Man, I had the "maiden" voyage today!
I don't have my battery pack yet, but I just had to throw one of my 6 cell sxs E-Maxx packs in there to see if it would run.
HOLY JESUS!!!! This thing is as fast as my Brushless E-Maxx on 8.5 to 8 volts!
I can't wait to get my battery pack. It's on the way somewhere in the mail. I made the mistake of ordering it on Wednesday afternoon before a Friday holiday.
I didn't really notice a whole lot of metal on metal spur noise. I guess once I get my real battery I'll know for sure. If it's no louder than what I heard today I can live with it. I'm sure a plastic or Delrin spur would be much quieter but it's not that bad. I expected much worse from all the talk about it.