CTI vs AeroTech.... Sell me on one...

[JPVegh]

With the exception of Black Jacks all of the AT 29mm HPR reloads are USPS shippable including the I200W. For someone like me who lives in the boonies and may not have access to a local vendor that is a big selling point. How much is the hazmat fee now?

 

[Blastcap Rocketry]

I'm 100% CTI Man. For the record CTI has over 60! Loads in the 24 & 29mm line alone.

 

[KenRico]

With the exception of Black Jacks all of the AT 29mm HPR reloads are USPS shippable including the I200W. For someone like me who lives in the boonies and may not have access to a local vendor that is a big selling point. How much is the hazmat fee now?

Have been sticking with AT for 38mm and below because of price, now keep a bit of stash (All the Gs, H128, H180) with longest delays (use drill tool) - used a G76G last week and added to my Wildman order, no hazmat! Also want to do some Warp 9 stuff - even with all the variety and the no case hassles - the CTIs just don't hit the extremes like H999 or I49 in the 38 / 360 size.

Finally flew my 54mm starter set last weekend with a CTI K360, still can't get over how quick it was to put together.

Kenny

 

[cbrarick]

I fly a lot of CTI - and it's cheaper at the higher sizes, not to mention much easier to build. I still use some Aerotech, but these are usually only ones I build the night before & bring to the field. All of my "extra" flights are CTI because they're so quick to assemble and don't have all the parts of Aerotech. The other plus is that CTI always has a ignitor, AT at sizes J and above never do.

I'd get a Pro 29 starter set, then you can fly f-h right off the gun. 23 different motors!

JMHO

 

[nh4clo4]

And CTI has the H410...

Ooooh, just wait 'till you fly the K-1440 :grin:. It is a beast of a motor in a 54mm casing. Much better than the K-2045 IMHO, and much better than anything else in the 54mm dia. range.

Then, of course, is the N-5800 :y:

 

[Rocketman248]

No reason to "switch" to CTI. Just fly both! More variety is always a good thing.

 

[tibadoe]

Since I'm going for my L1 next month I decided to go for the CTI due to the ease of assembly.

 

[Budzilla]

This is a 38mm CTI I223 Skidmark. Looks pretty cool to me.
That was the first skidmark I flew. I hesitate on skids due to fire restrictions and to keep that simple .
I have to agree for ease and clean up CTI is hard to beat. I like the adjustable delay.
You spend a little more for the ProDat tool but the are far less complicated. You can launch 3 birds with CTI in the time it takes for 1 AT.

Again you know what they say about opinions....

 

[Salvage-1]

For me... CTI (AT for 18mm and some 24mm)

Why?
1-Ignition; drag race a CTI vs an Aerotech, 90% of the time I see the CTI bird half way to apogee by the time Aerotech lights. CTI igniters are excellent too. I am planning on airstarts, CTI all the way for this.
2-Ease of build; some people say that Aerotech are 'real' rocket motors, because you build them. Well, CTI are 'real' motors too, with almost no cleanup, and a motor that builds in less than a minute

just my 2c

 

[SSenesy]

I prefer CTI, simply due to their ease of use and cleanup. With that said, I love to fly both brands and have full case sets up to 75mm in both. As has been said earlier, it really just depends what's easily available to you. You can't go wrong with either one!

 

[UPscaler]

Ooooh, just wait 'till you fly the K-1440 :grin:. It is a beast of a motor in a 54mm casing. Much better than the K-2045 IMHO, and much better than anything else in the 54mm dia. range.

Then, of course, is the N-5800 :y:

The K740 is pretty awesome too




Braden

 

[DM1975]

Three step process...

1. Get both

2. Fly both

3. Prosper!

 

[tjsnakez]

I don't know what all of the fuss is about... I can build an AT load in nearly the same amount of time it takes me to assemble a CTI load depending on if I adjust the delay or not. :wink:

I say both. Then you will always be prepared for whatever the vendors have in stock. I personally fly a lot of AT because I like their white, blue, and red propellants better. CTI has some cool stuff though. The 29mm moon burners, I-max and C-star propellants. I'm a big fan of the white thunder too. Of course everyone likes a good skidmark once in awhile.

