Redcat Racing Lightning EPX Drift Review

The Redcat Racing Lightning EPX Drift is fun to use but unlikely to suit RC purists.

Redcat Racing Lightning EPX Drift
(Image: © Redcat Racing)

Top Ten Reviews Verdict

The RedCat Racing Lightning EPX Drift is a remote control car that has some shortcomings in speed and handling, but they are not really what this car is about. Instead, it offers its own unique brand of fun and should pose an enjoyable challenge for casual racers and RC enthusiasts alike.

Pros

  • +

    Unique drifting abilities

  • +

    Fun to try and master

Cons

  • -

    Difficult handling

  • -

    Lower top speeds

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The Lightning EPX Drift from Redcat Racing is a hobby-grade RC car with a stylish design and special wheels that, as its name implies, allow the vehicle to drift when turning. As users of the best remote control cars will know, this provides no practical benefit and actually hampers both its handling and speed - what it does mean, however, is that the Lightning can be used to perform maneuvers that no other type of RC vehicle can.

Redcat Racing Lightning EPX Drift Review: Handling

The best RC cars typically provide the utmost in speed, handling and terrain versatility, but the Lightning provides none of these things. Instead, all of its components center on one feature: drifting. It does this with special tires that are hard and relatively slick. As you might have guessed, this makes gaining traction difficult, even when you're not drifting. For this reason, the Lightning has a relatively low top speed. While its speeds may increase as the motor breaks in, we clocked it at 11 mph. Redcat Racing quotes its top speed at 15 mph.

Handling is also much different from usual with the Lightning EPX. At high speeds, almost any adjustment in the car's direction initiates some sort of drift. This was frustrating at first in our tests, but as we grew more accustomed to the vehicle, handling became easier.

These factors may seem more like blows than benefits in the car's ability, but high speeds and tight, snappy handling were never the focus of this vehicle. Redcat Racing would undoubtedly be the first to make another recommendation if those are the features you seek. Drifting, however, opens an entirely different way to experience on-road RC vehicles.

While driving the Lightning isn't exactly easy at first, it's great for those who appreciate a challenge. Rather than simply running your car around as fast as you can, the driving experience becomes more about finesse and skill. This may not sound appealing to everyone, but we found driving the drift car a dynamic and engaging experience. In addition to drifting around corners, the Lightning allows you to perform spins and tricks, unleashing your creativity in a way that you may not encounter with simpler RC cars.

Redcat Racing Lightning EPX Drift Review: Durability

As a slick, on-road vehicle, the Lightning EPX Drift is not as durable as its rugged, off-road counterparts. Being much lower to the ground, the chassis of the vehicle, rather than its wheels, bears the brunt of most crashing. In addition to this, its suspension cannot absorb the same levels of shock that off-road vehicles can, so any jumps or falls are going to take a more significant toll on the internal components of the vehicle. In other words, this just isn't a car that you're going to want to frequently crash or launch off ramps.

Redcat Racing Lightning EPX Drift Review: Controls

The remote control is essentially the same as you'd find with almost any hobby-grade vehicle: a 2.4GHz pistol transmitter with proportional control. This type of control is the most sensitive, but it's also the most precise. This combined with the relatively difficult handling makes the Lightning more suited for older hobbyists.

Redcat Racing Lightning EPX Drift Review: Warranty

Redcat Racing backs up the Lightning EXP Drift with a 90-day warranty, phone and email support, a user forum and access to replacement parts. Although its warranty may seem short, it is one of the longest warranties offered for hobby-grade remote control cars. With the abuse they take, RC cars are rarely warrantied for more than a month after purchase.

Should you buy the Redcat Racing Lightning EPX Drift?

The Redcat Racing Lightning EPX Drift is a very specialized vehicle. It doesn't offer any of the conventional hallmarks of a high-performance RC car, but it is high-performance in its own way. True, you can't reach high speeds or make quick, agile maneuvers, but the Lightning offers a challenge to RC enthusiasts and a unique driving experience that you simply can't achieve with traditional RC vehicles.

Caleb Cross

Caleb works in Partnerships for Inside.com, and has written extensively for Top Ten Reviews about cameras and image technology. He graduated with a Bachelors degree in Digital Communications and Media from Weber State University, and currently works in New York. He is no longer a regular contributor to this website, but his Top Ten Reviews legacy lives on.