Arrma Kraton 8s Vs. X-Maxx

When the biggest and the meanest RC Trucks are called to the bashing arena, only 2 contenders rise to the top. Now it is their time to face each other Arrma Kraton 8s Vs. X-Maxx, wheels will burn, and gears will explode; this battle is for the last truck standing!

Yes, the 1/5 Kraton 8S RTR Monster Truck from ARRMA has just been unveiled, much to the delight of die-hard RC enthusiasts. Yes, it is massive. It is intended for severe bashing, yes! Yes, it has a SMART speedo that can work with a Spektrum 8S! Yes, it has enormous tires. Unfortunately, this section isn’t viewed by anyone, so let’s start!

The Traxxas X-Maxx monster truck arrived first, followed by the 8S Upgrade Kit and the full RTR Traxxas 8S X-Maxx. The newest X-Maxx has a ton of improvements over the original, improvements meant to make it quicker and more robust, and an all-around better bash machine. We have been running pack after pack through it to determine whether our review truck lives up to Traxxas’ reputation as an epic smash machine. How true to the hype is the 8S X-Maxx? By how much more quickly? How frequently does it fail? It alters the game. Get comfortable, get a beverage, and read on to learn our opinions of the 8S X-Maxx, an RC Truck that can take a beating.

Arrma Kraton 8s, The Bashing Machine

The 1/5 scale ARRMA® KRATON 8S BLX 4WD Speed Monster Truck is perfect for expert bashers who want to shred hard. It is practically ultimately out of the box and is designed to be fast and durable; all you need to do is add your favorite batteries and charger. The bundled Spektrum Smart Firma brushless motor and ESC fully utilize the cutting-edge telemetry technology contained in the Spektrum DX3 3-channel transmitter and SR6100AT AVC® (Active Vehicle Control®) receiver. For real-time viewing of motor RPM, ESC temperature, receiver voltage, drive pack voltage, and other data, download the free Spektrum Dashboard App to your smartphone. With the AVC® system on the radio, you can adjust extra stability to jump and carve corners without letting up on the gas. Using an 8S LiPo (2 x 4S LiPo batteries) and optional pinion gear, the KRATON 8S BLX 4WD can travel at speeds of more than 55 MPH in ideal driving circumstances (available separately). Incredible speed potential is available to you, and you can make full use of it.

X-Maxx, The Hype Maker

Arrma Kraton 8s

What You’ll Need: The ARRMA ships in RTR form and is entirely pre-built; assembly is not required. You must insert four AA-sized batteries into the transmitter before feeding the truck with LiPo juice. Oh, and remember to bring a charger. You might also want to use the Spektrum SMART batteries and a Bluetooth module for the transmitter because this has Spektrum’s new SMART technology.

Traxxas 8s X-Maxx

What You’ll Need: For the TQi, you’ll need four AA batteries, a charger, and two 4S LiPo batteries.

Arrma Kraton 8s

Build Quality: Our test truck appeared to be completely well-assembled, except for its wheel nuts, as it was a pre-production model. Our truck’s wheel nuts were severely overtightened. We used a “breaking bar” on the factory wrench to remove the wheel nuts. The wheels had also been somewhat melted by the overly tightened wheel nuts, making them difficult to remove as well, we later learned. Although we sincerely doubt that this kind of problem ever surfaces in hobby stores, you now are aware of some of the problems we encounter in the media.

Traxxas 8s X-Maxx

Build Quality: After moving the X-Maxx around the room, we discovered one wheel nut that was only marginally loose. Other than that, the X-build Maxx’s quality was flawless.

Arrma Kraton 8s

Setting up: Mostly stock, stock, and more stock. In addition to installing 8S worth of Spektrum SMART LiPos in the truck, we also installed some MaxAmps AA batteries in the transmitter. A Spektrum SMART battery charger was used for charging. By the way, the ride height on our test truck was set to “bones well above level.” When shipping it, that setting functioned perfectly, but to improve cornering, we changed the driveshafts’ ride height to “just over bones level.”

Traxxas 8s X-Maxx

Setting up: We used our truck as-is throughout the test period. Traxxas 4S 6700mAh LiPo batteries with iD connections served as the power source, while a Traxxas EZ-Peak Live served as the charging station.

Arrma Kraton 8s

Turning: We contend that the Kraton 8S is the most considerable turning large-size RTR concerning corners. The 1/8th scale Truggy, which the 8S Kraton is essentially a scaled-up version of, is one of the best handling/turning platforms available. The largest of all Kratons also turns pretty nicely, although the stock tires don’t have much side bite. The Kraton generally corners in a reasonably neutral fashion, whether the surface is a typical bite or high bite. Additionally, its center of gravity is relatively low, preventing the Kraton from rolling traction when coupled with the tires’ moderate side bite. With the beast, we hardly ever traction rolled the truck and enjoyed relatively fast corner speeds. We never had to be concerned about traction rolling, even when performing speed runs on pavement.

