I ordered my first warhead motor two years ago now. 52k is something else entirely.
But to keep my reviews brief I will just highlight bullet points.
1. Brushless motors are better than brushed motors in ALMOST every way.
2. Brushless motors are NOT bomb proof.
What I mean by that is brushless motors will pretty much insta-die on a stalled gearbox. This has happened to me more than once, and it is a very unfortunate way to lose $150-200.
Good news is, with good electronics knowledge repairing the MOSFET's on an ECU is not difficult. I have been successful repairing Warhead ECU's before, using donors from other dead Warhead ECU's...
Next, is Warhead pinion gears are probably the softest pinions I have ever used. The black coating wears off quickly, and the teeth fold over fast. My preference because of CNC pinions being on the softer side is I actually like to use the super cheap MIM D-type pinions. I just ordered a bunch of spares for the future, but am yet to use one after my first replacement. Properly installed MIM pinions can pretty much last indefinitely.
Similarly, the stock D-pinions are pretty loose. The manufacturer does state to use a green retaining compound, and blue thread locker. Both can be removed with head should you find yourself needing to disassemble the pinions. But, cure times are 24 hours so just remember that. This is also not stupid proof, there is a very real risk of getting the green retaining compound inside the tower bearings. Be very careful.
Finally, there are better motors for the price now, which is why I rate this motor 4/5. When it was one of the first to hit the market. 5/5, easily without question. But $30 more gets you a Solink V5, which is programmable, and has a one-way bearing built in. If you are doing a complete overhaul and for some reason decided to replace a perfectly fine ARL, you could save yourself the $10-$20 on a fancy overkill ARL by just deleting it entirely in favor of a Solink V5 also sold by Brill.
Accounting for that price difference, that means a superior motor could be had for $20-$10 more than the Warhead black depending on ARL choice making it very hard to recommend.
Don't get me wrong. If you need a brushless today, and Warhead black is your only option, then get a Black and only black.
I also would not use a unidirectional motor in all builds. Such as instances where the only thing holding a spring in place is the motor. If you have a gearbox without the ability to independently remove the spring without disturbing the motor then removing the motor while the gearbox is precocked is a good way to break your tappet plate or cause other harm. Cyma / G&P / TM V7's are a good example of this. M14 EBR gearboxes have received no updating for decades and have no way to decompress the system. I have a Bullgear CNC V7, and even that is not natively quick change for something designed an manufactured within the past 5 years. So, if my only form or anti-reversal is my motor, that would be a bad time.
The Warhead Ronins are not worth the money ( I have two ), Warhead Base is not worth the money ( see below ). T238's are good motors but not ETU compatible, and therefore, at least to me, not worth the money.
Do NOT buy a Warhead base. I have a 35k Base, and a 35K black. For some reason, my Black cycles MUCH faster than my Base does. My 35k base shoots more like my 28k T238. That's at least 20% worse than advertised. Both of these motors also cycle slower than I'd expect for near 30k too, but that could just be me.
In my personal order:
Gate G5 ( if you have a Titan 2 ) > Solink V5 > Warhead Black > Gate G5 ( No Titan 2 ) > T238 ( No ECU at all : LMG, Krytac w/ FET, CYMA M14 EBR w/FET ) : all motors I have had experience with so far.
FYI: Gate G5's void your warranty above 30k according to the app, despite being sold as a 46k motor :). So treat G5's as 30k motors and build accordingly. False advertising on Gate's part but what ever.
