[roboruler]

Good COTS parts like those offered by Andymark, VEXpro and West Coast Products do cost money, but they are also high-quality and reusable. It is important to consider COTS parts as investments, investments that when used well will not only assist you in gaining success but also something that you can reuse many times, in different seasons if you take care of them. You listed the two options you are currently considering, the Andymark KOP chassis and the Versa-chassis. You said that you have ruled out a custom chassis, the great thing about the Versa-chassis is that it is custom. By using bearings blocks, sprockets and chain and the versa-frame tubing you can build a high quality custom chassis easily and quickly. The Versa-chassis is a West Coast Drive (WCD) arrangement, and is undoubtedly one of the best FRC drivetrain designs. Building a WCD chassis with the parts available from VEXpro and West Coast Products will put you in a great position for future seasons, as you will learn a great deal and you can use the Versa-chassis design every season (254 has used a Versa-chassis style arrangement (WCD) with great success every season, its principles can be applied to any game).

The off-season is the perfect opportunity to experiment with the Versa-chassis and the skills you learn will be of great benefit.