Align Kits vs Crap Hardware

[Smoothound]

My first rant for a while

When will Align produce a kit that actually comes with screws that have some sort of quality or even better actually fit for purpose? Both kits I have have screws made of cheese. I know I'm not the most gentle screwer inner but they should be better than what is supplied in the kits


I was gonna make this a poll, as in how much extra would you pay for a kit with screws that actually survive more than 2 cycles but I couldn't work out how to do it

[Tim Procter]

Is that it.???



Come on Phil I expected more than that..

[Jamez]

Think its a common thing to all heli kits, I have had a couple of hex heads strip out on my knight, and a handful of grub screws and cross head's strip on my Sceadu during the last dismantling, I just replace em with good quality S/S ones as and when they go.

Some of the stock fixings are

[Smoothound]

Do you really need more?

THEY ARE SHIT...END OF

[Buccaneer]

Dont pull no punch's Phil

Ian

[tizer]

Hi i know what you mean, i stripped several of the bearing block screws just doing them up tight.
luckily they provided some spares but i not looking forward to undoing them anytime soon.
Tim.

[handthrottle]

so where do you go for stainless steel ones to replace them? if it goes horribly wrong

[Smoothound]

Dont pull no punch's Phil

Ian

I try my best not to

[Smoothound]

Think its a common thing to all heli kits, I have had a couple of hex heads strip out on my knight, and a handful of grub screws and cross head's strip on my Sceadu during the last dismantling, I just replace em with good quality S/S ones as and when they go.

Some of the stock fixings are

Yeah, pretty much what I do but it's always a freaking PITA when one goes tits up and I can't get it out and/or I don't have a replacement in stock

[chipbury]

A problem with some of the philips/pozidrive screws (not just on Align stuff) is that they are made to the Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS) and require a slightly different profile of screwdriver tip to stop them slipping so easily. Some of my screwdrivers fit well others don't. I've just ordered a set of JIS screwdrivers so that should help a bit.

Boring information warning - philips screws/screwdrivers are designed to slip if you apply too much torque as when they were first used torque control of machines was not very accurate so they relied on the screwdriver slipping to stop over torquing the fixing if the machine cocked up. Pozidrive were designed later not to slip when torque control was better.

[Smoothound]

Most of the Align ones that get my goat are actually Hex drives

[tourerjim]

I agree with chipbury I've damaged heads of screws many a time by knowingly not using the correct screwdriver.

[jamiem]

its my one massive gripe on the 500, the machine as brilliant, but the screws are terrible. it surely wouldnt have cost them more than a tenner a kit to have supplied good quality screws, plus stainless ones would look so much nicer than the black nasty ones....

[chipbury]

To get out damaged allen headed bolts at work we grind down bigger hex keys so they are tapered and then hammer them in until they bite. The bolt is goosed but at least it comes out. I don't know how well it works with small sizes though?

You can buy a set that has 3, 4, 5 & 6 mm sizes. Although it is from Mcmaster Carr in the states maybe they are available here?

[Smoothound]

I can get them out

Mr Dremel sorts that out, grind a slot and out they come but I'd rather just have a few quid on the cost of a kit and not have to resort to that sort of bodging just to get out a poxy 3mm Hex screw

I know they are trying to hit a price point but a few quid is hardly going to make any difference.

This really is an Align problem, I've built a fair few kits now and I've not found any others as poor, even half arsed low quality stuff from China is OK.

We all bugger screws, it's a fact of life but it helps if they are made of something a bit stronger than cheese to start with

I do like Align Helis but some of their gear really stinks