Brake Controller Recommendation, Comparison and Evaluation Chart

Brake Controller Type	Proportional & Current Compensated		Proportional							Inertia
Manufacturer	Hensley TruControl™ Gold	Hensley TruControl™ Silver	Tekonsha P3	Hayes Genesis	BrakeSmart	Draw-Tite Intella Stop Ultra	Tekonsha Prodigy	Valley Odyssey	Jordan Ultima 2020	Hayes Endeavor
32 Amps Continuous 48 Amps Burst	Yes	24 Cont. & 32 Burst	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
Current Compensated	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
Handles declines & inclines	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
Patent pending smooth stopping algorithm	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
Hydraulic or Electric brakes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
Reverse Polarity Protection	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No
Works in Reverse	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No
Manual brake button turns on the Brake Lights	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes
Useful for Trouble shooting	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Electrical only Connections	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Hydraulic Sensor in Brake Line	Yes	Yes	Yes	Cable to Brake Pedal	Yes

Please keep in mind that some lower cost brake controllers not on this list do not support up to 4 Axles. This features list has been compiled using the "best of breed" in the market place that support up to 4 Axles. Our recommendation, comparison and evaluation chart may be used as a guide to getting the best controller for your needs. In the table above the green background is a desired feature, the orange is not.

Take a moment to read up on the myths of brake controllers in the Better Braking Report.

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To better understand the comparison and evaluation of different brake controllers you must first understand the different types of brake controllers. These brake controller types include an ever evolving list with the best controllers at the end. The years shown below are approximated due to the overlapping spread of brake controllers developed.

Brake Controller Development History at a Glance

Type	Description	Summary
1960's Pendulum Brake Controller	The pendulum brake controller utilized a mechanical swing or pendulum to sense the stopping intent (how hard the driver presses on the pedal).	The pendulum did not always swing correctly due to temperature and angle changes. This causes jerky stops.
1970's & Recent Hydraulic sensor controlled	The hydraulic controlled brake controller taps into the truck brake line to measure the brake pressure and apply equivalent amperage to the trailer brakes	This principle existed in 1960. However, the older sensors had too much fluid displacement which interfered with the ABS modules installed on the vehicles. Current models do not compensate for brake fade and are difficult to install.
1980's Time Based Brake Controller	A time based brake controller uses time after you press the brake pedal to fully stop or slow down the trailer. Usually the brakes will fully engage after 3 to 10 seconds.	This type of controller does not always stop in the time desired or required. It may be too soon or too late many times.
1985's Brake Pedal Wire controlled	A wired controller uses a wire placed on the brake pedal to measure how far the brake pedal is pressed.	This is a mechanical solution and has mechanical drawbacks and is difficult to install and maintain.
1990's Accelerometer or Inertia controlled	The accelerometer controlled brake controller uses solid state input from an accelerometer to measure the deceleration required.	Using a solid state inertia input is much better than the mechanical pendulums due to no moving parts. Requires constant gain adjustment.
1995's Proportional Brake Controllers	This term refers to measuring the driver intent based on accelerometers, hydraulic pressure or brake pedal wires. Basically it means that the trailer gets the same level of brake power as the truck or vehicle.	This type of braking is fine for hydraulic systems, however does not work well for electric brake magnets since brake magnets fade immediately after the first 5 seconds.
2006 Current Compensated & Proportional Brake Controllers	Applying equal braking between tow-vehicle and trailer brakes while constantly compensating the current to your trailer brakes to make up for brake fade, a result of heat and frequency of use.	You really need this feature unless you want to constantly update your gain manually every time your brakes fade between highway and city driving. This technology has been recently developed by Hensley Mfg.

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