The stock servo is significant but not particularly quick. On the other hand, the big stock servo protector looked to do an excellent job of protecting the servo and is also quite large. It was a little on the light side, though.

The 8S Kraton felt like a huge Truggy in most corners. While it could not perform tight 180-degree pivots like a smaller scale, it felt well-planted in corners. The large Kraton didn’t feel as agile as a 1/8 Kraton, but it did seem comfortable to drive, secure, and confidence-boosting.

Traxxas 8s X-Maxx

Turning: The X-Maxx features some wobble in the corners like a monster truck. The vehicle did occasionally traction roll due to that level of lean, but it also had more grip while turning on slick or loose surfaces.

Typically, the rear of X-Maxx would rotate a lot while the front would stick in turns. It won’t take long to get acclimated to how a monster truck corners if you’ve driven one before; if you’ve just driven race cars, it might take a little while. Yes, the X-Maxx can corner decently for a giant monster truck, but it was never intended to out-carve an 8th-scale buggy in the corners. To do this, maintain conservative entry speeds and roll into the throttle immediately after the apex.

Arrma Kraton 8s

Jumps: We can appreciate the stock shock settings because we enjoy sending it just as much as the next guy. The grandfather of all Kratons has springs and shock dampening that are pretty hard out of the box, and its ride height is far above bone level. In summary, it is already configured in send-it mode when you open the box! Once more, in comparison to other “big scale” vehicles, it may be the best leaping available. It has a center diff, which makes it very simple to “level out” the Kraton in the air. Because of its enormous tires, the truck has a lot of power and rotational mass at its corners. On jump faces, its general geometry performed admirably, and during landing, its “entire package” performed admirably. Yes, by going big, you can bottom out the suspension. However, most users will make backyard leaps of a size that the factory suspension settings are perfect—massive credit to ARRMA for creating one of the best jumping machines of any scale or type.

Traxxas 8s X-Maxx

Jumps: Let’s be clear: the X-Maxx is an insane air-catching device. It just adores going EPIC. We couldn’t stop marveling at how we could come down from such ridiculous heights and the suspension would take it! The massive tires on the X-Maxx tended to overlook ruts and potholes when hitting jump faces, so takeoffs were also excellent. Unfortunately, we discovered that our test device would fly relatively flat in the air. There was no denying the X-Maxx had a lot of rotational mass in the tires and a ton of yank in the motor when repairs were required. It’s best to pull the trigger lightly when making mid-air adjustments so that the desired change, rather than too much, occurs. After testing, our Bash Crew had some very positive comments about the X-jumping Maxx’s ability. Although it wasn’t the best jumping machine we’ve ever tested, it was the best for absorbing landings and easily ranks in our top three.

Arrma Kraton 8s 

Bumps: The 8S Kraton’s solid suspension enjoys pounding gnarly-looking bumps at high speeds. The truck may have a little kick from the stiff suspension when traveling at slower speeds over more minor bumps. Simply put, the factory suspension settings enjoy diving into the challenging WFO.

Traxxas 8s X-Maxx

Bumps: We won’t mince words: we believe the X-Maxx is the best truck we’ve ever tested for tearing through challenging terrain. The X-Maxx can fling over rough terrain faster and with greater control than any other vehicle we have tested, thanks to its vast tires, weight, suspension geometry, and settings. The front suspension has been tuned to the nth degree. Its damping is excellent; neither it nor it is overly soft or hard. Again, the geometry and spring rates are ideal for severe banging on the rear, but the rebound damping is a little on the stiff/slow side. The rebound damping can be adjusted with standard RC shock pistons, but we were surprised by how close the factory settings are to ideal straight out of the box.

Arrma Kraton 8s

On the road: Fifth-scale tires are heavy; thus, they are often made of somewhat more complex rubber to reduce tire wear and expansion at high speeds. The default tires aren’t overly soft, but neither are they steadfast. On paved surfaces, our test truck had a little slip, which was far preferable to traction rolling. The Kraton had some slides when driven on roads, but aside from that, it was a monster. It was enjoyable to drive on the road because of its enormous size and respectable top speed.

Traxxas 8s X-Maxx

On the road: Oh yeah, the X-incredible Maxx’s on- and off-road stability is a trade-off for all that excellent handling. No, the X-Maxx isn’t horrible, but its off-road geared suspension settings do traction roll in the corners and can be difficult to steer at full power boogie. On the other hand, driving on-road-mad wheelies is one of its high points. So if wheelies are your thing, the 8S X-Maxx will make you incredibly happy.

