Weight: 350 grams
Max Charge Rate: 6 amps on 2S Lipo (DC) or 4 amps on 2S Lipo (AC), 4 amps on 3S (DC) or 3 amps on 3S (AC)
Max Cell Count: 3S Lipo, 8 Cell Ni-Mh
Cell Chemistries Supported: NiCd, NiMH, LiPo, LiFe
Model Memory: No
Discharge Mode: No
Balance Charger: Yes
Balance Plug: JST-XH (2 and 3S)
AC/DC: AC and DC
Warranty: 90 Days Limited
Street Price: $60

Primary Competition: Duratrax Onyx Series, Dynamite RC, multiple others

What’s In The Box: Radient Ascend battery charger, instruction booklet, Tamiya to mini/micro plug adapter

Build Quality: The Ascend case is constructed entirely out of plastic and build quality looked fine.

Test Drivers: Cubby, Brian, Iron Mike

Set-up Notes: We ran it box stock, sometimes off of AC power, other times off of an external DC power supply. We only charged LiPo and NiMH cells with the Ascend.

Ease of Use: I am not a noob, but I found it very easy to use. I did not have to refer to the manual to use the Ascend, which is always a good sign. I have used chargers in the past that are impossible to use without reading the manual first, the Ascend is certainly not one of those, at least not for the seasoned rc’er.

Power: The maximum charge rate for a 2S Lipo pack is 6 amps, and 4 amps on a 3S pack. These maximum charge rates can only be reached while using an external DC power supply, not while using the Ascend off of AC power. Max AC rates are 4 amps on 2S and 3 amps on 3S, not exceptionally high, but worlds better the 8 hour wall charger you’ve been wanting to smash with a hammer.

Broken Parts/Issues: None, everything worked perfectly. We never experienced any overheating or any other issues with the Ascend. For torture testing I not only stood on top of the Ascend, but also purposely knocked it off my pit table 3 times, seemingly with no ill effects.

Misc Notes:

While I didn’t need to read the manual to initially use the charger, I read it later and I’d recommend you do the same. The manual is well written and quite informative, perfect if you are a noob and aren’t quite sure what’s up.

You can wind up the AC power cord on the bottom of the Ascend charger for storage, but the entire cord and wall connector won’t fit in the space provided. Speaking of cords, both the AC and DC cords are slightly on the short side, 6″ more on each would be nice to see.

The back-lit display on the Ascend is easily seen both indoor and out, Sweet!

I’d really like to have seen multiple model memories on the Ascend at this price point.

As a safety feature the Ascend will ONLY charge a Lipo that is being balance charged. This is a good thing for safety but can present a problem if the balance plug on your LiPo isn’t the same type as the balance port on the Ascend. To reiterate, if the Lipo packs you own do not have JST-XH balance plugs you’ll have to use an adapter board to charge them.

The stock connector is a Tamiya, which is a poor connector, but probably the connector most noobs are using. And yes, I highly recommend switching all your plugs over to Traxxas.

The Ascend is exceptionally small, a very easy fit into any pit box. I like small chargers that don’t waste a bunch of space in my pit box. Kudos to Radient.

The Radient lines of chargers are available only from your local HobbyTown USA’s.

As with all of our stuff, if you see us at a bash, stop by and check out the vehicles we have with us. We may let you take a test drive, and at the very least get you some stickers!

SUMMARY

Time To Bash – 9.5/10 – Virtually no set-up time, just plug it into the wall, plug in a battery and go! It took me less than 5 minutes to go from taking the Ascend out of the box to charging its first battery.

Car Show Rating – 8.0/10 – The Ascend looked smart and has a nice display.

Bash-A-Bility – 10/10 – Even after torture testing I couldn’t foul up the Ascend.

Fun Factor – 7.5/10 – The Ascend has several mid level features that make it more fun than using a simple base charger.

Power- 8.0/10 – 4 amps on a 2S Lipo pack (on AC power) is a LOT more powerful than an RTR wall charger, but not in the same league as more elite chargers. The 6 amp rate on 2S (on DC) is high enough to charge most packs at a 1C rate. So while the Ascend isn’t the most powerful charger on the market, it won’t hurt your wallet nearly as much as higher output units.

Value- 8.5/10 – The Ascend is a mid level charger at a $60 price point that works solidly week in and week out, that represents a good value to me.

Big Squid Rating – 8.6/10 - Tentacles.. I really liked using the Ascend- it didn’t take up any space in my pit bag, it was easy to use, and it gave all my packs a good quality charge. If you are in the market for a good charger, consider the Ascend, ours worked great.

