Need a recommendation

[Hopeless]

Hi All,

I'm new to the forum and pretty new to quadcopters too. I got a Holy Stone HS120D on Prime Day and had a lot of fun with it until it didn't come back, even though it has a RTH feature. The wind was gusty that day, so maybe that was the problem. My next one will have my phone # and address on it before it ever takes off.

Based on my limited experience, I will say that I think the HS120D is a great value with a lot of great features, although I never got a chance to play with all of them. I was a little disappointed with the video quality, and of course the failure of the RTH feature. (I did test the RTH several times, and it worked like a charm.)

Anyway, the wife is over the shock of losing my $150 toy, and she thought it was pretty cool, so she wants to get me another one for my birthday. I want to upgrade a bit, and $300 is probably the limit. Problem is, when I look at Amazon reviews, they almost all look the same. "This is the best drone I've ever owned, and I have had 6 of them." "This drone can't be beat for the price!", etc.

They all seem to have nearly identical features, and it's very difficult for me to figure out what I should get. I've been looking at the Eachine EX3, mainly because it has the led display on the controller. I've also been looking at the JJRC X11, which has some really nice features, including a remote similar to the EX3. My concern with the JJRC is that it doesn't have a lot of reviews, so I'm wondering if it's less popular for some reason.

So, if you'd like to offer any advice and/or opinions, I'd appreciate it. I just want to make a good choice.

Thanks,

 

[wafflejock]

There are sort of two major ways people like to fly quadcopters:

1. Aerial photography, just interested in getting something in the air to get some nice smooth aerial video not interested in the mechanics of the thing or learning how they go together or work.

2. Wanna be top gun pilot. If you want to learn to do acrobatic flying or racing then this is the style you're looking for and will be in for a big ol' learning curve to be able to repair things when you inevitably smash into a pole at 50mph or fall from the sky when something comes loose or start interacting with one of your props in the air.

The $300 budget is better for 1 if you went say $400-500 budget then can get a good hobby grade quad ready to configure and a hobby grade transmitter that can work across many many models.

For 1:

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/dji-spark-quadcopter-alpine-white/5896802.p?skuId=5896802

^^ nice out of the box experience company that will offer some support for their products and huge community (mostly phantom 3 owners I think), you may also look for phantom 3 or similar on ebay or other used options since there are a lot out in the wild you can get a much better deal than buying new

For 2:

Holybro Kopis 2 6S V2 FPV Racing Drone (BNF)

The Kopis 2 6S V2 - a high-performance ready-to-fly FPV racing drone.

www.getfpv.com

^^ uses a betaflight based flight controller that can/must be programmed by you for your transmitter, ESCs, and quadcopter setup (requires tuning after initial configuration as well)

Jumper T16 Pro V2 Open Source Multi-protocol Radio Transmitter

^^ runs openTX firmware (open source free software) and uses a 4 in 1 radio module that can "talk" (speak the same protocol) as tons of receivers (will work with FrSky or Spektrum the two most popular brands of transmitter/receiver)

I know these are both options a bit out of the budget but they are quality options.

Fast Good Cheap

You want a Fast, Good, and Cheap project?

fastgood.cheap

Learn To FPV

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

^^ starter series here I think presents a lot of info for beginners and a bit more about getting into FPV

PS I didn't include the video goggles or display in the cost or options here since the options and price there varies a lot. If you decide you want to pursue this hobby more seriously then you may not mind spending a bit more.

 

[Hopeless]

There are sort of two major ways people like to fly quadcopters:

1. Aerial photography, just interested in getting something in the air to get some nice smooth aerial video not interested in the mechanics of the thing or learning how they go together or work.

2. Wanna be top gun pilot. If you want to learn to do acrobatic flying or racing then this is the style you're looking for and will be in for a big ol' learning curve to be able to repair things when you inevitably smash into a pole at 50mph or fall from the sky when something comes loose or start interacting with one of your props in the air.

The $300 budget is better for 1 if you went say $400-500 budget then can get a good hobby grade quad ready to configure and a hobby grade transmitter that can work across many many models.

For 1:

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/dji-spark-quadcopter-alpine-white/5896802.p?skuId=5896802

^^ nice out of the box experience company that will offer some support for their products and huge community (mostly phantom 3 owners I think), you may also look for phantom 3 or similar on ebay or other used options since there are a lot out in the wild you can get a much better deal than buying new

For 2:

Holybro Kopis 2 6S V2 FPV Racing Drone (BNF)

The Kopis 2 6S V2 - a high-performance ready-to-fly FPV racing drone.

www.getfpv.com

^^ uses a betaflight based flight controller that can/must be programmed by you for your transmitter, ESCs, and quadcopter setup (requires tuning after initial configuration as well)

Jumper T16 Pro V2 Open Source Multi-protocol Radio Transmitter

^^ runs openTX firmware (open source free software) and uses a 4 in 1 radio module that can "talk" (speak the same protocol) as tons of receivers (will work with FrSky or Spektrum the two most popular brands of transmitter/receiver)

I know these are both options a bit out of the budget but they are quality options.

