BetaFPV X-Knight 5 is the sub-250g FPV quad for a dystopian future
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- Опубликовано: 22 авг 2024
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The BetaFPV XKnight 5 might be the best 5" quad under 250g. Or it might not be. Either way I'm kind of mad that it even has to exist. Because 250g is a stupid and arbitrary limit for quadcopter size. And you give up a lot when you try to get a 5" quad that light. So let's give the BetaFPV XKnight 5 a fair chance to impress us. But no matter how good it is, I'll always know it could have been better if it was allowed to weigh more.
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He’s not the Drone Hero we deserve, he is the Drone Hero we need. Dont let Skynet, I mean FAA keep you down. Resist! I liked clockwork better
"Hon, time to sell the trampoline..."
"?"
"The kids are more than 250 grams, right?"
Lmmfao....its funny now but the way the faa is you better make sure they aren't lol and if you aren't.... get into rc cars and trucks before the DMV starts forcing us to have insurance on them lol👍✌
@@scu-dub Nah, screw the FAA, my first drone (well, after getting into the drone hobby through the Inductrix) is a 680mm frame with 15" props. That's _my_ POV anyways.
@@55yxalaG man im just getting into fpv and I feel like I missed out on the best times lol I have planes and jets and a dji drone and I didn't register none of my shit! And now I'm probably gonna sell most of the lot because I'm not gonna give them the satisfaction
@@scu-dub Well I can't say whether or not you've missed out on good times because I'm also pretty new to the whole thing, but yeah I _totally_ register every rc drone/model I have... *[coughcough]*
My advice would be that, if you are willing/have the time to, stick to the hobby - the FAA is actually only satisfied when the skies are cleared of hobbyists. They couldn't care less that they get $5 every three years, with hobby drones still being in the way of google/amazon drones and such. Just stay away from the general public when you fly, who rarely know anything about drone registration anyways - they just care if you're "spying" on them somehow.
@@55yxalaG lol so true man....and whats crazy is they wanna make a big deal about drones spying and "privacy" issues....as soon as you leave your house your being recorded lol hell you can't go anywhere without being on camera lol doorbells can damn near look into your house nowadays but yeah I'm gonna keep at it and just stay "under the radar" 😁✌
that intro was terrifying and i love it
imagine looking back fondly at 2020 lol
I don't want to meet the year that makes 2020 the nicer option!
That is a truly depressing thought.
@@thecraigish 2021: Hold my Beer.
@@thecraigish Its name is 2021...
@@rhadiem why does it feels like there is a challenge of "worst year ever" happening for the past few years?
I was expecting him to say, "I am Joshua Bardwell and your going to cry a little bit".
So I have 4 years left before I have to get rid of my quads?
Sounds good. I'm sure they'll all be broken before then :(
same
Wait what?
2 or less if you live in Australia.
I have about 1 week left so fuck my life
Joshua, you can freestyle without having to record it. RUclipsrs looking for likes will probably disagree. Thanks for the video.
Agreed, I don't run a gopro and can run a larger battery. I don't care about being a RUclips star or pro pilot.
Momentum though, extra weight also gives different flight characteristics. While I jumped on the 249g 3 inch train years ago. (And can get decent recording on it just not with a go pro.) There are maneuvers that are far easier with benefit from the additional weight.
He can freestyle nicely without stabilisation
naw... Im gonna rip my 650+g til the day I die.
💯
Exactly
650+ grams is a paperweight
Try 650 pounds
(I'm kidding of course)
me too i live in the country and i fly long range good luck finding me
The killbots will make that happen. BAAHAHA!!
I've got the 4" version of this frame that I put together with some old parts I had laying around, and it's a beast. I used a set of 3B-R 1606 3500kv motors, ori32 4-in-1 esc, and the FC from an emax magnum f4 stack and Gemfan Flash 4052 props. I even shoehorned a runcam split mini v2 in there and put standoffs under my canopy. Still under 250g with an 850mah 4s from RDQ, and hovers just barely off idle. I think it's more fun than my 5" personally because it's cheaper to repair, and has punch far above any 3" ive built.
If you’re going to do a dystopian fpv movie, Botgrinder needs to be in it..
Oh yah blazing it up!
