What's the best drone to start flying with

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Manny6565

Member
Hello everyone,

I'm a new guy here, I was reading some topics on this forum.. and finally decided to register and say few words.

I'm here mostly because of my son, I'd like to buy him a drone as a Christmas gift. I've seen he's watching videos of drones on youtube.. so I'm sure it will make him happy. I don't have $1000+ budget to start with, instead, I'd like to buy something in $200 price range. Yes, I know that's not much, but my son will be happy with it, I'm sure he will.

As I already posted in another thread, I've founded list of 10 drones under $200, I like some of drones on that list. Especially 7th (JJRC H8D). Do you think it would be a good drone to start with?

Thanks everyone
 
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HDtallrider

Well-Known Member
Welcome Manny! I know one of our small quad fanatics (Mike H.) thinks very highly of the JJRC H8D, and all things JJRC for that matter. I hope your son knows how lucky he is. Get extra props and batteries while your credit card is out. Haha!
 
GJH105775

GJH105775

Off and on
Moderator
Manny6565 said:
I'm here with the same question.. I'd rather ask it here than open new thread, hope that's not against TOS.
Tried to find some nice drone under $200 on google.. but I'm not really sure what to search for. I have founded JJRC H8D it seems to be good drone to start flying with. In the other hand, here is a list of top 10 drones under $200 and JJRC H8D is on 7th position, which is not bad at all. I may buy some drone from that list.

I know $200 is not much for a drone, but I'm sure my 14y old son will be happy with it!
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Has he ever flown? You might be better to get them two; a really cheap one to learn to fly on and a little nicer one that they can use after getting the few initial crashes out of the way haha. You might be better to get a little cheapy and a SYMA, that would still keep it under $200 and let him really get his feet wet. I am afraid that once he starts there will be no going back hahaha, though on the bright side he will never have enough money for drugs or alcohol.
 
Mike H.

Mike H.

Toy Quad Builder
Manny6565 said:
I'm here with the same question.. I'd rather ask it here than open new thread, hope that's not against TOS.
Tried to find some nice drone under $200 on google.. but I'm not really sure what to search for. I have founded JJRC H8D it seems to be good drone to start flying with. In the other hand, here is a list of top 10 drones under $200 and JJRC H8D is on 7th position, which is not bad at all. I may buy some drone from that list.

I know $200 is not much for a drone, but I'm sure my 14y old son will be happy with it!
Click to expand...

Just so happens the SYMA X5C-1 says for ages 14yrs and up.:).. And my personal recommendation.:cool:
 
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Mike H.

Mike H.

Toy Quad Builder
If having to choose only from the models listed in this "subjective" top 10 list..There are a few that stand out that i would consider from the list.

Im going to assume you want fpv features in my responses here.

Let me first start off by saying that some of the quads listed have some draw backs they failed to mention..Anything WIFI FPV is going to have an issue with keeping connection which can be a bad thing when you are far out enough to not be able to tell the orientation of the quadcopter and risk losing your toy or crashing it pretty badly...So do yourself a favor and dont choose anything using wifi FPV.

This eliminates the SYMA X8W right off the bat.

The JJRC uses a real 5.8g FPV transmission which is far superior to the 2.4g wifi signal..This is a decent model and popular among JJRC fans alike.

The Galaxy and Nine Eagles models are going to be your highest quality of all the quads on that list but, one of them has gone up a considerable amount in the price range of under $200..So this eliminates the BLADE 350 model for sure with its new price.

The Nine Eagles models is certainly a high quality quad but its draw back is cost of repairs which quads needs often from crashes and motors burning out and breaking blades etc..So i leave that up to you with rather or not you can afford to keep it flying...If you can then that is my pick of the litter.

Should you want something a considerable amount less costly but, is still considered a quality toy then, i recommend the JJRC as you have chosen as well...However neither of these quads are considered beginners quads and are costly for an entry quad.

My personal recommendation is not to worry about or deal with FPV in the beginning and allow you and your son to more focus on learning how to fly with something less costly.

The SYMA X5C-1 is a remarkable quadcopter that does carry a camera to still record your flights...it is not fpv but it is still a fun filled feature you both can enjoy..Cost for this quad is around the $50.00 mark and parts are cheap to repair it to keep it flying for years to come...One other thing to note is SYMA sells an FPV system which can be attached to the X5 models should you decide to add this feature in the future ..it also costs in the $50.00 range.

Its hard to beat the X5C-1 as a starter quadcopter.