THE Radient Primal Charger Review

Have you just bought a RTR that comes with a ridiculously slow wall charger? Want to measure charge times in minutes instead of with a sun dial? Rejoice, as Radient RC has a nifty upgrade charger called the Primal. Today we’ll be taking a look at Radients affordable new Primal charger. How well does it work? Let’s take it for a spin and see…

From: Radient RC
Direct Link: Primal Surface Charger

Review By: Cubby
Pics By: Cubby

Street Price: $40

Specs-

Heat Sensor: No
Connector: Tamiya, Mini/Micro plug
Weight: 350 grams
Max Charge Rate: 4 amps on 2S Lipo, 3 amps on 3S
Max Cell Count: 3S Lipo, 8 Cell Ni-Mh
Cell Chemistries Supported: LiPo, NiMH, NiCd
Model Memory: No
Discharge Mode: No
Balance Charger: Yes
Balance Plug: JST-XH (2 and 3S)
AC/DC: AC Only
Warranty: 90 Days Limited

Primary Competition: Duratrax Onyx Series, Dynamite RC, multiple others

What’s In The Box: Radient Primal battery charger, instruction booklet, Tamiya to mini/micro plug adapter

Build Quality: The Primal case is constructed entirely out of plastic and build quality looked fine.

Test Drivers: Cubby, Brian, Iron Mike, Hawaiian Chris

Set-up Notes: We ran it box stock, charging a variety of Ni-mh’s. For Lipo we tested the Primal on a Gens ACE 2S 7000.

Ease of Use: Exceptionally easy. I did not have to refer to the manual to use the Primal, although you should give it a read for safety’s sake. The controls on the Primal are smartly laid out and labeled very well. The Primal looks simple to use and it is.

Power: The maximum charge rate for a 2S Lipo pack is 4 amps (34 watts), and 3 amps on a 3S pack (38 watts). This isn’t a super powerful charger, but it is a lot more powerful than the wall chargers that come in most RTR’s. We saw charge times of around 2 hours on the 7000 mah 2S Lipo pack we tested the Primal with, you should expect charge times of just over an hour on a 2S 7.4v 4000 mah Lipo.

Broken Parts/Issues: None, everything worked perfectly. We never experienced any overheating or any other issues with the Primal.

Misc Notes:

The Radient chargers look like they can be stacked, and they can, but they don’t “lock” into each other.

You can wind up the AC power cord on the bottom of the Primal charger for storage, but the entire cord and wall connector won’t fit in the space provided.

As a safety feature the Primal will ONLY charge a Lipo that is being balance charged. This is a good thing for safety but can present a problem if the balance plug on the Lipo you are attempting to charge isn’t the same type as the balance port on the Primal. To reiterate, if the Lipo packs you own do not have JST-XH balance plugs you’ll have to use an adapter board to charge them on the Primal.

The stock connector is a Tamiya, which is a poor connector, but its probably the smartest choice considering the types of packs most people will be charging with the Primal. I immediately wanted to cut off the stock Tamiya, but resisted and soldered up an adapter instead.

The Primal is exceptionally small, a very easy fit into any pit box. I like small chargers that don’t waste a bunch of space in my pit box. Kudos to Radient.

The Radient lines of chargers are available only from your local HobbyTown USA’s.

As with all of our stuff, if you see us at a bash, stop by and check out the vehicles we have with us. We may let you take a test drive, and at the very least get you some stickers!

SUMMARY

Time To Bash – 9.5/10 -Virtually no set-up time, just plug it into the wall, plug in a battery and go! It took me less than 5 minutes to go from taking the Primal out of the box to charging its first battery.

Car Show Rating – 7.0/10 – The Primal looked clean but not flashy.

Bash-A-Bility – 10/10 -Nothing broke, it worked like a champ.

Fun Factor – 7.0/10 – This is a no frills charger, it gets the job done in a bare bones way.

Power- 7.0/10 -4 amps on a 2S Lipo pack is a LOT more powerful than an RTR wall charger, but not in the same league as more elite chargers.

Value- 8.0/10 – Let’s say the average wall charger takes 8 hours to charge your battery pack. Now lets say the Primal will do the same job in just over an hour. The time savings of the Primal is easily worth every penny of its $40 price point!

Big Squid Rating – 8.1/10 - Tentacles.. The Radient Primal is an exceptionally easy to use battery charger that got the job done for us time after time. If you are tired of waiting (wasting?) 4 hours (or more!) for your battery packs to charge, pop the $40 on the Primal, it’s well worth it.

Straight from another press release we posted on the Radient Primal Charger here are the unboxing photos.

Expect to see it on the Hobby Town site or in your local Hobby Town shop soon.

We just posted the press release on the Radient Ascend Charger that is a Hobby Town exclusive. So it was time to post the unboxing photos.

Expect to see it on the Hobby Town site or in your local Hobby Town shop soon.

Expect to see it on the Hobby Town site or in your local Hobby Town shop soon.