6 Best First Tech Challenge Kits That Grow With Your Team’s Skills

Your child and their friends have decided to start a FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) robotics team, and the excitement is palpable. Then you see the price tags on the starter kits and that excitement mixes with a healthy dose of sticker shock. Choosing the right foundational kit feels like a huge decision, because it is—it’s the first major investment in a journey that will teach them engineering, teamwork, and resilience for years to come.

Choosing Your Team’s Core Robotics Platform

Think of this decision like choosing a first musical instrument. You wouldn’t buy a concert-grade violin for a third-grader just starting lessons, but you also don’t want an instrument so poorly made it hinders their learning. The goal is to find the sweet spot: a platform that is accessible for beginners but has the depth to grow with them as their skills and ambitions expand.

In robotics, this core platform is often called an "ecosystem." It’s a system of parts—structural pieces, motors, electronics, and wheels—all designed to work together seamlessly. Committing to an ecosystem streamlines the building process, especially for new teams who are already learning so much.

The most important question isn’t "Which kit is best?" but rather, "Which kit is best for our team’s starting point and goals?" A team of middle schoolers with no prior building experience has very different needs than a team of high school juniors who have been competing for years. Consider your team’s technical comfort level, your parent-mentor’s experience, and your budget for this season and the next.

REV Robotics FTC Starter Kit for Versatility

If your team is all about rapid iteration and trying out lots of different ideas, the REV system is a fantastic starting point. Its parts are designed for flexibility, allowing students to quickly assemble, test, and change their robot’s design. This is incredibly valuable in the early stages of a season when teams are still figuring out the game’s core challenges.

The REV ecosystem is one of the most popular in FTC, which is a huge advantage for a rookie team. This popularity means there is a massive community of other teams, mentors, and online resources to turn to for help. When your team gets stuck on a design problem at 9 p.m., chances are another team has already solved it and shared the solution online.

This kit is like a comprehensive set of high-quality building blocks. It gives young engineers everything they need to build a competitive robot, but its real strength is in fostering a mindset of experimentation. The ease of modification encourages students to not be afraid of taking things apart and trying again, which is one of the most important lessons in engineering.

gobilda FTC Starter Kit for Structural Strength

Does your team envision building a rock-solid, durable robot right from the start? The gobilda system is renowned for its incredible structural integrity. Its parts are robust and based on a regular grid pattern, which helps teams build strong, precise, and rigid frames that can withstand the rigors of competition.

This focus on strength makes gobilda an excellent choice for teams that want to build a reliable chassis and then focus their creative energy on the complex arms, claws, and mechanisms that sit on top of it. The system uses heavy-duty bolts and components that are less likely to loosen or fail during a match. This can be a huge confidence-booster for a team.

While incredibly powerful, the gobilda system can sometimes feel a little less forgiving for brand-new builders than other systems. Its precision requires a bit more planning. However, for a team that has a clear mechanical vision or a mentor with an engineering background, gobilda provides a professional-grade foundation that can serve as the backbone of a highly competitive robot for years.

AndyMark FTC Starter Kit V3: A Solid Foundation

AndyMark is a name that has been trusted in the student robotics community for a long time, and their FTC Starter Kit reflects that experience. It’s a well-curated collection of parts that provides a straightforward, no-nonsense path to building a functional and competitive robot. It’s a "just the essentials" approach, but the essentials are high quality.

This kit is an excellent middle-ground option. It balances structural components, motion parts, and essential hardware without overwhelming a new team with too many specialized pieces. It’s designed to get a team up and running and focused on the core challenge of the game.

Think of the AndyMark kit as the dependable sedan of the robotics world. It’s not the flashiest, but it’s reliable, safe, and gets you where you need to go. For a school program or a rookie team that wants a proven, all-in-one solution without a lot of guesswork, this kit is a fantastic way to enter the world of FTC with confidence.

TETRIX MAX FTC Competition Set for Durability

TETRIX is one of the original platforms in FTC, and its longevity speaks to its core strength: durability. These kits are built like tanks. The heavy-gauge aluminum channels and powerful motors are designed to withstand season after season of use, making them a smart investment for schools or clubs that will be supporting multiple teams over many years.

The building style of TETRIX is very direct and intuitive, often feeling like a classic erector set. This can make it very approachable for students who are new to metal building systems. The sheer toughness of the parts means teams can build with confidence, knowing their robot can handle bumps and collisions on the competition field.

Because it’s been around for so long, there is a wealth of documentation and legacy knowledge available. While newer systems offer more flexibility, the ruggedness of TETRIX ensures that the investment will last, making it a practical choice for programs focused on longevity and sustainability.

Actobotics FTC Kit for Custom Mechanical Builds

Is your team full of tinkerers who love to create complex, custom mechanisms from scratch? The Actobotics system is a builder’s dream, offering an incredible variety of components that can be combined in nearly limitless ways. It’s less of a "kit" and more of a "parts library" for the imagination.

This system shines when it comes to building custom gearboxes, intricate linkages, and unique manipulators. Its channel-based structure and vast array of brackets, mounts, and hubs give teams immense creative freedom. It empowers students who think outside the box and want to engineer a truly unique solution to the game’s challenges.

This level of freedom comes with a steeper learning curve. It requires a bit more mechanical intuition to use effectively compared to more constrained systems. For a team with a strong student leader or mentor who loves mechanical design, Actobotics provides the tools to turn ambitious, custom designs into a physical reality.

Custom Kits: Mixing gobilda and REV Systems

As a team moves from its rookie season into its second or third year, their perspective changes. They’re no longer just trying to build a robot; they’re trying to build the best robot. This is when many top-tier teams evolve beyond a single starter kit and begin to create their own custom systems by blending parts from different ecosystems.

The most common combination is mixing the structural strength of gobilda with the versatility and electronics of REV. A team might build a rigid gobilda chassis for its drivetrain but use the REV extrusion and motion system for a fast, lightweight arm. This "best of both worlds" approach allows them to optimize every single part of their robot.

This is the advanced course. It requires a deeper understanding of how different systems work and a budget that allows for purchasing parts from multiple vendors. Reaching this stage is a sign of incredible growth, showing that students have moved from following instructions to making their own informed engineering decisions. It’s a natural and exciting step in their development.

Planning Upgrades Beyond the Initial Starter Kit

The starter kit you buy today is not the end of the investment; it’s the beginning. Just like your child will eventually need a bigger bicycle or more advanced art supplies, your robotics team will need to expand its parts library as it gains experience. It’s wise to plan for this from day one.

After the first season, you’ll have a much better idea of your team’s needs. They might need more powerful motors for a heavier arm, specialized "Mecanum" wheels for agile movement, or a variety of sensors to help the robot operate autonomously. These upgrades are what separate a rookie robot from a veteran one.

Don’t feel pressured to buy everything at once. The beauty of these systems is their modularity. You can add to your collection over time, targeting the specific components that will solve the next challenge. View the initial kit as the foundation of a library that your team will build upon for years, with each new part representing a new skill learned and a new problem solved.

Ultimately, the goal is not to have the most expensive robot on the field, but to provide your team with the tools they need to learn, problem-solve, and grow together. The best kit is the one that empowers them to turn their ideas into reality and gets them excited for the next challenge. Trust your team, trust the process, and get ready for an amazing journey.