The area where you wrench on your RC rides can be quickly improved with a pit mat like the Team Durango Rubber Pit Mat shown here. Just like having a quality set of hex drivers instead of the tiny, quick wearing Allen wrenches that are included with most kits—a pit mat is a big upgrade over working on a plain old wood bench. Team Durango offers its Rubber Pit Mat in black (shown here), red and tungsten and measures 24.41×16.54 inches (620x420mm).

I have been using the Team Durango Rubber Pit Mat for the last month to build and wrench on my RC vehicles. On a few occasions, I even rolled it up and brought it with me to the track for a day of vehicle testing. It is large enough to easily accommodate 1/8-scale vehicles and smaller. The thick rubber surface provides the needed friction to keep parts from sliding when being worked on and the recessed sections are perfect for keeping hardware and small parts corralled and within easy reach. I also found that for those tools that have round handles and normally roll away will now stay put in the recessed spots. The raised Team Durango log in the center of the mat is the one thing I do not lik. I would prefer if this portion was smooth because it is high enough to get in the way at times. The magnetic strip located at the front of the mat is a nice touch and became the spot where I would keep E-clips which are notorious for getting lost. When I was done wrenching for the day, the rubber surface made it easy to clean any dripped nitro exhaust residue, grease, shock fluid, etc and it was as good as new again.

Team Durango Rubber Pit Mat (black)—TD390051, $47.99

www.team-durango.com