title_body: Is it common to break ESCs? I'm pretty certain my ESC is broken, so I went looking for some on amazon. I found a decent one for a good price, as well as a 4 pack that was a better cost per unit. I don't really want to have extra escs lying around because the space where I'm allowed to keep my electronic what-nots is rather small, although they would be helpful for quick repairs. Which leads me to my question,
  Is it common to break ESCs, especially when starting out?
  If I'm going to go through a couple ESCs, I'll by the 4 pack, but if I'm probably not going to break any more then I'll buy the singles whenever I need a replacement.
upvoted_answer: Aside from quality control issues with the product, the only real way to destroy an ESC faster than the effects or normal wear and tear (minimal) is to mistreat it:
  
  Using it with a voltage higher than its rating
  Using it with a motor that's dramatically too large
  Drawing more current than its rating
  
  Frequently stalling the motor against tree branches or alike
  
  
  Not adequately cooling the MOSFET transistors when used in high-power applications
  
  I will say, there's something to be said for having all of the ESCs on a model be the same make and model. This would minimize the risk of asymmetric behaviors between the ESCs in-flight.