you'll probably want something smoother than the xl-5. there are several economical esc's that are decent crawler esc's, like the moped, rooster, etc
What is not as smooth on the hard pulls?
Have you tried the mamba jeremy? I have heard good things off the crawler forums.
The xl5 may be good in the rusty but under a crawler it has to be in a different
area.
Peace!
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