JP Slot. Consumable racing components, with the emphasis on high quality. Options

[Swissracer]

A Spanish Company specialising in aftermarket components specifically for racing. Their range is almost exclusively braid, cable and eyelets. I have no information on pricing but here is a list of current sellers/distributors. Choose 'English' and then 'Distributors'.
They sent us some items for testing, so I did. On these cars...


The Products:

Cabling that is the most flexible and easy to use I have yet seen. Initially I was concerned by the small diameter of the orange cable and conductivity but actually it gave no cause for concern and is easy to form to the trickier contours of small chassis whilst remaining flexible enough to make re-centering of the guide a cinch...


The larger diameter grey cable is also very flexible and soft whilst retaining the ability to stay bent to curves you want. I used it first time in a 1/24 scale Escort on a Plafit chassis, the guide twists easily from side to side and returns to centre constantly...


What I could not get so excited about was their eyelets for sleeving cable prior to insertion in modern guides. It isn't that they were bad or didn't work but more that I could see no benefit over other eyelets from many other Companies.
However these are the only ones I have seen made of copper and not brass. JPSlot claim better conductivity, especially in conjunction with their cable and braid but I remain sceptical that conductivity benefits can really be seen at the voltages we work at.
I certainly do not have any testing equipment that can differentiate resistance values between, for example a setup using all JPSlot parts and the same set up using Slot.it or Ninco parts. But if you are looking for something different then...


The best part of their range, to my mind, is the various braids they offer. Now these really are top quality and work as claimed.
They offer 4 different types with a 5th on the way.
The first is a very thin, very soft and close knitted braid designed for short distance racing with maximum current pick up...

Very easy to cut, trim and set up. I used it in the test on my Ninco Ferrari F50 in an open NC1 class and on my Spirit Peugeot Silhouette bodied HRS car.
As you can see the braid remains as set and does not wear easily despite its soft characteristic. This is the braid after 4 rounds so approximately 1 and a half hours racing on copper covered Scalextric Sport...




The same braid after nearly 2 hours racing with the Peugeot on a tinned copper railed wooden track. It is beginning to wear and fray but retains its setting...




Next is their medium soft braid, aimed at rally style races or long distant races where conductivity is not always the best and durability is also required...


I tried this braid on a Ninco Opel Calibra, also running in the same open class as the F50 above and in a Slot.It Lancia in our 80's Le Mans class (wood track).
You can see the braid needed setting with more tension on the Calibra than the braid on the F50 and on the Lancia it has worn unevenly due to bad setup. I found this braid to be less durable than the softer braid but it could be my driving versus the driving of the guy who used the Calibra, and on the wooden track I blame my setup...






Next we get to their extra hard/wide braid. Designed for very long distance races and especially 'dirty' rally events where the hardness of the braid doubles as a sweeping brush for the track rails when running over flour or chocolate powder etc...


I was going to test this initially on the Opel Calibra above but it really didn't like our Scalextric track. I could not find a good setting and it is so springy it led the car to deslot because I could not get the guide low enough in the slot. Therefore I haven't actually tested this properly.
If someone who is into rally racing would like this pack to test and add to this post then PM me. As per usual, do not ask if you can't report on it properly and take good pics

Last but not least is their braid aimed at 1/24 racing...

I have used this in short to medium (1 to 4 hour races) classes with mixed results. I prefer a softer, more flexible braid for classes such as the DSC cars and lighter weight vintage cars.
On my Whitepoint bodied, Plafit chassis Escort however it rocks. On our wooden track it lasts well, picks up power properly and holds its setting even after deslots and clumsy replacements.
I was going to test it on my Fly Buggyra truck last weekend (see report in swissracebahn club area). These trucks are heavy to put it mildly and the motor makes them very quick. However I could not get the braid into the guide holes so that was that. Keep it for the 1/24 stuff and it does what it says.

Overall, a good selection of often replaced parts that do as they claim for the most part. I know that in Spain there is a HUGE community of slotters and the call for these parts must be immense, along with the call for better and faster performing items. If they can break into the rest of the slotting world so well remains to be seen with all the competiton out there but I seriously wqish them luck, they are off to a good start quality wise.

I end with a quick macro shot of the two cable types...

[slot32]

We used the oxygen free braids in our ninco mosler at Oxon club last night. seemed good we want to test them with an inline car. The extra conductivity makes the cable a little more responsive. Pendle have the braids now I think.