We need a "seato-ejecto cuz!" Switch that jettisons a bunch of parts if authorities show up and fail-safes the drone. That way you cAn fly over 250 and it still weighs 250 when you pick it up. Carbon arm braces? Eject um. 6s battery pack? Nah it's a combo 5+1s and the 5 ejects into the woods. GoPro? Ejected.
genius
Maybe a parachute pack that keeps them together lol
Currently watching!! This opening!!! Bahahahhaha!!!...however, scary point for years to come. 2024
Wow. In 2024 all these rules will be implemented? Pretty soon we will have a dictator running for office in 2024 lol
Bryson Kuhn, i dunno. I don’t the the mayor of LA will be running for president after violating UN human rights regulations.
@@brysonkuhn3290 Assume You have a dictator right now...
@@brysonkuhn3290 Will... ?
"FAA killbots," lol. This is a masterful opening.
Personally, I think 4" is the future. More durable than this 5-pick, fast, freestyles like a 5" quad, several props choices. It ticks most boxes!
My thoughts exactly I went through a couple of frames that completely sucked in the 4" size to finally find the fluoride by Kababfpv that thing is freaking awesome 💪
Isn’t it nuts how it feels like the 90’s? RCA cables going behind your back to some kind of analog signal recorder haha. Great video and intro Joshua!
JB’S RPG - epic intro to a new synthwave reality, I’ll take it!
I absolutely love your creative bits that you have been added to your videos as of late. I really dig your sense of humor, you are killing it JB!
Shame the FAA didn't get as difficult with Boeing BEFORE the tragedies.
Politics over common sense.
@Seiishu ...sadly this seems the case,..must be a government somewhere on this planet that does the best in every sense,for its people?
👍🍻
@@chrissofpv3017 bhutan is like the only place i can think of
This intro was your best yet 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
My favorite saying is " its not illegal tell you get caught " 😂 good luck!!!
🥃 cheers 🍻
I'm fairly new to FPV and have built a couple of 3" quads and own a couple of whoops. The first 3" I built I had no idea what I was doing. It's on a carbon 3" dead cat frame, AIO FC and a Runcam Split with builtin DVR (so no action cam needed). It's 237g with a 4S 650mah battery. The motors are 1306 4000kv. It's a beast... crazy fast and feels great with 10 minute flight times. Having said that, I'm building a 5" next, and intend on breaking the law. F* the rules.
This is why I love 3" quads, still drop like a rock.
yeah a 3" with a vista setup can be built under 250g and will fly just as good but would get HD video. Im starting to enjoy flying my light 3" more then my 5" for multiple reasons. the main one being able to fly without the whole park knowing im flying. much more discrete,
Or ya know the beautiful tinyhawk freestyle 2
Agreed, a good 3 inch set-up with vista etc is denser even at 250g, less floaty and much closer to the flight characteristics of the classic 5 inch freestyle quad, which are much easier to predict and control than floaty set-up like a toothpick 5"
Rotor geeks has a diatone gtr-349 vista kit. Its a tight fit, but it works.
Hey Joshua. I built the 4 and 5 inch versions of the xknight and the 4 inch flies way better and is more durable. Same frame with shorter arms. I'm using xing 1408 3600 kv motors (standard 5mm shaft) and HQ 4x4.3x3 props. Has held up to some pretty horrific crashes. I love flying this thing. Rock solid performance on Betaflight 4.1.1
I'm still pretty new to the FPV drone hobby and scene, but you have solidified yourself as my go-to resource for drone information. Thanks for everything you do!
And who’s going to weight my quad again? Lol.
IKR lmao
Your friend that sells drugs. Duh
@MAD GRUMPYMAN The only problem that i can see is if they start using FPV goggles too. Then they might be able to locate your quad and also your position.
@MAD GRUMPYMAN I live in Czechia and i got cops called on me like ten times already. Never had any problems with them.I actually got one of cops into the hobby. They already have so much work. And now they will have to look for little quads in the air? I am really scared of this Remote ID think coming to Europe too.
And also they are going to kill so many parts makers just because of these FAA aproved parts. I hope that it can still change in US ntil 2024.
Even now i have some problems buying parts from Crossfire or Dragonlink because of the output power. Same goes for FPV systems.
I have to buy all those parts from my friend that lives in Canada. I would love to get more people into FPV in Czechia so we can get more products here. I love long range FPV planes but its so hard to get all parts here. And now with Remote ID it is all fucked up.
@MAD GRUMPYMAN It is quite complicated here just because of the way that the law is written. I have to keep at least 5.5km from any airfield and from their "protected airspace" which is not accessible by public. That is like the main thing to follow here. And we also have that "visual line of sight".
I fly like 90% of the time just by myself. They can fine me for that, but that never hapened. They dont even know all those rules.