Fast Good Cheap

You want a Fast, Good, and Cheap project?

fastgood.cheap

View attachment 5048

Learn To FPV

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

^^ starter series here I think presents a lot of info for beginners and a bit more about getting into FPV

PS I didn't include the video goggles or display in the cost or options here since the options and price there varies a lot. If you decide you want to pursue this hobby more seriously then you may not mind spending a bit more.

Wow, thanks for the great reply! I’m definitely in category 1. This will just be for casual flying and photography. Don’t think I want to spend that much, and I know the quality is great, but I don’t to go the DJI route. Boy, I sure appreciate your time though!

 

[wafflejock]

Wow, thanks for the great reply! I’m definitely in category 1. This will just be for casual flying and photography. Don’t think I want to spend that much, and I know the quality is great, but I don’t to go the DJI route. Boy, I sure appreciate your time though!

No problem on a long train ride back from Detroit to Chicago so have some time to burn . My two cents when buying things based on reviews is just to look at the number and type of 1 or 2 star reviews (can filter by clicking reviews then number of stars on Amazon) and see how many people have what I think are legitimate concerns or issues vs people who just know less about what they are buying and are therefore upset.

I've been more of type 2 myself so don't know the best options for type 1 but some others will probably chime in here with their experience in the next few days with the quads you mentioned already too.

 

[Hopeless]

No problem on a long train ride back from Detroit to Chicago so have some time to burn . My two cents when buying things based on reviews is just to look at the number and type of 1 or 2 star reviews (can filter by clicking reviews then number of stars on Amazon) and see how many people have what I think are legitimate concerns or issues vs people who just know less about what they are buying and are therefore upset.

I've been more of type 2 myself so don't know the best options for type 1 but some others will probably chime in here with their experience in the next few days with the quads you mentioned already too.

Yeah, that’s how I use reviews too. Thanks again, and I’ll keep an eye on this forum!

 

[Hopeless]

Thought I'd update this to let you know I made a decision.

I'm going with the Holy Stone HS700D.

HS700 Ophelia vs HS700D Ophelia: What’s The Difference?

Last week, Holy Stone launched a brand new drone called HS700D Ophelia, an upgrade of the original model. Currently, the HS700 Ophelia no longer exists in the consumer market but will be showing up from

www.aeroflydrones.com

Thanks to all who took time to look at the post.

 

[davidhk129]

I hope you realise that while your "fly away" HS120D is a 2.4ghz wifi transmission, this HS700D is a 5G wifi drone. Better make sure your smart phone supports 5Ghz transmission.

I am by no means a Holy Stone hater. But you paid too much for the HS120D and you are now paying ridiculously too much for the HS700D.
There are many GPS drones with comparable or even better features, and cost a lot less.

Sorry for the cold water.

 

[Hopeless]

I hope you realise that while your "fly away" HS120D is a 2.4ghz wifi transmission, this HS700D is a 5G wifi drone. Better make sure your smart phone supports 5Ghz transmission.

I am by no means a Holy Stone hater. But you paid too much for the HS120D and you are now paying ridiculously too much for the HS700D.
There are many GPS drones with comparable or even better features, and cost a lot less.

Sorry for the cold water.

Hey, point me in the right direction! I'm willing to look. We won't actually order it for a couple of days, so I can change my mind.

Yeah, I checked on my phone (iPhone), and it's fine.

Thanks!

 

[davidhk129]

Hey, point me in the right direction! I'm willing to look. We won't actually order it for a couple of days, so I can change my mind.

Yeah, I checked on my phone (iPhone), and it's fine.

Thanks!

I am in Canada.
Sounds like you are in US.
Check out the Brushless GPS drone selections from Amazon.com. You will see that you don't need to pay $284 for a Holy Stone GPS drone.
Hubsan, just to name one drone maker.

 

[Hopeless]

I am in Canada.
Sounds like you are in US.
Check out the Brushless GPS drone selections from Amazon.com. You will see that you don't need to pay $284 for a Holy Stone GPS drone.
Hubsan, just to name one drone maker.

Well, I looked around some more, and the 700D still appeals to me. It's actually $264 with the $20 coupon, not that it make a huge difference.

Anyway, thanks for your response. I appreciate your help.