Toy grade versus upmarket quads.

[Chuck]

Other than being equiped with brushless motors, what makes an "upmarket" quad superior to a "toy grade" quad? From looking at the online ad specs, the "upmarket" quads are within three-to-five minutes maximum flying time on a full battery charge for those priced under $500.00. Many of the features available on the lower end "upmarket" quads, either have been or are now being incorporated into the "toy grade" quads. And given some of the customer review horror stories of customer service from manufacturers in dealing with warranty issues, quality control of new items that are shipped to retailers, and assistance with software glitches with FCBs, it raises serious questions about whether the higher prices charged are justified for the end product. This not an indictment of the top-of-the-line professional-user models as they are in a class all by themselves. But it does raise questions about the lower-down-the-food-chain models aimed at consumers.

 

[Jackson]

"upmarket" quads are within three-to-five minutes maximum flying time on a full battery charge for those priced under $500.00.

Are those alternate facts?

 

[mozquito1]

I get 5min on a 850mah 4s as in the picture & 9min with a 1300mah 4s. With the above quad. Knock 2 minutes off if it's got fpv kit on it. So whoever is getting 3 minutes ain't looking after there battery's properly or have a heavy quad.

 

[mozquito1]

Toy quads = slow + break easy.
Standard racing/acro = fast as you like
You know it's where your going to end up. The eachine wizard is about the cheapest rtf & there is nothing wrong with it. Full quad with fpv gear & turnigy evolution for less than $250 is a bargain. A friend had one for a bit. Parts held out longer than the frame. I built him another with the parts but he moved onto faster frames, he is actually better than me & I got 6months on him.

 

[RENOV8R]

Tuneability. Pretty hard to adjust the PIDs on a Syma X8

 

[Chuck]

No, those aren't alternate facts. When I see a 350-series quad on sale for $450.00 with brushless motors, and the store quad specialist tells me that it will fly for eight minutes on a full battery charge, and I know that I can buy a Syma X8-series that will fly for approximately the same length of time or possibly longer with a higher capacity battery yet will set me back less than $100.00, I have to wonder what I would be getting for that additional $300.00-minimum, other than brushless motors and ESC's.

 

[RENOV8R]

What you'll get is an extra couple of years before motors etc. wear out.

 

[Jackson]

350-series quad on sale for $450.00 with brushless motors, and the store quad specialist tells me that it will fly for eight minutes on a full battery charge, and I know that I can buy a Syma X8-series that will fly for approximately the same length of time or possibly longer with a higher capacity battery yet will set me back less than $100.00,

the "upmarket" quads are within three-to-five minutes maximum flying time

You are like Trump. And FWIW there is a lot more to it than just flight times.

A bought an X8 a few years ago, I never fly it, I just don't like the clumsy cow.

 

[Chuck]

What does Trump have to do with this? As for your disliking the Syma X8 models, that's your perogative. I don't own any, but apparently there are enough people that like them, to keep the company in business cranking them out. Now other than regulations that address when, where, and how we can fly quads, can we keep politics out of the discussion?

 

[dragger201]

Toy quads = slow + break easy.

Damn, you need to check out some of the current crop of "toy" quads. While certainly not in a class with a "racer", my X8s are not slow by any stretch of the imagination. As for durability, drops from 50 ft, full speed tree impacts and even multiple hits from 12ga birdshot, my X8HG has been thru all these and still flys. The two biggest differences, IMHO, are tuneability and motor life............and the gap has narrowed considerable in the last 6 months...............

 

[dragger201]

I have to wonder what I would be getting for that additional $300.00-minimum

Hey Chuck....................that's like asking what difference there is between a stock passenger car and a Ferrari. Any body can drive a stock passenger car. But if you are gonna strap on a Ferrari(or other dedicated sports car), if you are gonna do anything other then "styling" you damn well better know what your doing. Check out youtube.........there's plenty of FPV vids from modified X8s(and other "toy" grade quads) as well as "upgrade/racer" quads. Some of those "racers" are reaching speeds in excess of 100mph............and they are not just straight line speed machines.

 

[mozquito1]

It's where your going to end up. ACRO.

 

[Chuck]

Damn, you need to check out some of the current crop of "toy" quads. While certainly not in a class with a "racer", my X8s are not slow by any stretch of the imagination. As for durability, drops from 50 ft, full speed tree impacts and even multiple hits from 12ga birdshot, my X8HG has been thru all these and still flys. The two biggest differences, IMHO, are tuneability and motor life............and the gap has narrowed considerable in the last 6 months...............