Arrma Kraton 8s

Grass: A beast in the grass, the 1/5th Kraton. The truck’s power system provided enough power for flying around as the grass started to become deep, and the original tires provided excellent traction. We did a lot of grass driving with the ARRMA and had a great time because many of our favorite dirt areas were mud traps at this time of year.

Traxxas 8s X-Maxx

Grass: Our Bash Crew members also inquired whether the 8S X-Maxx was the superb grass vehicle they had ever tried.”. The X-Maxx is a mad beast in the grass, its tires acting like miniature brush hogs, regularly vomiting grass guts behind the truck. As usual, we can’t say for sure outside of a shootout setting, but it was either the greatest or a close second to the Losi DBXL. The X-Maxx largely ignores short grass and can climb up and float on top of taller vegetation once it reaches cruising speed. You will like the X-Maxx if your favorite target is a sizable grassy area.

Arrma Kraton 8s

Tires: Yes, we have already mentioned the tires a few times. They are a good tire for an RTR like the Kraton overall. On various terrain, they provide adequate traction and do not appear to wear out too rapidly. The stock tires work well and don’t require rapid replacement, although aftermarket tires provide additional traction.

Traxxas 8s X-Maxx

Tires: The tires on the 8S X-Maxx seemed to be made of stronger rubber than those on the original vehicle, though it could have just been us. They appeared to wear more slowly and didn’t seem to grow as much. We don’t know if that was just our thoughts playing games on us. In either case, the original tires performed admirably on loamy and soft dirt surfaces; however, they offered little traction on paved surfaces.

Arrma Kraton 8s

Power: The Kraton 8S has adequate power for a large-scale vehicle. It lacked the “crazy” power that the 1/8 6S Kraton possessed, though. In comparison to lesser scales, large scale vehicles operate somewhat more lazily, and the stock power system appears to be well matched with the chassis.

The power system is quite smooth for a non-sensored machine when starting from a complete stop. We found no evidence of cogging. The strength then transitioned into a controlled, silky bass end. Additionally, the mid-range was extremely smooth before easing towards the top-end without a noticeable impact. Even seemingly moderate enough for inexperienced drivers, the power was incredibly smooth and easy to operate (there is a three setting limiter on the top of the transmitter as well). The truck’s top speed of almost 40 mph feels respectable but isn’t “crazy fast.” In the end, the power is easy to operate, has enough raw power for the enormous truck, and doesn’t “feel” out of control like some 1/8 and 1/10 vehicles.

Traxxas 8s X-Maxx

Power: The main news with the new X-Maxx is that it can now use the voltage of an 8S LiPo battery. Is it as blazingly fast as an E-Revo on a 6S? No, it’s not that quick. It lacks the low end and high end of a 6S E-Revo. However, it is significantly faster than the original truck, and more significantly, it disperses all of the extra power in a highly manageable way. The new 1200XL motor provides a beautiful linear power curve with enough bottom-end torque to pull wheelies, enough mid-range torque to keep you alert all the time, and enough top-end speed to cause the tires to expand. The new 8S truck is perfect for general smashing; our major criticism of the original X-Maxx was its power system.

The 8S X-Maxx was only tested in frigid temperatures, with a 52 degree maximum ambient temperature. With factory gearing, the motor ran pretty cool under those circumstances. The top speed was 42 mph, which isn’t outrageous but is getting close to the point when the stock tires tend to expand and become unusable. Oh, and our run timings were consistently over 20 minutes. The stock 8S power system offers an excellent balance of power, runtime, and cool operation.

Arrma Kraton 8s

Radio: We experienced no problems with the supplied Spektrum DX2E ACTIVE during our testing. Range exceeded our expectations, and we never had an issue. You can also install the Bluetooth module to utilize the speedometer’s built-in SMART technology fully.

Traxxas 8s X-Maxx

Radio: A Traxxas TQi radio is used to steer the beast. The TQi always had plenty of range, and we never had a problem operating it. It was pretty straightforward, yet it did the job. A few times, we used the TSM electronic stability, which appeared to be highly effective at aiding in controlling the beast in slick conditions.

Arrma Kraton 8s

Broken Parts: The ARRMA has performed well thus far. The 1/5 Kraton has been taking all the high-speed tumbles, hops, and other punishments we could dish out. Under some difficult circumstances, we were able to shatter a shocking end and remove a wheel hex, but overall, the ARRMA has proven to be highly resilient.

