[rwkling1]

Originally Posted by Chris is me

You can't possibly make such a huge blanket statement like this. I'm reasonably confident that at least one team in FRC can finish a drivetrain before the VersaChassis parts arrive in the mail, assuming they order on Kickoff. So that's time and money saved. Not to mention that man-hours aren't simply interchangeable like that.

It's a fantastic drivetrain, don't get me wrong, and it will be of tremendous help to many teams, but don't be ridiculous.

Anyhow, to answer the OP: Kitbot on Steroids is about 42 pounds with motors and without electronics; this chassis can cut that number down a lot (I've heard 30 pounds thrown around). It is worth noting the cost of this drivetrain though - it's going to be at least $120 in bearing block parts, $40 in frame, $20 in gussets, $40 in shafting, $120 in gearboxes (2 reduction single speed), $60 in bearings, and ~$60 in sprockets and chain. All assuming you still have CIMs and live axle wheels lying around.

So you're looking at a $460 drivetrain, compared to a free frame and gearboxes in the kit of parts. If you already opted out of the kit, then factoring in $450 of free AndyMark stuff which could replace some Vex components makes the drive a bit cheaper. It will take a little work to assemble, but it seems like you just need a drill, a saw, and a credit card to pull it off.

It's all about tradeoffs, really. Depends on your team and your situation, but it is certainly a really tempting drive that you should seriously consider. WCD has never been easier.

I can see where you're coming from, but until they come out with an official price, you can really start saying that it's going to be really expensive, because they did say that it's "affordable" but affordable in robotics terms is a little vague.