It just depends on what you like. I like putting together the AT reloads.. it is interesting to me. It is not for everyone though.

 

[CarVac]

Imax is the best smoky propellant. Smoke + green flame + awesome performance; what's not to like?

That aside, my favorite motor is the AT G138. Even more than the N5800 sitting in the rocket lab... AT needs to make more New Blue Thunder motors, since they have much better flames in the small sizes than the "old" Blue Thunder.

 

[cjl]

Three step process...

1. Get both

2. Fly both

3. Prosper!

Agreed

I fly both, and love both. I really don't understand the fuss about putting together AT motors - sure, it takes a little longer, but after you've done one or two, it takes all of 90 seconds to put together a reload. It usually takes me longer to pack the parachute than it does to load the motor. I will say, the lower price of AT motors in the smaller sizes (mainly 29mm) is attractive, and each manufacturer has propellants which the other cannot match - AT's white lightning is the best white propellant, bar none (IMHO), but CTI's Imax is really unique and awesome, and white thunder and C-star have a thunderous roar that needs to be heard (and felt) to be appreciated. Honestly, I'd have a really hard time picking just one.

 

[lawndartman]

Motojoe will be at the Vegas Octoberfest launch. He is coming from Bolder Co. Anyone who knows him knows you can the same or better deal from him at the launch. Way to go...

 

[mdoering]

Motojoe will be at the Vegas Octoberfest launch. He is coming from Bolder Co. Anyone who knows him knows you can the same or better deal from him at the launch. Way to go...

According to the GLR site the wild man prices were better, and I have quite a few non motor wildman only products coming as well... This being the first regional launch I've attended and the only one with a vendor, I have no idea what to expect and would hate for the weekend to be a bust...

Also, just because I bought from one guy doesn't mean I won't buy from the next...

 

[Rocketjunkie]

I fly both, mostly CTI in 24 and 29 mm, mostly Aerotech in larger sizes but have hardware for CTI up through 54mm. For both, it takes longer to get the parts out of the packaging than to actually assemble the motor.

 

[rocket1017]

I fly both CTI amd Aerotech. I suggest for Aerotech that you prep the night before. That way they are assembled correctly without launch distractions and lost parts on the ground.

We are unfortunate here in Vegas in that we have no onsite vendor... I know the club motor box has AeroTech reloads in it, not sure about CTI... but I'll likely order online since the prices are cheaper and in quantity, that hazmat fee disappears into the total savings....

I have a 5 year old who comes to launches with me and he's a "let's fly it already daddy!" type of kid... I can assemble motors without difficulty, but he hates to wait...

 

[Aksrockets]

According to the GLR site the wild man prices were better.

I'd buy from Joe. One of the best motor vendors out there. He's an actual guy, not an "add to cart" button so he'll give you deals that Wildman wont, plus no HAZ shipping. I buy ALL of my motors on site now.

Alex

 

[mdoering]

I'd buy from Joe. One of the best motor vendors out there. He's an actual guy, not an "add to cart" button so he'll give you deals that Wildman wont, plus no HAZ shipping. I buy ALL of my motors on site now.

Alex

Sounds like a great excuse for me to double up on my inventory :wink:

I apologize if I make some people upset that I ordered from someone besides the onsite vendor that I'll be meeting for the first time... This is only going to be my second club launch, at a club that doesn't have a regular vendor, so lighten up a bit... I have many years of flying rockets ahead of me, motors are consumables, and I've got plenty of $$ to spread around... I tried to order through Jack at What's Up Hobbies since he's going to be at ROCtober @ Lucerne which I'll be stopping by on Saturday, but he wasn't able to match the Wildman price (even non-club) so I had no illusions that GLR would be any different...

