Traxxas Rustler 4X4 VXL vs Arrma Vorteks 3S BLX Comparison 

To clear the confusion - this is a vanilla comparison between two box-stock trucks, the way they come out of the box. There are no changes or modifications made to either truck. -Brett

I see no other videos on comparing these two trucks with similar results.. You did a very good job Brett.

Interesting music, felt like I was watching a KT video

When i got my vorteks a month or so ago the receiver/transmitter was faulty so i picked up a spektrum SR315 receiver and bound it to my DX5 Pro and i was able to easily adjust the punch settings and such and it transformed this car. My Vorteks is now my go-to 1/10 scale car

You forgot to mention a very important feature the Arrma has and that is it's adjustable punch setting on the esc ! That will get rid of that motor ramp up you keep pointing out .

I got back into the hobby after 10+ years out of it and bought a Rustler 4x4 VXL about a month after release and I love it. Part of the fun of the hobby for me is modifying the car and the parts support is great. That being said, if I were getting back into the hobby now, I'd probably get the Arrma. Much more bang for your buck.

Another issue with the lack of wheelie action on the Arrma is the slipper clutch These are notorious for having a loose setting out of the box. I turned mine in a half turn and I can wheelie from a dead start on almost any surface. I do also run a set of Proline Badland tires, but the originals still had the same traction, just kept ripping the stock tires open.

On the Vorteks you can change the punch on the esc, and you’ll find a big difference! Great Video! ThankYou

You don't need to use Traxxas lipos and chargers... You just need to have a lipo with the Traxxas connector. I run povway battery's with a dean's to Traxxas ID converter thing

Best comparison I’ve seen. In touch with relevant comparison at the moment and super thorough. 👍

The arrma has an extra 1.5lbs of weight that represents over a 25% heavier vehicle in the arrma. That might be whats contributing to the shorter run times.

Loved the format of this video and that you loomed at weight and wheel specs. The only thing missing for me is a subjective test : Get an opinion from three or four drivers to tell us if they prefer to play with or race one or the other.

I was on your website last night. I was looking at these two trucks along with a few others. I went with the Team Associated Rival MT10. It has more adjustability, a center diff out of the box, anti sway bars and lower price. I've been racing Team Associated vehicles since the 90s and I was glad to see a quality basher at an awesome price from them.

Great video as always. So good that we have so much choice these days. I think the Arrma would be my choice. I know I say this every time but Brett is so good at these videos, it’s like he’s the voice of AMain!

The most comprehensive comparison vid on these two trucks by far! 👍 great vid as always 😊

Keep in mind that tire puffing gives bigger wheel diameter which is like bigger pinion gear and that results in higher speed!

Nice video mate, impartial, practical, and no nonsense. Appreciate it. Cheers

Just ramp up the punch on the Vorteks and it will pop wheelies easier. And also no more cogging. Fixed it on my Outcast 4s.

Unpopular opinion - doesn’t wheelie on take off > constant wheeling

What a great comparison. Both really awesome trucks. My best friend has the rustler while I have the vorteks. I do prefer the vorteks mainly because of the way it drives and wheelies but the rustlers torque is better. No really wrong decision here. Thanks A Main.

Hi and honestly this channel is one of the best rc info channels! --- Thank you so much and keep on!

Dude, much respect for your unbiased opinions.

I’ve had the rustler vxl4x4 for 2yrs now. We also own a Arrma Talion and Kraton, losi mini, DHK Maximus and Traxxas Emaxx. The rustler is by far the toughest truck!!!! We have jumped the house with it, ran it in the creek, not to mention I taught my little ones to jump with the truck and I have broke the least parts out of any of our trucks

I personally feel the rustlers soft wheelie bar is better cause for general bashing it will absorb impacts on crashes and save the electronics.

Brilliant video as always, great job. Thanks for sharing. John

Best videos on yt... Thank you , always the best!!! 🔥🔥🔥👊

" no body drives there rc at %100" me who drives my Traxxas maxx full throttle until it dies *laughs in esc thermal shutdown*

You can adjust the throttle response on the vorteks. It makes a difference.

wow, very thoughtful, honest approach and opinions

Mate this video is the culmination of testing head to head.. respect!

