Motors are the heart of every AEG, so just like you’d need a better motor in your car to make the car faster and more powerful you need to ensure your electric airsoft gun has the same treatment.
Motors directly affect the rate of fire and trigger response and they are the point where everything starts. You can have a well-upgraded AEG starting from a spring to a hop-up and inner barrel, but the motor is what gives the gun life.
When we talk about airsoft motors, it’s also important to mention batteries and MOSFET so you can expect to find a few useful tips besides recommendations for the best airsoft motors in this article.
High Torque or High-Speed Motors?
Before we get to the best motors on the list, it’s important to say a few things about the two types of motors you can choose in airsoft.
A high torque motor is an ideal upgrade from a stock motor for an increased rate of fire alongside great durability. When you upgrade from a stock motor to a High-speed motor, your AEG will receive even bigger rate of fire improvement but at the cost of durability.
In conclusion, High Torque motors are best for trigger response and high rate of fire while they are also more durable and require less electricity than High-Speed motors. The only instances when you’d want a High-Speed Motor is if you only cared to maximize the rate of fire as these motors pull some extra power for ROF at the cost of durability and energy.
I recommend high torque motors in combination with an 11.1V LiPo and MOSFET, this way you’ll have a perfect trigger response, a great rate of fire, and a durable AEG that won’t break from inside. Now before we get to the high-torque recommendation, let me introduce you to the brushless airsoft motors.
1. Airsoft Brushless ADV High Torque Motor
- High-tier
- Best trigger response
- Best Efficiency
- Silent
Brushless motors run on direct current and aren’t made of mechanical brushers and commutators typical for brush motors. This feature makes brushless motors the most efficient motors for airsoft purposes.
Brushless motors will be super efficient on electricity use and operate at super low noise levels. Moreover, smaller size and weight and better heat dissipation are other big features worth of a mention.
How this matters in airsoft? Well, if you opt for a brushless motor you’ll have a wonderful improvement in the rate of fire just like with High Torque and High-speed brush motors, but the trigger response will be even better (not a big difference but noticeable). Furthermore, your AEG will be able to last up to 50% longer on a single battery which is a big deal for long games of airsoft and it will be a lifesaver when you don’t carry a reserve battery or want to waste time on long charging times.
The super low noise levels are ideal for high-tier AEGs and competitive airsoft when you need to stay stealthy and deadly. Brushless motors also don’t heat up and last the longest of all motor types, so the higher initial price is backed up by years and years of loyal service.
Brushless motors are amazing and if they fit your budget try them out. However, if you don’t care about those extra benefits opting for a High Torque motor is another great and more budget-friendly choice. In short, if you want the best of the best, play airsoft highly competitively, and very often the brushless motors are a better choice.
2. AOLS Motor Super High Torque
- High-tier
- Budget-friendly
- Great Rate of fire and trigger response
- Great FPS tolerance
AOLS High Torque Motor is an equally great choice for 300 FPS range AEGs ideal for CQB and 500 FPS, outdoors AEGs.
What makes this motor special is its adaptability, it can support strong springs so if you install it in a 400+ FPS AEG it should work great as players report that it works great even in 500+ FPS AEGs. Can it support something ultra strong like an m170 spring which makes for 560 FPS? I am not sure, but it might. However, it works great with M150 and lower, so it’s already a great choice and it’s very likely that you don’t use more than 450 FPS due to field rules anyways.
This motor is easy to install and if you upgrade your stock AEG with this, you’ll notice crazy differences in trigger response and rate of fire. Such benefits that come from this upgrade are useful for both the semi-shooting due to great trigger response and automatic mode as every AEG becomes a scary automatic weapon ideal for applying pressure on the enemy team.
This motor comes in both the long and short type so before you buy it you must check whether it’s going to fit in your AEG or not. Hopefully, both models are available on Amazon.
And here is the identical but Short-Type model you’ll need for AEGs that can’t fit Long-type motors.
What Batteries do motors work best with?
Quality Brushless Motor + 11.1V LiPo and MOSFET is the dream come true, but any High Torque Motor along with the same combo of a LiPo and MOSFET is a great choice.
You can use NiMH batteries too, for instance, an 8.4 NiMH will be a good choice and if you want to know the differences between NiMH and Lipo you can read about it in my dedicated article.
However, LiPo and especially 11.1V LiPo is the finest battery for high-tier setups because it can provide that extra power to the motor and affect the Rate of fire.
The rule you should remember is that the greater the battery, the more important the quality of the inner parts of the gun. If the inner built is not prepared for a powerful battery you may destroy something, so always check whether the motor or other parts you own in an AEG are compatible with the battery you plan to install. For instance, many electric blowback levers will break if you use an 11.1V Lipo instead the 7.4 stock LiPo battery.
For this reason, MOSFET is a super useful device as it additionally protects your AEG internals and it’s suggested to be installed alongside powerful LiPo batteries.
Why do you need MOSFET?
Ideally, you’ll want MOSFET with any AEG motor and battery upgrade from a stock version. MOSFET will protect trigger contacts when running a powerful battery which is an important upgrade alongside a motor upgrade as a powerful battery is what gives motor energy.
Not installing MOSFET won’t burn and destroy the motor, but the trigger contacts may and your AEG won’t be as efficient because MOSFET assures the electricity circuit works as intended. After all, MOSFET is the transistor that controls conductivity, so it has the final say in how much electricity will flow between the battery, the motor, and the in-between parts.
Cheap MOSFET upgrades are better skipped as they are not worth your time and money. When you decide to upgrade a MOSFET look for something that will last alongside the most powerful batteries such as 11.1V LiPo and don’t buy the cheap stuff as it will give up when you install a demanding motor and battery in your AEG.
Simply put, if one part is high-tier, other parts must follow because a big difference in tiers is not healthy, and either something will break or the AEG won’t work as well as it could because only one high-tier part can’t work alone in minority.