 

[jpummil]

Sounds like a great excuse for me to double up on my inventory :wink:

I apologize if I make some people upset that I ordered from someone besides the onsite vendor that I'll be meeting for the first time... This is only going to be my second club launch, at a club that doesn't have a regular vendor, so lighten up a bit... I have many years of flying rockets ahead of me, motors are consumables, and I've got plenty of $$ to spread around... I tried to order through Jack at What's Up Hobbies since he's going to be at ROCtober @ Lucerne which I'll be stopping by on Saturday, but he wasn't able to match the Wildman price (even non-club) so I had no illusions that GLR would be any different...

I HOPE no one was implying that. While we all try and support local vendors, there is nothing wrong with having a vendor of choice. And Tim's definitely not an "Add to Cart" button...you CALL him if you want to make an order (or it's recommended anyway). :grin:

 

[mdoering]

Tim's definitely not an "Add to Cart" button...you CALL him if you want to make an order (or it's recommended anyway). :grin:

Damn skippy! His wife Jackie is the sh*t too... She was great on the phone with my many pre-sale questions and if there was something she didn't know, she was quick to get an answer out of Tim... And to further the "He's not an add to cart guy" they pulled a 29mm CTI rear closure from one of Tim's motors and threw it in because that was the one item they were out of on my order and they wanted to get it out to me in time for my launch... Try getting that from Hobbylinc, Hobby Lobby, or any of the other truly "add to cart" retailers people talk about on here... won't happen...

This is my first order from Wildman, the last vendor I purchased from (that got me back into the hobby) was Dave McVeigh @ Red Arrow who also had fantastic pre-sales support...

And sorry to get defensive, the "Way to go..." statement above seemed sort of condescending and confrontational... (maybe I just took it the wrong way)

I'd rather spread the wealth and make bulk orders from each of the smaller guys over time instead of just one person... We need to support all of them to keep variety, market innovation, and low prices...

 

[Aksrockets]

And Tim's definitely not an "Add to Cart" button..:

I meant any online shopping. Wildman Rocketry was just an example.

Alex

 

[CarVac]

One benefit of buying from Jack (I don't know about other onsite vendors) is that quite often, if the motor is the cause of a failure, he will replace what got damaged. When I had an H410 fail to eject, he replaced my rocket's nosecone (the only part that was damaged) and gave me a new reload, and dealt with the warranty claim himself. That's why I buy from him, even if there are cheaper options.

 

[edwinshap1]

I can't swing one way or the other. I used a CTI motor for my L1, an Aerotech for my L2, and I'll be flying an Aerotech for my L3 next month. Both brands have their huge upsides. Aerotech cases are more easily utilized in experimental activities, and CTI's cases are more easily assembled in the smaller categories.

As for which you should buy first, it depends what you want to do. I chose CTI for my L1 because the cert special got me a free case, and I chose Aerotech for my L2 because I needed to drill the delay to 4 seconds, and all the CTI motors had lower delay times of 7-8, and I did not want to drill past their recommendations.

 

[chadrog]

If you can save your pennies, many good deals can be had on Aerotech loads. There always seems to be a bit of a "price war" between certain vendors this time of year. Wildman currently 35% off retail, Red Arrow just announced 40% off retail.

 

[DM1975]

Hasn't their been problems recently with larger CTI motors and cato's?

 

[awseiger]

I fly CTI. It's mostly that an on-site vendor carries the full line of motors from 24mm E's all the way to 98mm N's. They're expensive, yes, but with a 3g case, 6g case, and two spacers (and closure if applicable) you can fly ANYTHING except for 6gxl motors. Also, 38mm CTI motors have no closure, making the overall casing purchase easier.

I have seen the difference in takeoff times between AT motors and CTI motors. CTI motors go off as reliably as BP motors. You press the button, they go. I wish I had a dollar for all the times I have seen AT motors smoke, sputter, then finally come up to pressure. They work just the same, but the reliability of ignition is worlds apart.

I should also point out CTI cases come with cool "PRO-X" silvery stickers that look awesome on your rangebox

 

[jpummil]

Hasn't their been problems recently with larger CTI motors and cato's?

Only if you forget to read the instructions and fail to bond the grains to the liner :wink: