MaxSwerve Versus SwerveXS - How to accomplish swerve on a budget

With the recent announcement of SwerveXs by Westcoast products, there has been an increase in the present options of low-profile, affordable COTS Swerve. The new modules from WCP have entered a segment of the market which was previously dominated by REV MaxSwerve, as it was one of the only options available for purchase that is any substantial amount cheaper than the top-of-the-line swerve options from SDS.
With these two products existing in a very similar space, it is important to look at both options and compare/contrast them. I aim to break down the important similarities and differences in this thread so that any teams who consider purchasing either module can make the most informed decision possible.

Mini-swerve comparison WCP SwerveXS Rev MaxSwerve
Price $219.99 (Encoder not included) $300.00 (Encoder Included)
Wheel size 3" 3"
Drive Free Speed (ft/s) (Kraken X60) X1 Ratio Set: 13.09, 14.18, 15.27 X2 Ratio Set: 16.66, 17.85, 19.04
Azimuth gear ratio 41.25:1 (Uses any 775 or 550 class motors) 46.42:1 (Neo 550)
Drive Motor compatibility Kraken X60, Neo, Neo Vortex Kraken X60, Neo, Neo Vortex, Falcon 500
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Price Analysis
The table below describes the price of a set of 4 completed modules. For the sake of simplicity, we will assume that Neos and Neo550s are the motor of choice for both modules.

MaxSwerve Drivetrain: Bill of materials - Item Name Price
MaxSwerve Modules - x4 $300 x 4 = $1200
MaxSwerve Motor and Controller bundles x4 $256 x 4 = 1024
Total: $2216

Note: The MaxSwerve Motor and Controller bundle is used as the baseline for both estimates as they each require the same configuration as motors. as motors.

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SwerveXs Drivetrain: Bill of Materials - Item name Price
WCP SwerveXS Modules x 4 $219.99 x 4 = $879.96
SwerveXS Ratio Set x 4 $29.99 x 4 = $119.96
CTRE CANCoder (Pre-soldered) x 4 89.99 x 4 = 359.96
MaxSwerve Motor and Controller Bundle x 4 $256 x 4 = $1024
Total: $2383.88
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Swerve XS is 250 w/o encoder. Either and X1 or X2 ratio set is required.

The encoder price would be a good thing to add on the list for XS. A presoldered cancoder would be most comparable to a rev through bore encoder, so that’s 90 bucks.

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The presoldered being a more 1:1 comparison to the Through bore encoder is a good point. I’ll update my sheet to reflect that.

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I don’t know if a NEO 550 is the cheapest turning motor, so the price of a 775 class motor and motor controller may be better.

Also, if you are going for a budget encoder, HELIUM Canandcoder will have a swerve XS compatible case at some point and only costs 55 USD.

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The module is $219.99, the ratio is $29.99. A mag encoder or thrifty encoder might be a good option as the rev through bore is not a can based setup, the mag encoder has an abs pwm output and ttb one is abs analog.

Thanks anand for the edit

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Note that the TTB encoder has an analog output. The CTRE Mag Encoder and Canandcoder have PWM output. All options are absolute.

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My goal was to provide a fair comparison using the Neo550/Neo combo as a baseline. I agree that teams who are looking to use these options may want to do a price analysis on other motor controller/motor combinations, as well as consider the ecosystem that they are already in.
In regards to the Canandcoder, when I was speccing out the sheets for SwerveXS I was also trying to stick as closely to products that are offered from WCP. They retail CTRE Mag Encoders and Cancoders from their website so when creating a default “profile” to reference for comparison the CANCoder was my product of choice.

I would encourage anyone who is looking at either of these modules to do some research on their options in terms of motors and encoders. Ultimately there are so many good options on the market at this point in time that it is difficult to go wrong. What a time to be a robot nerd!

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Thanks for pointing out the pricing error. I had accidentally included the pricing of the ratio set twice when creating my table.
Also, my reasoning for including the CANCoder as opposed to the Mag Encoder was for compatibility with the Neo/Neo550 setup that I am assuming for my pricing sheets. If I were to include another pricing sheet that would reflect the cost to use exclusively WCP Parts- meaning Kraken x60 and 775 pro motors with TalonSRX Speed controllers- I would choose to include the Mag Encoder. I will update my lists with some more purchase profiles shortly. Thanks for the feedback!

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One thing to consider as well is that the SwerveXS does not come with a pinion for the steering motor, while the MaxSwerve does.

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Another important factor to consider is the SwerveXS uses 1" wide tread that is commonly available where the Rev swerve with aluminum wheel option requires you to cut the tread to .850". On 9401 we just bought Thrifty wheels for MaxSwerve so we could use 1" wide tread. I like on the swerveXS that the default option is a standard sized tread.

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$2K+ but don’t you dare spend it on co-processors!

Maybe get 4 individual coprocessors that form a single processor.

To the Original poster though, the price difference in swerve modules is minor at the end of the day.

Because, you know, those modules aren’t designed for 90 degree angle mounting to one another.

The price difference is certainly not gigantic. I just thought it a fun topic once I saw the SwerveXs announcement because if it’s innate similarities with Rev Swerve. Ultimately almost all of the modules on the market right now are great options. I’m glad to see even more options popping up on the lower end of the swerve spectrum so that the competitive bar can come up across the board, even for teams where the ~$1000 difference from the flagship modules has been the deciding factor between a swerve and a tank.

Hard to tell with absolute certainty from the picture but it looks like the 1 in wide wheels for SwerveXS is hot swappable while the TTB wheels for MAXSwerve require fork disassembly.