[Breadbocks]

Just to add my 2 cents here, I used the Victor SPs quite a bit and have found them incredibly nice to work with, and they are quite small. However, my biggest complaint about them is that their wires/PWMs are sealed in, which means if one of them gets ruined for whatever reason, the controller needs to be replaced, which is an unfortunate expense.

I bought a couple SPARKs over this past weekend and have been quite impressed with them, especially for the price. They're basically the same as the old Talons, but with the addition of the limit switch ports and $15 cheaper than any alternative motor controllers. They have around the same total footprint effectively as the Victor SPs, but the ability to change the wires is quite nice for cable management without having to worry over ruining the controllers. The added range in voltage is nice for extracurricular projects where you'd otherwise have to use the old Victor 884s or some other controller you don't have lying around the shop, but that probably doesn't matter much to a new team.

The biggest factor in my opinion is the price difference, especially for a new team. 25% off the bare minimum with no loss of functionality (unless you really value being waterproof) is pretty big when you're going to be shelling out for all the various things you need to get started.