Youngblood Enterprises Stubz Paddles
| Reviewer: | Rob Turnbull |
|---|---|
| Review Date: | 21st April 2008 |
| Supplier | 50-Tuning.com |
| Manufacturer: | Youngblood Enterprises |
| Unit Cost: | £34.99 |
Paddle details
Stubz paddles are a very light weight paddle with all the edges rounded and are an angled oblong shape (like a parallelogram). They are very light, thin black carbon paddles and feel a little fragile to touch. If you press too hard in the middle of the paddle, you can dent it. They come packaged neatly in a box along with flybar weights and an allen key for fixing to the flybar. The paddles are individually wrapped to protect them in the box, and the flybar weights and allen key are packaged separately from the paddles too.
| Length | 98.5mm at the leading edge, 92.5mm at the trailing edge |
|---|---|
| Width | 53mm (excluding the tapered ends) |
| Depth | 7.75mm |
| Weight | 30g without weights, 45g with weights (per pair) |
| Flybar size | 3mm (also available in a 4mm version) |
The box
Flybar dimension identification label
Paddles and packaged weights and allen key
Flybar weights and allen key
Fitting to the flybar
With the old paddles removed, slot the weights onto the flybar with the chamfered side pointing out towards the end of the flybar. Nip up a grub screw temporarily to stop them falling off while you fit the paddles.
Screw the paddles into the flybar until the thread is all covered by the paddle, line it up with the flybar cage to make sure it's flat and level, then tighten up the grub screw inside the paddle to secure it to the flybar. The grub screw is accessed through the small hole in the front edge of the paddle. Tighten it up using the supplied allen key.
Slide the weights out to the end of the flybar so they sit right next to the paddle and tighten the grub screws up to secure them in place.
Slide the weights onto the flybar
Fit the paddles and tighten the grub screw
Paddles fitted
Paddles fitted
Flight review
Flight testing the paddles involves 3D style flying on a the Trex600 setup with plenty of cyclic throw and using 600mm V Blades.
The first thing I noticed was the speed increase in the cyclics. The response is probably twice that of the stock Trex600 paddles and they feel very accurate through manoeuvres. This is with the weights out at the end of the flybar too and the idea here is that you can move them in to adjust the feel in flight. Less weight at the end of the flybar will make them less stable but more responsive. Somewhere between the middle of the flybar and the paddle end seems to work very well. Removing the weight altogether makes them a bit too light and active.
I find they track quite well in forward flight although they can be a bit more sensitive to inputs than the stock paddles meaning that sport flyers might not feel comfortable using them. The stock Trex600 paddle offers good stability with decent cyclic performance when setup right. Stubz increase the cyclic performance while removing some of that stability, but not in equal proportion as they are still quite stable.
Pros and Cons
| Pros |
|---|
| High quality paddles with an excellent finish |
| Increases cyclic performance |
| Supplied with an allen key to fit them |
| Moveable flybar weight offers adjustment to the cyclic feel |
| Cons |
|---|
| Expensive paddles |
| Can't remove the grub screw from the paddle so don't strip the head |
Conclusion
I like the feeling of a higher level control they give me over the cyclics. Fast rolls and flips are easy and they bring a higher level of accuracy to the Trex 600 than the stock paddles. They are a great choice for aggressive 3D, but probably not for standard forward flight due to the stability factor.
They are very expensive compared to most other paddles and I'm not convinced the increased price over competing paddles is carried through to an equal amount of increased performance making me question the value for money. That said, the construction quality of these paddles will take some beating, I like the way they fly and continue to use them on my helicopter.
If price is a major consideration in your paddle purchase, you will want to look elsewhere. If you want a great looking paddle with excellent cyclic performance for agile 3D, these should make your short list.