Traxxas 8s X-Maxx

Broken Parts: We instruct our test drivers to “Take it easy and don’t crash for the first three runs!” when we introduce a new evaluation car.”. Yes, the X-Maxx avoided that situation. Furthermore, it wasn’t our test driver’s fault; they couldn’t help driving it to the limit. The X-Maxx was too much fun to drive half mast, too much fun to leap, and too much fun to wheelie. We broke no drive line components. The 8S X-Maxx has more durable components than the 8S upgrade kit, which are noticeable while driving.

Arrma Kraton 8s

The time needed to bash: Put some batteries in the ARRMA after it is fully completed, then head out to the garden.

Workability: Overall, maintaining the Kraton was simple for our Bash Crew. Its metric/hex hardware can be worked on using essential tools.

Design: Our Bash Crew enjoyed the 1/5 Kraton’s massive, bold appearance.

Bash-A-Bility: The durability of large-scale vehicles might be hit or miss. The ARRMA proved to be remarkably robust.

Fun: Yes, we had a great time with the Kraton. It had easy-to-drive power and a large chassis that could cruise through portions that would have stopped a 1/8th scaler in its tracks. It might be the “most entertaining” RC car we’ve ever driven, regardless of scale. The Kraton’s size allowed it to travel in areas where many remote-control cars could not, and it was also a lot of fun to drive on plain pavement.

Handling: Perhaps the best handling big-scale RTR of all time is the 8S Kraton. The standard suspension is effective for serious hammering, and the driver feels very confident thanks to the chassis design.

Price Value: The 8S Kraton is less than $900, while most large scalers cost more than $1,000. You might get one of the all-time greats for backyard fighting for your money.

Traxxas X-Maxx

The time needed to bash: The X-Maxx was incredibly simple for us to set up and use. Then, like with most RTRs, load up the truck with two charged packs, insert the transmitter’s four AA batteries, and wreak havoc.

Workability: The modular nature of the X-Maxx makes it very simple to repair. It wasn’t straightforward to work on, but it didn’t have any particularly challenging places.

Design: The 8S variant of the X-Maxx impressed our reviewers as a sleek pickup. The new black/red/grey livery was well accepted, and they liked the wheels and tires. Despite not receiving any injection molded plastic detail elements, the most recent X-Maxx nonetheless attracted attention as we pulled it out of the trunk.

Bash-A-Bility: The new X-Maxx is more durable than the original. With fewer broken parts than the original, we were able to batter the 8S X-Maxx harder.

Fun: Traxxas’ 8S X-Maxx is right on the money. Unlike the original, the 8S rips as a bash truck and should lack power. And it’s not just entertaining because of the boost in power; it’s also fun because of how it drives, handles, and is enormous. The Traxxas is the most enjoyable bone stock truck we’ve ever owned, regardless of size or design.

Handling: The X-Maxx is the best off-road vehicle we have ever evaluated in terms of overall handling. If you run it about your garden for a long enough time, it can function as a lawnmower and jumps with the best of them. It also essentially ignores bombed-out whoop areas of the track. On the other hand, if you are a true basher, the X-Maxx is well set up for your driving style right out of the box (jumping, grass, loose dirt).

Price Value: Many critics find the $899 price tag before batteries prohibitive, yet the 8S X-Maxx delivers a lot of bang for the buck. Cutting the check on an 8S X-Maxx will give you a lot of bashing craziness for every penny if your bank account can handle it.

Conclusion

Arrma Kraton 8s

RCBEE Rating: We can attest from personal experience that it is a genuinely fantastic bash machine. It has adequate, helpful power. It has a suspension that is exceptionally strong right out of the box. Top-shelf handling is used. The 1/5 Kraton is unquestionably one of the best trucks we’ve ever tested. Whether it will go down in history is something only time will tell, but we can tell you right now that it will. The 1/5 Kraton 8S is the truck you need in your RC garage if you enjoy severe smashing and want to step up your game. We heartily endorse and are significant admirers!

Traxxas X-Maxx

RCBEE Rating: When asked years ago, “What is the ideal RTR bash truck? You might have to respond to the Traxxas E-Max. The Traxxas E-Revo might have been the solution a few years later. The Traxxas X-Maxx 8S is the answer when we ask our Bash Crew that question today. The 8S X-Maxx, in our opinion, is still the pinnacle of backyard party trucks. It won’t beat the lap record at your local track, and it won’t beat the mph records on speed runs, either. But, it provides a vehicle that is the ideal size, power, and handling combination for some good ol’ fashioned smashing. All hail the new King, the Traxxas 8S X-Maxx, who has ascended to the throne of the smashing hill!

With all these reviews, we have decided that Arrma Kraton 8s Vs. Traxxas X-Maxx ends with just a strand earning the Traxxas X-Maxx the definitive Champ.