Thanks. I'm not into racing quads myself. So my interest in the "toy" quads has been primarily the larger ones like the Syma X8's, and JHRC H25's. Basically the "heavyweights". And I've already been incorporating some modifications that I saw on Youtube for the X8's, that also work well on the JJRC H25's.

 

[mozquito1]

Toy quads =slow, no acro. =poop. Crappy auto flips n rolls.. So you upgrade all these toys to then realise it's nothing like the toy you bought. It's not the toy you originally bought is it.

 

[Jackson]

Folks luv these and spare parts are finally available. Check out some YouTube reviews. It's a deal currently at $86. And according to MJX they can handle a 3S battery if you so desire.
https://www.tomtop.com/rc-quadcopter-1192/p-rm7325b-us.html

 

[Chuck]

Whether a Syma X8, a Yuneec Typhoon G, or a DJI Phantom. I looking at Youtube videos, don't see quads that big routinely being used for aerobatics, and have even seen recommendations against such stunt flying of them. And probably for the same reasons that a pilot wouldn't do it with heavy commercial or military aircraft.

 

[Jackson]

I looking at Youtube videos, don't see quads that big routinely being used for aerobatics,

Sometimes. Here's a rude crude tricopter, just craft plywood and square dowels for the arms, lotsa twist ties and and he still likes using the aging KK2.

Here's David Windestål flying his full size tricopter.

 

[Jeff Neese]

Yes, brushed motors have a limited lifespan and must be swapped when they burn out, but they're also cheap and easy to replace (on the better ones, anyway). It's not like you have to swap one every time you fly - it's an inconvenience that happens once in a while and only costs a few bucks. Just keep some spares and you're good.

It is true that you get more advanced flight characteristics out of racing quads (the much-desired "acro" mode) but I have that on my toy-grade Blade 180 QX, and there are a few others out there that you can fly acro. It's not 100% true that toy-grade means no acro, but there aren't many of them.

As far as "quality", there are some real dogs in the higher-end drone world - problem plagued pieces of crap that people pay a lot of money for, as you seem to be aware. And there are toy-grade quads that work perfectly and are seemingly unstoppable (like a Syma X8C) that are obviously very high quality but don't have the performance or features of the more expensive ones. Usually what you're paying more for is features like GPS, better cameras, FPV, whatever. But that doesn't mean it's better. I don't think just going to brushless motors automatically takes a quadcopter out of the "toy grade" category, either.

 

[dragger201]

Yes, brushed motors have a limited lifespan and must be swapped when they burn out, but they're also cheap and easy to replace (on the better ones, anyway). It's not like you have to swap one every time you fly - it's an inconvenience that happens once in a while and only costs a few bucks. Just keep some spares and you're good.

It is true that you get more advanced flight characteristics out of racing quads (the much-desired "acro" mode) but I have that on my toy-grade Blade 180 QX, and there are a few others out there that you can fly acro. It's not 100% true that toy-grade means no acro, but there aren't many of them.

As far as "quality", there are some real dogs in the higher-end drone world - problem plagued pieces of crap that people pay a lot of money for, as you seem to be aware. And there are toy-grade quads that work perfectly and are seemingly unstoppable (like a Syma X8C) that are obviously very high quality but don't have the performance or features of the more expensive ones. Usually what you're paying more for is features like GPS, better cameras, FPV, whatever. But that doesn't mean it's better. I don't think just going to brushless motors automatically takes a quadcopter out of the "toy grade" category, either.

Couldn't agree more. What really sold me on quads was the X8hg. The biggest drawback as far as I'm concerned is flight time. I upgrade to 2500mah batts and get a solid 15 minutes, though I get the blinking lights at 11.

But I just recently got an Eachine QX90C and a set of goggles. I may eventually get around to building a racer, but my primary interest is in Aerial Photography and building my own AP platforms.

 

[Chuck]

My interest in the larger quads is in flying them pretty much like large multi-engine military aircraft like bombers, tankers, cargo planes, etc. So aerial acrobatics are of no interest to me. Being the closest I will be flying such large quads to such are simulated evasive maneuvers (acro quads performing fighter escort cover?).