I changed the esc settings on my wifes granite blx, and it made a world of difference for her. She likes the instant get up and go.

Awesome comparison guys. Both amazing RC trucks. I think that the Aarma has the edge though. Excellent price too 👍

Great video, I don't have either of these two cars and don't plan on getting one any time soon (a bit expensive for me and I'm not that into bashing, though I do like RCs a lot), but when Amain uploads, I click! I think that the Vortex's shell looks cooler, and I prefer the paint scheme. I also like the inclusion on the big, front mudguards/fenders in the car, I'm a person who keeps his RC spotless and does everything he can to reduce the cleaning time, so, I like that inclusion.

We need both! 😁

So both are good I’ve had my rustler 4x4 Vxl for 1.5 years and I’m happy still.

I love my rustler and the vorteks seems like a great alternative 👍

This is the exact review that I was looking for especially that it was so in-depth absolute 10 stars all the way with this review but there's one issue instead of making it easier for me to decide on which one to buy I am now even more confused and indecisive as to which one I want to get FML😅😅😅

Change the punch setting on the vortex, makes a huge difference in the torque of the start

so actually the tires ballooning on the rustler more makes it go faster as it makes them bigger, bigger tires higher top speed, but I can say I love both traxxas and arrma, traxxas is the best for me because tsm is incredible. If i ever get an arrma vehicle ill make sure to put a traxxas tsm receiver in it, but other than that cant go wrong with either both the kings of rc, and are lightyears ahead of pretty much everybody else.

My Vorteks plastic drive shafts haven’t broken yet, 3S Slash and Hoss broke them almost every run.

I own a traxxas rustler 4x4 vxl and the problem with the rear driveshafts is annoying af... Good to know that the vorteks has the same problem 😁

I can’t wait for u guys to release a drag slash unboxing and test run vid

Wow this video really puts mine to shame. So thorough. They trucks def give me full wood. Both fun.

Loving my Rustler 4x4 vxl! Put proline street fighter tires/wheels and proline racing shocks so only have about an inch clearance. No gps so don't know speed, but it seems pretty quick. Darn near impossible to roll now. Sadly it rarely wants to do wheelies now. Glad to know the arma also has weak drive shafts. I've broken so many on my rustler and maxx, steel and plastic. Probably says something about my driving...

The pinion gearing is not just finding one for the fastest top speed. If you want the vorteks to wheelie off the line, then lower the gear ratio and it will wheelie all day on any surface. You can also adjust the punch on the esc for harder takeoff.

Vorteks throttle delay dissapears if you put the value of the punch at 5. It also make better wheelies with this value.

i have 4 Traxxas vehicles. today i just bought my 1st Arrma buggy (Typhon). i love the look of it, just need it to arrive

Great video! Thanks for the in depth comparison.

I don't know if you know what I mean, but this is a project farm level review, keep up the good work. Would love to see more head to head on comparable products

The arma seems like the one that I want ….except for that throttle lag

@ 10:40 Box stock the Ruster was 44mph and the Arrma 55mph they are geared differently. I would expect the faster one to use 20% more mah, it's asking the battery for more mah and amps to go faster, otherwise they are pretty similar. The C rating doesn't determine how many mah they car uses, the mah asked for is determined by the cars setup. The C ratings of both 5000mah (55.5wh) batts are 60c (300amps) and 25c (125a) means if the car asks for 300a or 125a the battery can safely handle it. Gearing under 45mph on 3s probably only sees bursts of less than 125amps (data log it to check, bursts are around 105a on mine 43mph 3s) so both batts should work but if you want to gear up then C rating would be important.

The fact that car controls the power and not pop like crazy it's actually a great feature, not a minus.

Wow! Super in-depth. Great review!

Another great video! Man that is a tough choice. I think for myself I would go with the Arma Vorteks. Being able to choose my batteries, along with better stability, and the vented tires is worth the tradeoff for the 14mm hex and the gearing, which it seems according to another commenter can be adjusted to get better low end power. Man I wish I had more disposable income haha!

I wish I had opted for the Rustler. I picked up a Vortex and I noticed on the first pack (2s)I noticed the shocks were too soft. On the second pack (first 3s pack) the plastic spur ⚙️ stripped. I ordered a metal spur gear for it so hopefully it's a bit more durable and I can enjoy it.

