When it comes to RC speed controls, Tekin is one of the biggest names out there. They offer a full line of speed controls, all the way from Crawler systems to 1/8th scale powerhouses. When I picked up the Caster Racing EX1.5R Pro Kit (review here), I needed an ESC/Motor combo that would deliver the reliable power I needed. I had never owned an RX8, and heard a lot of good things about them. So I went with it.

The RX8 has a series of LEDs on its face that can tell you everything. It is also how you program the ESC if you do not have Hotwire, Tekin’s PC interface software and dongle. Something else the LEDs do for you is give you temp readings. The LEDs will increase the hotter the ESC gets, each one being worth a set temperature.

On the RX8, you have to solder your own wires onto the posts for the motor and battery connection. You need a good soldering iron for this, or you risk overheating the post and possibly separating it from the main board. I didn’t have any pictures of the system when I took it out of the box, so here’s one from the Tekin website.

In the Caster EX1.5R, you have to change the rotation of the motor because of how it is oriented in the buggy. You need to have reverse rotation. Easier said than done. There is a way to do it with the LEDs, but I could never figure it out. Instead, I hooked up my Tekin Hotwire and made changes that way. With Hotwire, changes are very easy. On my initial test drives, it became evident the RX8 had a LOT of braking power. At full speed, a stab of the brakes would make the buggy do front flips. I dialed down the brakes to about 50%, which turned out to be all I needed.

I ran this system for 3 months. In all that time I never had temp issues, gearing the Caster buggy with a 15T pinion and a 43T spur. I had plenty of top end power, with a lot of punch to come out of the corners. The included ESC fan kicks on and off by itself as needed depending on the temperature of the ESC.

Something that is very noticeable on this system vs other systems I have run is just how smooth it is. Yes, it is a sensored motor so it should be smooth, but this was even smoother than other sensored systems I’ve used.

How did the Tekin RX8/T8 motor combo rate?

Value	This is one of the more expensive systems, retailing right in the $320 range (at the time of this writing). However if the adage “You get what you pay for” is true, then this system is priced correctly.
Appearance	Being a 1/8th system, the ESC and motor are huge. That’s a given. The LEDs can be kind of confusing, but a quick read of the manual will set you straight there.
Performance	This system has a ton of power. It has more braking than you will ever need, so much so I had to turn mine down a lot. It is also probably the smoothest power I have ever felt in an RC. It’s something you have to experience to appreciate.
Durability	Like I said above, this system performed flawlessly throughout the three month review process. I never had a single issue with it, either running 2 2S packs in series or a single 4S pack. It never overheated, and never quit. The only time I didn’t finish a race because of the ESC/motor was because I hit Low Voltage Cutoff after about 13 minutes. I did lose a couple fan blades on the ESC fan, so I knocked off half a spoon for that.
Would I buy again?	There’s no question here. I would absolutely buy this again. It has all the features I would ever need. It makes gobs of power, and is easy to set when using Hotwire. The only negative to this system is the price.

Overall I give the Tekin RX8/T8 motor combo  a 4.5 out of 5 Spoons

A very good ESC/Motor combo. Very reliable, very powerful, very expensive. In this case you really do get what you pay for.