First Impressions
As soon as you get your hands on this chain, you know you are dealing with a premium product.
The chain arrives in a tin, complete with Panther Kart Chain graphics. There is a small sticker on the end detailing the size (In this case, 104 links). Once you open the tin, there is a foam sandwich which contains the chain. The packaging is top notch, which is what you expect to some degree, given the price.
Looking closer at the chain, the manufacturing is excellent. Each link looks like it has been machined, rather than punched, formed or some other faster, cheaper method. The chain is covered in a thin protective grease to prevent corrosion.
General Use/Observations
So, this chain seems to be ticking all the boxes, so it is time to hit the track to see how the chain holds up.
We are testing the chain at the Clay Pigeon circuit, Dorset. We are running a Senior Rotax Tonykart, with OTK sprocket carrier, Talon 75T sprocket and a standard Rotax 12T engine sprocket. All parts are brand new.
Once fitted to the kart, there are no tight spots, and the chain feels really smooth. This would be expected given all components are brand new, clean & lubed ready for a run.
After the first session the chain is looking like it's barely done any work. Once it has been cleaned and flushed of any circuit debris there are no signs of any heavy wear on the Talon sprocket or the engine sprocket.
By the end of the day the sprocket has a small amount of wear on the sides of the teeth but it's even on both sides. The tooth form has not worn at all!
We ran a total of 8 x 8 minute sessions are we are really impressed with the chain. The chain only had to be tightened once after the third session and this was a VERY small amount which is expected with a new chain. And to be honest, was not enough to start worrying about the chain coming off.
We were going to do a weekend long review of this chain, but unfortunately on in the third heat on the Sunday, the sprocket carrier moved (my fault for not tightening it enough!) and resulted in total annihilation of the chain, sprocket and carrier! £130 down the drain!
Up to this point the chain had performed faultlessly and we have no doubt it would have carried on for many more sessions.
Summary
At the end of the day, it's a chain. There are many lesser priced chains on the market and one could argue that you can run two cheaper chains for the same amount of time as the panther for the same money, and this is probably true.
However, if you want top performance & a piece of mind that the chain will not fail you, you can't get better than this. From the word go, this chain exceeds your normal expectations of a kart chain.
If you can afford an extra £20 or so then go for it. You will not be disappointed by the performance nor the quality of this chain.
Pros
- Unbeatable Quality
- Excellent Performance
- Excellent Durability
Cons
- High Price
The chain looses a few marks for the high price tag, but If this chain could be sold closer to the £30-£35 mark, It really would be an essential for the serious racers/teams.
