BuWizz or SBrick?

[Tarix819]

I'm thinking of getting a Lego device that will give my models more power and allow me to control them outside and from long distance using my smartphone.

As far as I am aware the best two options are BuWizz and SBrick, however I am not sure which option is best, as comparisons I have seen have never determined a clear winner.

SBrick is way more affordable, more compact and seems to be popular in the Lego Technic community.

I only learnt about BuWizz recently, it seems to generate an insane amount of power but it costs over twice as much as an SBrick and is bulkier, plus I already have 6 Battery Boxes and it would be a complete waste not using them.

Of course they are both clearly better than the Official Lego PF IR Sensors I am currently using, which are god awful past a 2m range and are useless outside, however I would like to know people's thoughts, opinions and experiences to help me decide which is best value for money before I blow loads of cash on a toy. Currently I am leaning towards SBrick, but from what I've seen online, BuWizz looks like a viable option also.

Cheers

[kbalage]

This topic was discussed a lot of time, there's no definite answer - it depends on how would you like to use it. Both of them has pros and cons. SBrick has a more polished interface, can use programmed sequences, SBrick Plus can be also programmed via Scratch, it can use some sensors as well. It also has official gamepad support now. In the meantime you still need a separate battery box (needs more space) and you can only use the power of the batteries in your BB. BuWizz is compact, it's a rechargeable power source & the controller in a single box. It can provide ~11V so if you want to run e.g. a buggy motor at full potential then you won't find anything better. The app is pretty simple although it is now possible to customize the controls. No programming and sequences at this point, no built-in gamepad support (the brickcontroller app can control both BuWizz and SBrick with a gamepad).

You need to find out what aspects are more important for you and decide based on that.

 

[Tarix819]

9 minutes ago, kbalage said:

You need to find out what aspects are more important for you and decide based on that.

Thanks for the advice,

I will do a bit of thinking and then decide. SBrick looks more promising at the moment.

[SNIPE]

Buwiz, because it is both a battery box, and a reciever as well as a port replicator (i.e not just one port) and I think it has servo control too. therefore it is much more compact than normal PF or sbrick which is what technic needs in order to make more advanced creations.

Edited May 19, 2018 by SNIPE

[zux]

SBrick works better if you wish to leave a 100% LEGO remote control option for your MOC. Switching SBrick with PF IR receiver is easier than doing the same with BuWizz.

[Saberwing40k]

I'd say it depends on your model. If you have something complex like an excavator or a crane, with more than four channels SBrick is better. If you want a high performance model, with fewer than four channels, BuWizz is better.

Edited May 20, 2018 by Saberwing40k

[mocbuild101]

1 hour ago, Saberwing40k said:

I'd say it depends on your model. If you have something complex like an excavator or a crane, with more than four channels SBrick is better. If you want a high performance model, with fewer than four channels, BuWizz is better.

+1 Though overall, I'd say the SBrick is much more versatile.

[Didumos69]

@kbalage, if I recall correctly it was also possible to combine BuWizz and SBrick by using BuWizz as a battery box. Maybe the new BuWizz app with customizable controls makes it more easy to simply turn on one of the channels of the BuWizz. It would combine the versatility of SBrick with the power of BuWizz.

I opted for BuWizz for my 4WD RC Buggy and I don't regret it. Power was the most important to me for that model.

[Jay Psi]

To paraphrase @Didumos69:

But if it has to be a choice, as has been said before, it depends on whether raw power or precise control of multiple functions is more important to you. That's not to say the BuWizz is poor in terms of controlling functions, but even with the issues with the app sorted it still wouldn't offer the possibilities of the SBrick.

[kbalage]

@Didumos69 it is possible to use BuWizz as a battery box but based on my experience if you power it on it will default to low or normal mode. You have to start a profile in the app, switch the speed to the one you'd like to use and manipulate the controller that belongs to the output used. Then you can switch the the SBrick app and use that for control. Not that convenient to do it every time you want to use it. I think it is only reasonable to use these two together if you really need the programmable functions of SBrick but you also want to use the power BuWizz has to offer (and money is not a factor as this is the most expensive combination  )

[rm8]

1 hour ago, kbalage said:

@Didumos69 it is possible to use BuWizz as a battery box but based on my experience if you power it on it will default to low or normal mode. You have to start a profile in the app, switch the speed to the one you'd like to use and manipulate the controller that belongs to the output used. Then you can switch the the SBrick app and use that for control. Not that convenient to do it every time you want to use it. I think it is only reasonable to use these two together if you really need the programmable functions of SBrick but you also want to use the power BuWizz has to offer (and money is not a factor as this is the most expensive combination  )

In old versions of Buwizz FW turned off  after every 10 minutes  Buwizz app in background. So it was not really comfort to use Sbrick and Buwizz together.

[PunkTacoNYC]

On 5/20/2018 at 3:40 PM, kbalage said:

@Didumos69 it is possible to use BuWizz as a battery box but based on my experience if you power it on it will default to low or normal mode. You have to start a profile in the app, switch the speed to the one you'd like to use and manipulate the controller that belongs to the output used. Then you can switch the the SBrick app and use that for control. Not that convenient to do it every time you want to use it. I think it is only reasonable to use these two together if you really need the programmable functions of SBrick but you also want to use the power BuWizz has to offer (and money is not a factor as this is the most expensive combination  )

This is exactly what I did for my LEGO Cactus Crawler. I haven’t had any issues with it on iOS 11. I connect to the BuWizz with the app, switch the power mode to fast, then switch to the SBrick app for its superior control customization.

Edited May 26, 2018 by PunkTacoNYC

[shadow_elenter]

definitely Sbrick, I've used them extensively and they work great!
I really love the possibility to use several at a time(I use up to 5 at a time!), and this seems more convenient with SBricks
If you wanna see multiple SBrick's in action check out my youtube channel in my signature below ;-)  

[PorkyMonster]

Looks like there is a solution to suit people of different tastes , each with its own pros and cons.

Edited May 27, 2018 by PorkyMonster

[PorkyMonster]

On second thought, I think Buwizz IS easier to integrate THAN SBrick & pure PF... so here's the revised chart, with price estimation added...

[Newest_Tech320]

On 5/26/2018 at 6:35 PM, shadow_elenter said:

definitely Sbrick, I've used them extensively and they work great!
I really love the possibility to use several at a time(I use up to 5 at a time!), and this seems more convenient with SBricks
If you wanna see multiple SBrick's in action check out my youtube channel in my signature below ;-)  

Great!

i am think of getting a second BuWizz because it is so small

[Mantarri]

I personally got a buwizz, and I'll probably get an SBrick at some point to add more ports, for less cost, you actually get 8 ports in total with an SBrick + BuWizz; you can control a motor individually, and the SBrick gets power regardless of whether the BuWizz is sending power to it.