3-blade Sensenich vs Catto tested back-to-back

Hey everyone, just wanted to take a minute to write down my thoughts about the Sensenich 3 blade ground adjustable vs. the Catto 3 blade. I've had the Catto on the airplane for about 5 years and have loved the prop, but an opportunity to test this Sensenich came up and I couldn't pass it up.

BLUF: The Catto is awesome, but I love the Sensenich just a tiny bit more.

Ok, so before I lay down the test numbers a little bit about some of the subjective things and pros/cons. Both props look awesome, both have exceptional spinners that can be purchased with them, mine are 12". Both are smooth running and quieter than older metal props, however from the back-to-back test the Sensenich felt smoother and seemed quieter. The Catto is a wood core with composite laminated onto the core, while the Sensenich is a hollow full carbon blade. Both props have a metal leading edge, Catto is nickel and the Sensenich is stainless steel.

The weight differences are not as much as you would think. With the Catto you need to use a 2lb crush plate to hold the prop on, which is not used for the Sensenich. Total installed weight for the Catto (minus spinner) is 16lbs, where the Sensenich comes in right at 19lbs. Both spinners weight approximately 2lbs.

Sensenich 3F0M7-C68NF 3 blade
http://www.sensenich.com/shop/aircraft/3-blade-lycoming-o-320-o-360-ground-adjustable-high-speed-propeller/

Catto Glass/2x Carbon Composite 3-Blade, 67"x72" pitch, May 2016
https://www.cattoprops.com/rv4/

So here were my test results on my RV-4, O-320 160hp. The # with Sensenich is the pitch setting, #2 is max climb and #7 max cruise pitch.
Static RPM:
Catto 3B: 2180, 29.0"hg
Sens #7: 2070, 28.8"hg
Sens #6: 2090, 29.1"hg


(RPM/KIAS/KTAS/"HG)
8000' pressure altitude:
Catto 3B: 2770/147KIAS/172KTAS/21.7....2400/125KIAS/145KTAS/18.5
Sens.#6: 2690/147KIAS/170KTAS/21.8...2400/128KIAS/150KTAS/19.0
Sens.#7: 2610/146KIAS/170KTAS/21.8...2400/131KIAS/154KTAS/19.9

6000' pressure altitude
Catto 6k: 2800/155KIAS/174KTAS/23.4....2400/128KIAS/146KTAS/20.0
Sens.#6: 2730/153KIAS/173KTAS/23.4...2400/133KIAS/150KTAS/20.3
Sens.#7: 2610/150KIAS/168KTAS/23.5...2400/138KIAS/156KTAS/20.5

I'm very pleased with the results, I think I'm going to leave it in #7 pitch for the majority of my XC flying and carry the pitch pins with me to change to #5 for airshows or mountain flying. I still need to test #5 just to see if I can eek out a knot or two faster than the Catto, I think it can do it.

Hope yall enjoyed the review, let me know if there are any questions!

Fitz
KC Flight Formation Team
RV-4 N1234R
O-320 160hp, dual P-Mags, G3X

What's the pitch on your Catto? Catto website shows 3 different pitches available.

Jvon811 said:

What's the pitch on your Catto? Catto website shows 3 different pitches available.

Click to expand...

Fixed above (72"), thanks!

Also, one thing I forgot to mention that's a plus for Catto, if you intend to do a crush plate-style nose weight that isn't possible on the Sensenich. I have a Landol balancer on my flywheel which serves that purpose for me, I thought there were other flywheel mounted weights that could be used but I haven't researched it. So keep that in mind if you're looking to make the switch from a heavier metal prop.

Fitz

Did you do any other testing? Did you test takeoff distance, ROC at fixed airspeed? Another one that would be rather subjective (I don't know how you could test it) is relative braking action? Maybe a timed deceleration from 160mph to 100? Top speed is one thing, but I'm curious how else the prop handles in a regular flight.

I think it's just a great opportunity to test different things since you have both props there.

I did ROC at Vy which is about 97KIAS and both delivered around 1000fpm at 4-6k'. Didn't do any decel or takeoff distance testing, performance felt similar.