Now that FIRST Choice items are available for ‘window-shopping’, what stands out to you?
Just quickly scanning, it looks like the ‘bigger’ items, like Talons and Classmates have appropriately large point values.
So far, I can only fill in about 300 credits of things we need. Looks like 3D printers are being pushed heavily. cRIO seems like a bad buy.
Also, it appears the website was just updated in the past few minutes, removing some items (extension cord is no longer there?).
I don’t think the cRio is a bad buy, depending on how your team utilized spare parts/components/setups.
The 55 credits for a lot of stuff is bugging me. It seems like it was implemented especially so I can’t do something like get a pair of Talons and a battery. That seems like a legit FIRST Choice order, right?
Phil, I’m inclined to think that the credits may have been allotted to do just that. It seems to me that it’s fairly obvious that there are fewer useful items currently in FC than ‘less useful’ items. Looking through some of the theoretical order configurations it becomes pretty obvious that most teams should be able to get at least one or two things that are ‘really useful’ from FC, but very, very few are going to make out like bandits. In the grand scheme of things, we may all end up being better off if everyone gets ‘something’ from FC, rather than the extreme cases last year where some teams got everything while others got nothing.
It would be if more Talons and batteries were available. As it is, there are only 250 teams that can get 2 Talons, and only 500 that can get a battery. Since there are 3000+ teams, these items need to be highly priced even with the quantity limits to allow everyone a shot at these high-importance items.
It has a decent selection for teams who are going to use Pneumatic systems, but I agree that there isn’t much else besides batteries, connectors, C-RIOs, and $100 3-D Printing vouchers.
I don’t know if this is true, but the Talon page says there won’t be any included in the KOP, whereas multiple other things CIMs, Classmates, Batteries, and cRIOs say that they are included. Am I missing something, or is there something else going on?
Talons were not in the KOP last year, so it’s not surprising. I’d expect IFI to throw in a few Jaguars and/or a voucher like last year.
Some of those items (Classmate, cRIO) will get included in Rookie Kits (green+black totes), but not in the veteran kits (black tote).
Could someone please link the new FIRST Choice website? I can’t seem to find it on the FRC blog…
Go to the AndyMark website: http://www.andymark.com/
Click on the prominent FIRST Choice logo: https://www.firstchoicebyandymark.com/
Click on Preview: https://www.firstchoicebyandymark.com/en/newproducts
<Facepalm/>
To my defense, that big FIRST Choice logo wasn’t there a little while a go for me. I saw the FTC button and a deal of the day button, no FIRST Choice.
The more mundane path is to go to the AndyMark site and on the left menu under FIRST you will find FIRST Choice and other FIRST specific item links.
I’m not sure why you think the cRIO is a bad buy.
For a lot of teams who use LabVIEW, there’s is going to be very little change between the new 2015 system and the current system. So while the wiring may be a little different, the cRIO will still be an excellent developement platform.
In addition, they’re quite handy for running old robots. At 100 credits, they are fairly cost effective.
I’ve started going through and doing some evaluation based on dollars and points, and it looks like all the highly sought items are right around $1 = 1 point. Cims, Talons, and Batteries all fall under this catagory. So it looks like FIRST did exactly what they should have when they valued these.
For me it seems slightly lopsided. Maybe my prices aren’t on-point, but there is certainly some differences between items. Obviously, there are different subsidies for different parts.
Probably not a terrible option, but any team with more than one cRIO already hasn’t got much of a reason, considering it’ll be obsolete in a year. (and likely won’t get much use) I guess testing is possible reason, but why not wait a year and get discounted ones from other teams or surplus on Andymark?
How else will we slip on regolith, kick soccerballs, hang tubes, shoot baskets, launch frisbees, and have a 2014 robot at the same time (in the next 2 months)?
Most of your prices are very close to the ones I have on my spreadsheet.
I noticed the higher bang-for-the-buck on the pneumatic components as well. I will venture a guess that those may be priced that way because a lot of teams don’t use them every year. That makes them intrisically worth less than a Talon, a Battery, or a pre-made battery lead.
Even with the item limits, I see that a lot of components that will be sold out fairly quickly.
That said, I went through and made a buy-list and I don’t have any trouble filling all my points and then some with components that I know will be useful in the next year or two. That makes me happy 
Has it been mentioned if new items will be stocked after kickoff, for the second distribution of (450) points? Will the stock of any of the currently posted items be replenished for the second round, of they go out of stock on the first round?
In the past years, once the items were gone from FC that was it. I have not seen anything saying that it will be different this year for this year
Once an item is gone, it’s gone.