I hope some of this helps and please let us know what you end up with and keep us updated to the fun you and your son will have in this wonderful hobby of quadcopters.
 
sailorsam

sailorsam

occasional user
+1 on Syma X5C-1. I love mine. For that price you can buy two so you can replace the inevitable lost/damaged unit.
plus you'll have two batteries. a spare battery or two would be helpful.
 
H

HDtallrider

Well-Known Member
Manny6565 said:
Hi guys,
I have bought Syma X5C-1. It whould arrive in 3 days, then I'll share my experiences with you :)
Thanks for all your help!
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Congrats, Manny! When you get it, remove the camera and install the prop guards until you get the hang of it. After you feel comfortable remove the prop guards. Install the camera whenever you're wanting video. The camera knocks the crap outta flight times! Mostly just have fun:D
 
Gramps

Gramps

Well-Known Member
Just ordered a. Symantec X5C-1 the other day. Should be arriving tomorrow. Shojjd be exciting can't wait. Weather reports are not good here tomorrow so I might just be running in the motors and maybe a little living room flying (hovering).
 
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HDtallrider

Well-Known Member
Welcome aboard! They really don't need any run in but hovering is the first step in learning to fly. You probably oughta move any breakables outta the flight path. Have fun!!
 
Gramps

Gramps

Well-Known Member
Thanks HD, I read where you would get better life from brushed motors by breaking the in. The first I heard about it was over on YouTube watching Quadcopter 101 videos. He mentions breaking in the motors.

I flew (hovered really) R/C hellicopters 25 years ago or so still have one I started to put into a Jet Ranger body in the basement. In reallity there probably isn't enough room in our living room to even hover, but we'll see. ;-)
 
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HDtallrider

Well-Known Member
Gramps said:
Thanks HD, I read where you would get better life from brushed motors by breaking the in. The first I heard about it was over on YouTube watching Quadcopter 101 videos. He mentions breaking in the motors.

I flew (hovered really) R/C hellicopters 25 years ago or so still have one I started to put into a Jet Ranger body in the basement. In reallity there probably isn't enough room in our living room to even hover, but we'll see. ;-)
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Maybe he's right. They already have a short life so my thought is messing around with break in is just taking away from flying!! The motors and spare parts are so cheap it can't be worth the effort. Go fly and enjoy it!:D
 
chillcat345

chillcat345

New Member
I'm also new with Quadcopters/Drones. I bought a cheap chinese one first and landed it in a tree and broke, this was the X-Drone nano. I don't really recommend it but for me it was around €30,-
Right now I have a Dromida Ominus it was around €100,- so a bit cheaper than your initial budget, I really like this quadcopter as it was cheap and very durable.
I crashed it multiple times when trying to learn. It is a good learning quadcopter in my opinion, it's durable and you can fly it as fast or as slow as you want. It also seems to be pretty stable even with some wind blowing into it. I would highly recommend this quadcopter, as I know your kid is probably gonna crash it a couple of times.
 
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HDtallrider

Well-Known Member
Welcome to the forum, chillcat345! You made a good choice on the Dromida. They are very durable, just a bit more than most new fliers want to spend. Good example of you get what you pay for, though.:)
 
chillcat345

chillcat345

New Member
HDtallrider said:
Welcome to the forum, chillcat345! You made a good choice on the Dromida. They are very durable, just a bit more than most new fliers want to spend. Good example of you get what you pay for, though.:)
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Hey thanks! Exactly also if you break it you can just buy spare parts and you can try to repair it which I couldn't with the cheaper ones. This works for me, it could work different for everyone though!
 
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HookedOn

Quad Crasher!
The Dromida Omunis was my second quad (CX-10 got me hooked), the first month or so I crashed dozens of times and went thru 6 or 7 motors, the easiest of my quads to change motors ( but most expensive at $11.00 each), the plug-ins are the best, I purchased a Syma X5C-1 (with 2-extra sets of motors) a short time after that, it's been a year and have yet to change a motor, multiple burnt-out motors with my JJRC H8C in a short time, a few after a crash but not always, I like them all but the Syma X5C-1 has been the most dependable for me, the Omunis is my favorite to fly, especially at night indoors or out, I'm thinking that since the JJRC H8C uses a 7.4 volt battery that maybe it's to much voltage for the motors they use, I've had a few motors burn out just taking off !
 
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Pantucci

New Member
Another vote for the Syma x5C-1. Will teach you all the basics of flying, and easy to repair, can fly it inside or out
 
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