Think back to when you got your first tekno... what were your first 3 impressions?

[smirkracing]

I recently got my first tekno, an ET48.

Here were my first three impressions:

1. best RC I've ever owned (out of dozens) - instantly allowed me to perform tricks/stunts that looked like youtube videos (ok, not quick "overkill level", but good enough to shock and astonish people passing by)

2. i didn't know what "no slop" meant, or that it could even be possible, until I built this rig - at least for now, nothing gives, at all.

3. not quite indestructible, but close... the ET48 can take hits, crashes, tumbles, etc that used to destroy my other rigs and end my sessions early all the time.

What were your first three impressions?

 

[Billl DeLong]

My first TEKNO was the SCT410.1 that I built sometime around 2012

1) This was my first "race grade" platform and it set the bar high, I judge every other brand based on the TEKNO standard

2) Military discount got me into the brand, very appreciative for this

3) Excellent parts support and legacy support too; I can still get parts for my original release and if there are any discontinued parts, then there is an upgrade path for modern parts that still fit my legacy vehicle, not many other brands will provide legacy support like this!


In contrast of so many things that make TEKNO stand out above the rest, there is one annoyance that has been a contributing factor to why I've chosen to sell off the majority of my TEKNO collection. Their 50% lifetime warranty support has been a really cool feature that I've taken advantage of over the years. I used to always send a handful of parts in at a time, but started to feel the pinch on shipping because I'm having to pay for shipping both ways. In order to reduce shipping costs I decided to hold up a bulk purchase of close to $200 in parts ... it only cost me $9.70 to mail these parts in to TEKNO, but when I purchased the exact same parts they wanted to charge me $45 to ship them back! I sent an email into TEKNO and they confirmed they have a glitch in their shipping program where multiple bodies on an order do not reflect box sizing properly and they said to go ahead and place the order and would refund me the difference. I'm thinking wow, these guys are really cool, then I get my credit the next day, but it was for only $16.... argh.... there is no way it cost them $30 to package these parts when I already know the shipping expense is less than $10... not cool... by the time I did the math for actual cost of shipping both ways, they pretty much eliminated the majority of the 50% discount I was getting.

At this point I figured it was more trouble than it was worth to haggle with TEKNO over shipping/packaging fees and decided to explore other options in the market. I would pick up my very first chassis sponsorship with PR Racing and got sponsored through TheRCProShop who charges $6.50 flat shipping no matter what's in your cart... no more haggling over shipping fees... ahhh

Funny how such a silly little thing like this can lose what was once a loyal customer. Not saying that I will completely sell all of my TEKNO cars, I do plan to keep my SCT410 for nostalgia sake. There is also a chance that I may come back to TEKNO too, all depends on how things pan out with PR Racing, only time will tell... just need to take risks and hope for better rewards

 

[Xfi]

Congrats Bill on the PR Racing! Looks like they have some competitive products. Thank you for your input and your posts! I will be finishing my EB410 this week (as I just ordered and received my electronics) and aspire to be close to your level at some point. I hope you stick around here & wish you the best with your new venture!

 

[Billl DeLong]

Thanks XFi!

I definitely plan to stick around the groups here, at the very least I am still a TEKNO owner with the SCT410.1

I will always be a huge fan of TEKNO regardless, they make a solid product, it was just a series of multiple factors that led me to join PR Racing, not just shipping fees alone, and actually I am hoping that PR will help springboard me back into 1/8 classes with another brand down the road or perhaps I might land a sponsorship with TEKNO one day... time will tell