justdriftin Posted November 23, 2016 Report Share Posted November 23, 2016 So, its that time of year, talk has turned to what to get the kiddos for Christmas. My son is 8 and basically spoiled so has way too much stuff already of course. We've got tons of legos, gadgets, etc and two sets of grandparents eager to get more of that kind of stuff. So I'm always pushing for stuff to get and keep him outside. He's been talking about wanting a drone which I always kind of chuckled about, but now I think I might be in for that. I don't want to sink a ton of money into this, because he's 8, but don't want a piece of junk either. Not sure where I need to be money wise to get to that spot. But Dad may just want to play with this some as well so can talk myself into a few hundred dollars. I know there have a been a few discussion on here about that in the past, looking for any recommendations and things to look for. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whichwaysup Posted November 23, 2016 Report Share Posted November 23, 2016 A few things to think about when you think about this purchase - 1) the durability of the machine, 2) the ease of learning it 3) the ability to get replacement parts 4) the ability to fly it as long as you want Most offerings are pretty poor on 3 and 4. I would STRONGLY recommend you look at Horizon Hobby's offerings. They have some really cool stuff for very good values. The best part is that the batteries are NOT integrated - so you can swap out batteries (fairly cheaply) and keep on flying. Their Nano quad copters are pretty phenomenal - and some of them allow you to fly "FPV" which is really really cool. Happy to talk to you about it - I used to be into this with my son (because we lived in virginia and it was cold, and the fishing stunk). Since I can fish again, I'm less interested, but still have some of the stuff to play with. THIS: is an awesome little indoor quad copter. Add a few batteries and its still pretty dirt cheap. It flies incredibly well and has different flight modes from easy to advanced: http://www.horizonhobby.com/multirotor/ready-to-fly-15086--1/nano-qx-rtf-with-safe-technology-blh7600 This is a more outdoors version. Just keep in mind, the bigger you get, the more advanced you get - and batteries and chargers start adding up http://www.horizonhobby.com/product/multirotor/blade-brand/ready-to-fly-15086--1/zeyrok-rtf-with-camera-yellow-blh7360t1 And this is fun on steroids. I got into flying FPV (first person view - you are flying from the view of the drone, and can't see IT, just what it sees) and it was pretty cool - very much an "out of body" experience. There is very little that is more fun than chasing the cat around the house from the comfort of your recliner. http://www.horizonhobby.com/product/multirotor/camera-platforms/ready-to-fly-15086--1/inductrix-fpv-rtf-blh8500 Any of those are easy enough to learn on - the first one is about as durable as you can get and would be a great starting point. Grab some extra propellers, 5 extra batteries, and probably a replacement frame (you will eventually need it) and you'll still be under 100 bucks. Grab one for yourself, too - it's more fun when there are two of 'em. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triplec Posted November 27, 2016 Report Share Posted November 27, 2016 Whichway, Good thread...been thinking about sticking my toes in the drone water too...so that second version looks like it would work with a go pro maybe? Are they stable for actual video? How about range ya reckon? Prices seem better than the Phantons and stuff but maybe you buy range with them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justdriftin Posted November 28, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 28, 2016 Thanks for all the info. Very helpful as I'm not familiar at all with these. I think we are definitely want something that would go outside, mom will definitely appreciate that as well, but could be quite fun inside I'm sure. I'm a little surprised at the short run times on these. Is 4-6 minutes typical? I guess its all relative to cost - I'm sure longer life means bigger batteries means bigger everything else. Thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whichwaysup Posted November 28, 2016 Report Share Posted November 28, 2016 4 - 6 minutes per battery. 6 batteries = 30 minutes of running time. 30 minutes to charge = continuous running time as long as you can stand it. Triplec - yes, some of these are designed for a go-pro, but don't get hooked on a go pro - there are a lot of MUCH smaller high quality cameras designed for these things. The 180QX is a good entry level version with a camera. Yes, these absolutely do a great job being stable enough to film. Here's a link to some FPV flying - this was on a micro bi-plane with a camera the size of half of your thumb. The camera quality is terrible, because it is literally transmitting real time, and I'm flying through a pair of goggles (yeah, I look like a dork, but the experience is pretty cool). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mulligan Posted November 28, 2016 Report Share Posted November 28, 2016 What do you plan to do with it, photos,videos, fpv, or just Fly? Whichway is spot on with Horizon. They always seem to have parts when they break. Tower Hobbies is also very good. A good thing about both shops is that many of the local hobby shops carry both Tower and Horizon products. Drones were just coming mainstream as I quit flying rc's but have some buddies that are all into Drones. I have flown some of theirs and by far the one that is the most fun to fly are the 250 racing Drones. You can get them pretty cheap and can put a large battery in them if you want a long flight time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whichwaysup Posted November 28, 2016 Report Share Posted November 28, 2016 LOL - yes, the racing drones. I ALMOST got into that, but thankfully, I moved to a place where fishing was good again and stepped back from that cliff. However, the video below will probably get you hooked! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wanaflatsfish Posted November 28, 2016 Report Share Posted November 28, 2016 HOLY RACING DRONES BATMAN I WAS GETTING A RUSH JUST WATCHING THAT ONE VERY VERY COOL..... DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wanaflatsfish Posted November 28, 2016 Report Share Posted November 28, 2016 On 11/23/2016 at 10:30 AM, justdriftin said: So, its that time of year, talk has turned to what to get the kiddos for Christmas. My son is 8 and basically spoiled so has way too much stuff already of course. We've got tons of legos, gadgets, etc and two sets of grandparents eager to get more of that kind of stuff. So I'm always pushing for stuff to get and keep him outside. He's been talking about wanting a drone which I always kind of chuckled about, but now I think I might be in for that. I don't want to sink a ton of money into this, because he's 8, but don't want a piece of junk either. Not sure where I need to be money wise to get to that spot. But Dad may just want to play with this some as well so can talk myself into a few hundred dollars. I know there have a been a few discussion on here about that in the past, looking for any recommendations and things to look for. Thanks. CHECK THE LILLY...WATERPROOF DRONE.... DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mulligan Posted November 29, 2016 Report Share Posted November 29, 2016 Cool video. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triplec Posted November 30, 2016 Report Share Posted November 30, 2016 On 11/28/2016 at 4:13 PM, Wanaflatsfish said: CHECK THE LILLY...WATERPROOF DRONE.... DC DC, Look looks interesting! Do you know anyone with the Lilly yet? Still looks like they have not gone into production unless I mis read it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whichwaysup Posted November 30, 2016 Report Share Posted November 30, 2016 Check out RC groups - its a pretty good forum for everything you ever wanted to know about any RC item - from the basic "Mall" helicopter to the most advanced and newest RC offerings. This will get you started, but there are probably other threads on it: https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2412867 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whichwaysup Posted December 5, 2016 Report Share Posted December 5, 2016 BTW - pretty good price on this thing - it's an indoor one, but flying it first person is pretty impressive. http://www.horizonhobby.com/product/storefronts/drone-price-cuts/holiday-doorbusters/glimpse-rtf-blh2200 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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