So here's the thing you guys don't understand about the HSB-9380TH/HSB-9381TH/HSR-M9382TH, which I'm happy to talk about because i'm so passionate about this particular technical aspect of the hobby:
First off, the 9382 has little to no use with airplanes, so disregard it entirely.
Secondly, the 9380/9381 (for reference, I'll just use the 9380 as the 9381 is exactly the same, just with a full metal case instead of plastic) is the strongest servo on the market,
period. I'll explain why now that I've made such a bolt and factual statement.
-It has a built to specification 5 pole brushless motor, no other servo shares this level of motor. This motor is capable of producing over 800oz/in of torque in its current form, BUT neither the case, nor geartrain can handle such strength. Originally, the 9380 made this level of torque before it was digitally neutered to prevent it from catastrophically failing as material strength doesn't exist at the level it would need to produce 800oz/in. I can tell you right now that if a servo claims to make a number that sounds too good to be true, it probably is and the manufacturer is bulls***ing you through their teeth.
- It does not fade under load. Servos are rated under a 'no-load' condition using mathematics, they very seldom actually produce the rated torque as this is a perfect scenario. Add the typical loads a 3D surface will see in flight and the torque output fades (a typical number is 25-30%): The Savox 1270TG produced a measly 300oz/in of torque under load in the
exact same laboratory conditions the 9380 was tested in. Same exact multi million dollar precision torque machine was used on a variety of servos, including a Futaba BLS172, MKS 777, MKS 380, Savox 1270TG and a Bluebird H51B. None of them produced the same torque under load as the Hitec 9380. I don't recall the specifics, but the Futaba came the closest to its rating at round 450oz/in. The bluebird was dead last as less than 300.
Because the 9380 has an oversized motor, it doesn't fade under load. Apply a load to any servo and they will either scream at you and eventually fade, or fail entirely. The 9380 cannot, under any circumstance, blow back without breaking something. You will break every single component between the tip of your control surface and the pinion gear on the 9380 motor before that motor budges. Again, this is due to its 5 pole design, the custom circuit inside of it (most servos use the same circuit board) can actually lock the motors position in place to prevent blowback. No fade under load means the servo is actually
faster than a proclaimed 0.10 servo with 500oz/in+ with a load.
-The custom circuit in it takes full advantage of the 5 pole motor design. Not only will it never blow back, but due to how it controls the motor, it is extremely efficient in design. A 10 minute flight on my 105" AJ Laser 230Z draws a whopping 300mah per flight, and I'm not exactly delicate with my airplanes (ignition is also powered off of the flight packs). Because of this efficiency and custom engineering, the 9380 can happily sit fully stalled for hours and hours on end. We've lab tested the servo for 8 hours at full stall and it never got above warm to the touch- this is due to an extremely low current drain at stall. Stall out any other servo, even other manufacturers brushless servos, and the current spikes through the roof and the motor will burn up in short order.
-A test was performed by independent people with a side by side comparison of many popular servos and the 9380- the 9380 smoked them all both under load, centering, smoothness (linear rate), and efficiency. Hooking the 9380 up in a direct hard linkage to an MKS HBL-380 in a 'to the death' pull test (where one servo pulls one direction, and the other servo pulls the other direction), the 9380 didn't budge at all and eventually wound up pulling the HBL-380 all the way over and completely destroyed the HBL-380. Unfortunately, due to legal threats from highly reputable servo manufacturers the video content won't be posted. I'm not BSing anybody here, one servo manufacturer was so butthurt about hearing about this test that they threatened legal action if the video was posted. The video was going to be posted strictly so that people can be educated about how servos really perform, but we can't even do that now.
To end all of this, I hate to break it to anyone, but a $99 servo just won't ever outperform the 9380. And while we're discussing it, a $240 servo could barely keep up with it. The 9380 really is the ultimate servo.
And no, I'm no longer a representative of Hitec, I just know more than most about servos due to my industry knowledge and am sharing the facts with you so you can formulate your own opinions. Speed and torque values are almost always over inflated by the Chinese and Taiwanese servo companies so please be careful about how you select a servo based on specifications.
One more thing, if anyone really doubts the 9380 performance, here is Team Hitec pilot Jake Arnold wringing out AJ's 103 Slick, filled with 9380s:
