Top 80 vs Atom 80

[forecaster]

Hello,

First of all I'd like to say hi as I'm new on this forum. I am new to paramotor sport, so far free-flying with for 10 years and decided to go fuel-powered to enhance my experience.

I'd like to get your opinions on how Atom 80 is (or is not) better than the Top 80 engines in terms of noise and vibrations it generates and also its reliability.

The thing is I can buy a used Miniplane Top 80 (full gear with frame, harness etc) with fully renovated motor just now for exactly half the price of new Atom 80 (also full gear) and I wonder if it makes sense to reach deeper into my wallet to have the Atom 80. Miniplane has better carbon pipe cage, while the Atom 80 gear that I'm offered is aluminium construction, I like the Miniplane's one more (lighter). The same lifting construction (active, goose-neck) for both.

I was flying Top 80 lately, it's powerful enough for me (I am 70kg guy, flying with a classic paraglider) but what I disliked a bit was vibrations especially present on the left paraglider raisers and alsmost none at the right ones (why is that so by the way?). Not sure if Atom 80 generates less vibrations.

Cheers! /forecaster

Edited August 26, 2020 by forecaster

[Blackburn Mark]

I cant help with any direct experience of either but you are not getting any joy form others so ill rattle your cage
All things being equal, I would go for the one with easiest to acquire spares reasonably cheaply and the easiest to repair frame would get my attention as well.

The Atom looks and sounds great and by all accounts, is "smooth"... But being a skinflint, the Top 80 might win the day for me had it not been for the carbon.... I can weld aluminum and get myself back into the air quickly with an aluminum frame but I have never bent a frame or blown a prop in a fall/crash (yet) so it may be false economy... but I cant shake it  

 

10 hours ago, forecaster said:

vibrations especially present on the left paraglider raisers and alsmost none at the right ones

That might be intrinsic to the crank-web balance choices and overall mass distribution... It would seem in your case, the axis of toque reaction when its in full wave resonance is not centered between the two risers (mine isn't either Bailey V2).... lets say you moved the fuel tank 100mm further up into the frame, it would still happen but at a different RPM and its center of action would likely change.
Personally, my worst resonant vibration is away from cruse RPM, I can live with it.... if it was bang on cruse RPM, I would be pretty unhappy and looking at ways to stop it.


 

[cas_whitmore]

Can vouch for top 80 , had a fair few of them now , Miniplane and pap frames , ones with the early type exhaust suffered fracture cracks , bullet proof if treated properly by previous owners of second hand , hardly any torque steer guess the atom is the same amount , Spares all ways been easy to get if needed, never really felt the vibrations, except when props out of kilter, Miniplane 150=140 prop sounds interesting, currently use eos 100 which is also proven to be good