Quark 125b questions

Hey guys,

After having had some problems running my Truggy conversion with a Mamba Max, and since I'm getting tired of waiting for the Monster Max, I think I'm going to go ahead and get a Quark controller.

I do have a few questions though. My alternate choice was going to be the 16 cell Compro esc. I got an email from Mike and he says that the Compro is a bit difficult to program, but it does run cooler than the Quark. I took a look at the pic that Mike has up on the Compro and it appears that the connection leads are just soldered to the 3.5mm connectors that the controller already has on it. Is this right? If so, I think that's a bit cheesy. Mike also said that he loves the Quark, inspite of the heat.

Now for the Quark questions. First, I know of the heat problems and that after some use, I'll have to do something about the thermal pathway within the controller. What I'm wondering is how well does the esc's thermal protection work? Will I have to worry about the esc cooking itself, or will it thermal, letting me know that it's time to "fix" the problem.

The second thing I'd like to know about (or just get some opinions) is the heatsink situation. I know that Mike sells one, but I'd like to avoid having to use fans if I can. The esc mount that I'm using now consists of a 1/8" thick aluminum plate that is mounted by screws to two aluminum standoffs that are mounted into two of the existing engine mount holes in the chassis. If I mount the Quark to this esc mount using arctic alumina epoxy, then I'll pretty much have a heatsink that includes the chassis of my truggy. Will this be good enough, or will I still need to use fans for the Quark?

I was really hoping to be able to talk myself into getting the Compro, because it is less expensive and runs cooler, but I've heard so many good things about the Quark that I'm not really sure. The only thing that steers me away from the Quark is the heat.

Any input would be appreciated.