THURSDAY TESTIMONIALS: JConcepts Pinion Pucks

0 June 14, 2017, 10:37 a.m.

Main Photo: THURSDAY TESTIMONIALS: JConcepts Pinion Pucks

By Mike Garrison
LiveRC.com

Whether it's wheel nuts, wings, tools, tracks, trinkets and/or anything in between, the LiveRC staff gives their testimonial and review of each every Thursday morning!

I am almost certain that pinion gear holders/carriers/organizers have been in existence since the day pinion gears were invented, yet companies are still releasing “new” versions of the age-old pinion gear holder design time and time again. Honestly, how much can be done to improve a stick of metal with rows of pressed-in pins and etched numbers labeling the various pinion sizes? JConcepts has taken their stab at re-inventing the pinion holder, and I got a chance to try it out first hand.

JConcepts Pinion Pucks
Pinion Puck (Modified Range), 2587-2 Pinion Puck (Stock Range)
#2586-1, $34
www.jconcepts.net

JConcepts is arguably most well-known as a tire and body company; however, the brand also includes an extensive range of pit accessories, option parts and knick-knacks. The range of accessories has seen majority of growth in the past few years, with JConcepts applying a new twist to otherwise boring designs that have been on the market for sometimes well over a decade. Some of these new twists are performance-enhancing, while others are based on aesthetics, and then there are some that, in my opinion, serve no purpose other than being the badass thing to have — a great example being the $220 aluminum/carbon fiber setup board. While I have not been graced with the opportunity to set my ride height upon a layer of carbon fiber trimmed in aluminum bling, I have been presented with the chance to try out the new JConcepts Pinion Pucks.

The Pinion Pucks are JConcepts' twist on traditional pinion holders. The Pucks are available in two different sizes: the Stock Range, to fit 48-pitch pinions between 27-36 teeth, and the Mod Range which holds smaller gears ranging from 17-26 teeth. Both versions are available in either black- or blue-anodized aluminum, with silver chamfered edges, laser-etched size labels, steel holding pins, and a recessed “bowl” in the center for holding miscellaneous hardware.

The way the JC Pinion Puck works is by placing the appropriate size pinion gear over the steel pin down inside the recessed area. Using the cut-outs on the outer edge of the Puck you tighten the set screw of the pinion onto the steel pin. Voilà! You’re done.

The JConcepts Pinion Pucks carry a street price of $34. This is considerably more than some, but not all pinion holders on the market. So, what is the advantage to spending the extra money? After careful thought, I tested the Pinion Puck by beating and bashing on it, prying and pulling at each gear to test how will it will stay in place, hauling it in and out of my unorganized mess of a race bag, setting it out on my pit table as an accessory (whether I needed a pinion or not), and I may or may not have used it in a game of shuffleboard. I also did the same using a traditional flat stick-style pinion holder. After comparing the results, I developed some opinions about it

1. For metal pinion gears, it takes a hell of a lot to damage them while being stored and transported on a pinion holder. If you are using poly or plastic pinion gears (such as I am for stock racing), protection is a little more important. The JConcepts Pinion Puck provides full protection surrounding each pinion gear, whether it's metal or plastic, which traditional pinion holders do not. Is that necessary in most cases> No. Is it comforting and a bonus? Absolutely.

2. I personally have owned multiple pinion gear holders on which either the pressed pins fell out, the pinion gears fell off, or the pinion gears didn’t fit. I am not a body builder by any means, but regardless of what tools or methods I used to pull the Pinion Puck’s pins out, I failed. The pins are completely round, with no flat spot for the set screw to sit. Since the pins are not spinning, such as a motor shaft, , the pinions stay secured in place despite no flat surface to clamp onto (assuming you tighten the set screw properly). Each pin fits the pinions nicely without too much play, but not too snugly.

Pinion Puck sitting on your pit table as an accessory is the biggest advantage of them all, in my opinion. The little recessed bowl in the center works nice to hold body clips and small parts, but more importantly the Pinion Puck (especially the blue one) was a hot topic to anyone who stopped to talk or walking by. By contrast, not a single person asked me about, picked up and held, or stopped to even acknowledge my old-school $12 pinion holder. If you can’t make friends on your own, spending the extra money to have bling accessories is a sure way to get a conversation started.

4. Last, but not least, while the JConcepts Pinion Puck was not the ideal disc choice for a competitive game of bar top shuffleboard, it still performed head-and-heels better than a standard pinion holder.

Pros:

Available in two different sizes
Stylish, with nice choice of common colors
Protects gears from damage during transit
The center recessed compartment is great for holding small parts
Creates considerably more buzz in the pits than most pit accessories

Cons:

Costs $34

Final word:
The final word on the JConcepts Pinion Pucks is pretty cut and dry. Aside from surrounding the pinion gears for complete protection, a pinion holder is a pinion holder – they hold pinions. Assuming you don’t buy a lemon that the pins fall out or don’t fit the pinion gears, they all serve the same purpose. The JConcepts Pinion Puck does the exact same thing; however, it also offers the added protection of surrounding the pinions, doubles as a small parts holder, and it looks down right gorgeous. Pinion holders range in price from $8 plastic cases, $14 old school caddys, to the $34 multi-purpose machined Pinion Puck masterpiece. This may not be the most expensive pinion holder on the market, but if not, it is sure close.

If you have a limited budget to spend, as a racer always looking for a competitive edge, I would venture more towards the JConcepts option/performance parts over a Pinion Puck. On the flip side, if you can fill the entire Pinion Puck with gears, you have already invested somewhere in the neighborhood of $60-70 in gears and so a one-time purchase of $34 to protect them doesn't seem all that unreasonable. Assuming you don't lose the Pinion Puck, it has the potential to last your entire R/C career and then some. If you are a stock racer using plastic pinions I highly recommend the extra money spent for the added protection. As a mod racer using steel/aluminum pinion gears, the protection is not as crucial unless you are abnormally abusive to your pinion caddy and gears. Instead, you are paying for a bitchin’ way to carry around your pinion gears, or at least a super trick parts tray show piece with a side of pinion gear protection.