What are the pros and cons of a brushed motor?

Brushed Motor Pros

• Two wire control
• Some are rebuildable for extended life
• Low cost of construction
• Simple and inexpensive control
• No controller is required for fixed speeds
• Operates in extreme environments due to lack of electronics

Brushed Motor Cons

• Periodic maintenance is required
• Speed/torque is moderately flat. At higher speeds, brush friction increases, thus reducing useful torque
• Poor heat dissipation due to internal rotor contsruction
• Higher rotor inertia limits the dynamic characteristics
• Lower speed range due to mechanical limitations on the brushes
• Brush arcing will generate noise causing electrical magnetic interference (EMI)

Brushless Motor Pros

• Electronic commutation based on position sensors vs mechanical switch for brushed
• Less maintenance due to absence of brushes
• Speed/Torque- flat, enables operation at all speeds with rated load
• High efficiency, no voltage drop across brushes
• High output power to size ratio.
• Reduced size due to superior thermal characteristics. Because the windings are connected to the case the heat disipation is better
• Higher speed range - no mechanical limitation imposed by brushes/commutator
• Low electric noise generation (EMI)

Brushless Motor Cons

• Higher cost of construction
• Control is complex and expensive
• Electric controller(ESC) is required to keep the motor running which is sometimes more expensive than the motor.