Should You Choose VEX?
For aspiring engineers, teachers, and anyone else wondering if they should use VEX Robotics for their engineering educational purposes.
If the answer is Yes, this site will show you how to get started. |
Advantages
Ease of Usage
Disadvantages
Money
VEX products are incredibility expensive. For the classroom kits they're around $500* (v4) or $650 (v5) dollars per kit which may serve a group of 2-4 students. For the competition the new electronics system cost $600 by themselves, and all the mechanical parts for a highly competitive robot can add up to thousands of dollars. Registration for the season and for competitions can cost hundreds per team, and buying a field and the game elements cost around $1.5k. VEX Robotics is cheaper compared to other programs such as FTC or FRC, but it's still expensive nonetheless.
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Time
Conclusion
If you are a teacher or administrator considering adding VEX to their engineering program, then using VEX robotics kits in your curriculum might be a good idea. It might be a couple thousand* initial investment for a class set, but that will be all you need and there are plenty or resources online (including videos) that you can use in the classroom.
If you are considering starting a robotics team, then take some time to think about it. The answer really comes down to how much money and time you can and are willing to put into it. For beginners who just want to experience robotics, then the cost would not be as much compared to those that want to try-hard and get to worlds*. For those that want a more advanced experience and have the money, FTC or FRC might be a better option.
*If money is the primary concern, then refer to our shopping section for cost estimates.
If you are considering starting a robotics team, then take some time to think about it. The answer really comes down to how much money and time you can and are willing to put into it. For beginners who just want to experience robotics, then the cost would not be as much compared to those that want to try-hard and get to worlds*. For those that want a more advanced experience and have the money, FTC or FRC might be a better option.
*If money is the primary concern, then refer to our shopping section for cost estimates.