I'm a fan of Traxxas My first rc was a slash 4x4vxl then I got an xmaxx then a maxx but this Christmas I thought I'd give arrma a try I bought both my boys a vorteks and got myself a infraction Weather hasn't been the best for the infraction but I'm very impressed with the vorteks My oldest son drives my slash and my youngest drives the maxx and they love the vorteks It's s great little truck We call it the cheaper version of the maxx

Your videos are great I enjoy them

Great comparison of these two truggies, arrma all the way! 💪🏻💨🏁

You can use any battery with a traxxas connector. I have several 100c batteries for my traxxas vehicles

Great video! I have bought lipos from several different companies that are compatible with the connectors.

Best rc reviews

All i need to know about the 2 cars AMAZING REVIEW

The vorteks is set up to keep the power down on all 4 wheels,more track driven. The rustler 4x4 tires got it over that curb test,smaller,less traction tires. Rustler is the better basher,Vorteks is very close in performance, both are extremely durable AND both are rockin the 💩. Get both,u won't be disappointed.

K, I now own both kits. On 2s/clay track I will give the nod to the Vorteks. The tires give more grip and allows much more initial steering. The Vorteks is more plush on jumps and the extra weight helps with traction to a point. The Rustler is more seems a bit more sketchy to drive which is due to it's light weight and stock tires not hooking up well. The Rustler does have a huge advantage in greater runtime due to it's lighter weight. The Vorteks is HEAVY. In fact you will need a 7000mah pack to get decent runtime. The rustler uses overworked ultra shocks so there is a lot of chassis slap.

These cars are both beasts! In my opinion, the Vorteks is the king, though the Rustler still packs a punch. Great video, guys! 😉👊👍

That was a fun video to watch. I have the Rusty. Just bought the RPM wheelie bar mount and the Tekno M6 driveshafts for it yesterday.

Both are great trucks. Arrma has more bang for your buck. The traxxas has a much bigger aftermarket.

You can use any battery on the Rustler as long as you have a trx connection on it. I have a rustler and a maxx and I use highlander batteries in them.

Super Comparison. Meybe next time You will compare some short course cars. greetings from Poland

Other off brand make companies make batteries with Traxxas connectors (old gen connectors not new gen with ID). You can get these batteries in a higher C rating which will provide quicker acceleration and potentially higher top speed.

Ive seen a couple of these comparisons where the batteries are not matched like the discharge rate of 25c and 60c on this one. Thats not really a fair comparison unless batteries dont matter

as someone who has own a rustler 4x4 for over a year and put more money than im willing to admit (not insane, just generational upgrades) i will say the rustler 4x4 is great and has insane grip on a lot of surfaces with the talon tires. They baloon yes but if your looking for speed you'd be running different tires anyway. Also i got the brushed version and have changed center slipper with a diff (50t) and put a 6s system in it. Still have yet to break the plastic drive shafts.

I'm wondering if the high speed instability of the Traxxas has to do with the suspension toe in, toe out, camber etc design. My Slash squirrels at high speed too, even with different tires but my Arrma notorious doesn't. I found a good way to vent your tires is to cut off a broken piece of telescopic antenna, put it in a cordless drill chuck, spin it like a drill bit and punch a hole on each side of the tire. It made a nice clean hole.😊

Very cool video and comparison. Excellent work

Really not sure what to think about this test. First, what an amazing and thorough review, great music, lots of information, and excellent presentation. I used to like Traxxas, that is until they decided to sue everyone and their mother hurting the industry. I love Aarma as they are though after coming back from a 4-5 year break (hard to get batteries shipped to my location), Aarma has changed their lineup, which is probably good, just don't understand their 3s buggy being 1/8th scale for the price. Honestly, I wouldn't know what one to buy. More than likely the Aarma, but we all know how easy parts are to get for the Traxxas and the aftermarket is insane. Maybe both? I do like the power of the Traxxas system, having one in a vehicle, I can say they are torque monsters, run cool, and are reliable.

Love the videos! Please keep them coming!

