[sanddrag]

Originally Posted by KenWittlief

actually, engineers prefer to use off-the-shelf components

if you have to redesign the wheel (or the transmission/gearbox) to make your robot come together, you have not done as good a job, as someone else who is able to put together an effective robot with off the shelf components.

from every perspective, custom designs are expensive

another 2¢ from Ken :^)

A Ferrari is very expensive, but a gokart works almost as well, so I'll just buy that instead?

And as for redesigning the wheel, I direct you here

We did better than off the shelf. Did we have to? No. But we wanted to and that's what makes us different.