Experience with Vess sport props?

[Terry Caron]

I stumbled across comments on Vess R/C props and you'd think all others designs are destined for the scrap heap of model history.
They also make a Sport series and an (thptoowie) electric series.
Anyone using these in stunt?
Thoughts, observations?

Terry

[Garf]

I used the 12x4 on my last stunt ship. It worked great.

ERROR

It was an XOAR, not a Vess

[Terry Caron]

Hi Garf -

Did you notice any improved performance characteristics compared to other props?
Fuel economy, better power delivery, less prop noise, etc.?

Terry

[Garf]

It was on an LA 46 and pulled better than any of the 11" props I tried.

ERROR.

The prop I used was the XOAR prop.

[Terry Caron]

I put a Xoar on an ignition engine and it turned several hundred rpm more than the other wood props I tried.
That's why I'm curious about the Vess, another premium-ish prop.

Terry

[Steve Helmick]

Seems to me that Mark Scarborough used a Vess prop sometimes. Not sure what power source it was used on, however.

Maybe a "search" would work? I'm pretty sure it wouldn't work for me...it never seems to.     Steve

[Elwyn Aud]

Here's the only one I've seen, a couple of years ago at Brodaks. It was being flown in Expert so I assume it had decent performance.

[Mark Scarborough]

I did in fact use a 12x4 on a LA 46, they are well made props, with a premium finish and every single one I took out of the package was balanced dead on ( same applies for the XOAR props) The prop worked well on the LA however the APC worked better, my theory was, if you spent some time thinning the blades and working on it, to more closely match the APC 12.25 x 3.75 it would be a dynamite setup, however when the APC 12.25 x 3.75 was superior to everything I bolted on to the LA 46 and not by a small margin, I could see no benefit in taking a 7 $ wood prop, massaging it for hours to hoepfullly replicate the performance of a 4$ prop that when bolted up each and every one is identical.
That said, they are very well made props, nice wood, nicely machined and nicely finished. They work well but for MY application I did not find an advantage over the proven APC.
I wish I would have known about them when I was flying FP 40s, I would bet money they would be outstanding in an 11x4 on the FP.  I know I did fly a 11x4 XOAR on an FP and was pretty happy with it. I also tried a 13x6  ( Vess and Xoar) on my Avenger. They both really made the engine happy as a clam, but did not drive as well as my custom hand massaged from a rev-up prop that I will never be able to duplicate,,

[Terry Caron]

Great idea, Steve - shoulda thunk to search.
There's a good bit of commentary, mostly very positive.
I have a few on order, so I'll give 'em a try.

Neat looking plane, Elwyn - know what it is?

Thanks for the comments, Mark - an LA .46 is one of the engines I had in mind.

Terry

[Elwyn Aud]

I think it was a Viking. Edit- Found another photo.

[Terry Caron]

Great plane - thanks, Elwyn.

Terry

[Steve Helmick]

I would come close to betting $1USD that XOAR makes VESS props for whoever VESS is. Just as XOAR makes RSM props to his design specifications, for Eric Rule.    Steve

[Dan McEntee]

 Allen Brickhaus introduced me to Vess props, and we carried them at the hobby shop for a while. Kind of had an oddball range of pitches. I think the entered the market at first for large scale models then expanded the line a little. I tried a 13=6 Vess on a heavy Cardinal with a Tom Lay ST.60 in it and it ran as good as the venerable 13-6 Rev-Up, the only prop that I tried that loaded the engine just right. They quit carrying them at the hobby shop but I had a good little stash of them. I guess you have to get them direct now? Do a search for Vess props and it should go a long way back and I went into detail on my experiences in a couple of threads.
   Type at you later,
    Dan McEntee