IFI vs FTC? Both offering competitions for next year!

[Rick TYler]

Originally Posted by fredliu168

Initial thoughts:
1. Cost:
FIRST: $1000 for initial kit. 275$ registeration + 0-300$ regional registeration cost.
IFI: $299 for initial kit - most teams already have many parts so cost is 0$. Registeration fees were 0$ for BB, and are likely to remain lowish. Cost of event varies.

Yabbut... The average FIRST FTC team buys two starter kits, not one. With the $275 registration fee and $50 battery kit (something you leave out of your Vex comparison), most teams are spending at least $925 (with the FTC discount, thats more like $750) already. If you add in two more transmitters and batteries for another driver, you are over $1,000. If FIRST can provide a kit with enough parts to build a real competition robot (something the basic Vex kit does not) and registration for under $1,000, they are in the ball park. The Washington regional is free, so I don't include a regional fee. I also can't see anyone building a competitive tournament robot for much under $900-1,000 in Vex parts. Vex is great, but it ain't cheap.

3. Reliability:

FIRST: has the bad image of switching fields from 2005-2006, and changing platforms this year. Who knows if they decide to switch platforms again, or possibly ask teams to buy a new kit every year like in FRC.
IFI: will most likely upgrade their product, but will not likely remake their entire platform.

I don't what you mean by "reliability." You seem to be speaking to "will the technical platform ever change?," not reliability. I'm not sure what "bad habit" you are referring to. The real FVC/FTC program is just finishing its second year, and the 12x12 field hasn't changed. A little birdie tells me that FTC plans to stick with a 12x12 field (even though I would prefer an expansion to 12x16 or so, and moving the drivers to the ends like FRC).

5. Values and Principals:

FIRST: I really admire the way FIRST set up gracious professionalism and other principals and concepts. I think it is the most important part of FIRST because it gives you something you can take for the rest of your life, even if you are not doing engineering.
IFI: I admit I have not been to any events, and have no idea the ideals they bring to the table.


I would also like to point out that IFI robotics will be taking this competition to a global level.

Which means teams will get to meet other teams from different parts of the world and connect.

Are there really more IFI Robotics teams than international FRC and FLL teams?

IFI listens directly to the users? That gives it a big checkmark in my book.

As of now I have no idea which program I will be involved in. Both organizations have a lot of question marks. However I would like to point out that IFI certainly presented their program in a much better fashion then FIRST. Many teams will take this in consideration.

So, you don't trust anything FIRST says, but you believe everything in the IFI press release. You give full weight to all potentially positive aspects of IFI, but discount everything FIRST has been good at all these years. I think your decision must be right for you, but I doubt you've changed any minds.