Great job, really useful comparison 👏

Not sure why they said you MUST use a Traxxas id battery when you don’t? Just like the Arrma you can use any one you want as long as it has a matching connector. Both trucks have pros and cons and it’s really comes down to everything else like parts availability m,customer service and general preferences. 🤷‍♂️ Thx for the info, I just hopped up my ST with a brushless system and went from. 10 to 17 tooth pinion and damn she flys!

Love my vxl, super impressed with the arma especially at that price. I dont think those battery tests can be compared. ..... worth the try though. Great review

I can’t wait to get my hands on a Vorteks!!!!!!!

I'd choose the Vorteks. Heard too many stories of the Rustler being fragile.

Traxxas is just like Apple and Arrma, Losi, Associated, etc. are like Android. Nice video! Thank you for these awesome videos! (From India)

Hi - it is wrong that rustler needs traxxas ID Batteries. You need the trx connector, but not ID. The only real advantage of the vortex are the motor pinions.

Yeah, the wheelie bar was a big problem on the Rustler 4x4 for me. Ive destroyed multiple bodies just from the wheelie bar getting caught in the body and it chewing up the body. My solution was to buy the Hoss 4x4 wheelie bar/bumber. It works great and actually does its job as a wheelie bar instead of being useless and ruining good bodies.

Not to be picky but neither truck's battery connector type gives it an advantage. You can always get an adapter and run whatever battery you want.

Vorteks is awsome very happy with it

I don’t know if you tried but calibrating the control throttle positions to the esc got rid of the throttle lag on both my big rock and granite

Rustler is one of my all time favorites and the Vorteks is a lot of fun but it doesn't seem to me to be more than a low cg Granite with only a 1 point final gear ratio difference. Both called stadium trucks but the shell off the Vorteks next to a Granite looks like there wasn't a lot of R&D that went in to making it. It's not even close to the original design unlike the original Rustler to a VXL Rustler. Still fun as heck though.

Whow. Super test! I am surprised :)

You can adjust the vortex to make it have higher torque at the beginning

You do not have to use Traxxas Lipos in the Rustler. You can use an adapter or solder on your own connector. I do it all the time I have Traxxas and Arrma and I only use Power Hobby Batteries. I do not mind the 14mm Hex because it is actually stronger than the 12mm of course.

13:43 um you can run any lipo with traxxas cars just has to have traxxas id or 1st gen plugs there's no difference between that gens ace and traxxas battery inside other then traxxas had integrated the balance port in the plug amain I thought you knew better???

I have owned both of these trucks. Out of the box the vorteks do have a power curve because it is on punch level 3 of 5. All you have to do is change it to 5 out of 5 and you will have the same instant power and tourqe that you have on the Rustler. Also, after several weeks of ownership the vorteks has significantly stronger plastic drive shafts. I have 3 10th scale arrmas and have never broken one. The Rustler is another story. It's Drive shafts are the worst I have ever seen. Breaking on every other run. Also the top speed out of the box is a big deal. The vorteks is soooo much faster. A full 11mph faster for bashing speed. It should also be noted that you can buy a larger speed gear for the vorteks to get a higher top and speed as well. After owning both trucks I greatly prefer the vorteks. The only weakness is its tires wear out very quickly if run on asphalt consistently. But other than that it's better in almost every way, plus it's cheaper.

The vortex recommends a 50C battery, so of course it's using it more. Impressive the Traxxas seems to gets the same amount of power out of less.

Also on the Traxxas Rustler 4x4 VXL the drive shaft adapter is made out of plastic on fee runs on 3s it melted and replaced with the Aluminum one traxxas sells. Other then that my Rustler 4x4 vxl is tough. And has many tuneing options

For the vortex: put your punch al the way up. It will do wheelies with ez

I use an Traxxas ID to Dean (T Connector) adaptor. So it is possible to use much cheaper LiPos and dont lose the Traxxas warranty. I use 3 Cell 3800mah LiPos. I got them cheap. Punch on the Rustler is ok and i have about 20 minutes runtime when i push it hard on the parking lot with 17T pinion.

I drive my Rustler with the sledgehammer tyres. Amazing. It makes backflips easily

4:11 That not true about "only" traxxas batteries. You can buy traxxas plugs and solder them into any lipo you want or just use some adapters. And if you are worried about the size just glue a piece of foam into the mount and problem solved.

Should have tried changing the punch setting on the Arrma.