Cops usually just hang out with me. I let them try it. And before they leave they usually say like "oh yea that old man from that house called us because he thinks you are spying on him. So if you can just move to the other side of the road". But back to the law. We will have to register our quads in future with like the weight of the quad and max speed. Cant wait for cops to stand in the field with radar gun and little scale to check my quad :D
This is my favorite intro hands down. I built a sub 250g 5inch 6s quad. It's a lot of fun, but nothing like a traditional 5 inch. Mine isn't nearly this fragile though.
From time to time I come back to this video solely to watch the intro its my favorite jb thing ever!
FAA: fly under 250g.
Me flying in my cow pasture: nah.
I haven't read the other comments yet but.... The Opening scene... Superb
Favorite Bardwell video... DING
Tommy 2 fiddy TO THE RESCUE!!!! If it ain’t DJI it ain’t the future
Awesome intro JB you killed it!!!!
Oh man, what an intro!
We all have to entertain ourselves somehow during lockdown, choose better sci-fi films to consume ;)
I was soo expecting botgrinder to show up in that intro,haha that was great!
100% Agree! I'm glad I'm not the only one... I have the 4" and 5" X-Knights and they both have been fairly terrible. The 5" showed up with the camera mounted upside down and every single frame and motor screw loose. I lost a motor screw and then one of the other screw heads broke right off with less than moderate force while getting them snug. Not to mention that the motors were burning hot after about 30-45 seconds of a low hover (BetaFPV Stock Tune & BF Defaults). I bet it would rip if everything worked properly... I will be changing the motors, screws, and most likely the camera... Their other quads come with the Caddx Ratel, where this one comes with the Baby Ratel. They had to cut some serious corners to hit that 249g mark with a 6S pack.
On the contrary, BetaFPV's TWIG series is amazing! I have all three TWIGs... I cannot believe how much better the TWIGs fly. Right out of the box there is almost no prop wash and they are super fast. It's interesting that they have one of the best flying BNF and one of the worst I've flown (hovered...)
That intro totally belonged in the movie 'Turbo Kid.
Love that 80s feel. lol
The intro is the best!
"So far up your butt that their gonna taste what you had for lunch" Lol.....Quote of the year! I love your occasional touches of comedy.
*Chuckles in 3.5kg balsa*
I'm not overly concerned about the proposals. Most of us will just disregard them and fly anyway. You'll be fine; you live rural enough that nobody's gonna give a shit. Most of us are just gonna fly outlaw, myself included.
I'd almost kill for a nitro quad. One of the major reasons I don't fly quads is I don't fly electric; the engine is half the point and nobody sells a collective pitch quad with an engine mount in it. I might end up modifying a Stingray, though, and I'd even be willing to let you fly it if the stars aligned and we crossed paths.
That into was INTENSE...I almost pissed myself.
Best. Intro. EVER. But I didn't learn anything today...
Thumbs up for the first 10 seconds of the intro alone.
Sure would be nice if the FAA could be talked into raising the weight limit to 500g. I tend to fly my 5" quads out over the fields near my house, where they spend 99% of the flight, and only come near the houses for take offs and landings. There's enough room and power for GPS, and with iNAV, reliable RTH. My 3" Transtech Beetle has half the flight time, and no GPS, so I stay in close. It's got DJI HD and Crossfire, which gives me better penetration, so I could probably explore the back yards of half the town from my back yard, if I wanted to make a privacy killing nuisance of myself. They're forcing us to make better spy machines :p
Ack. This is probably why DJI had their first sale on the >heavy< digital HD system. I guess I had better fly it a lot now while I can.
I like BetaFPV gear and I'm sure they will improve a lot before 2024. Won't help my friend in Japan though where I think it's a 200g limit.
You rock josh thanks you for the time you put into making the fpv community more
informative !
I love your videos dude and the intro on this one is absolutely ace! Good work
Great review! This is Trevor Doup, I got sick of live streams pronouncing it Trevor Dope lol, so I changed my name. Anyways would love to see a sub 250 shootout even though we don't want to live in a world that forces us to fly sub 250s Thanks JB
C'mon JB, you can't judge the future based on a sketch Betafpv prebuilt..think of it as a new frontier, go scratch-build a good lightweight, see where it takes you.
I like the 4" Gecko and Racerx Mutant.
They're inexpensive, quiet, easier to fly around the house, don't spook the neighbors, and they carry a Vista nicely.
All my quads weigh 250g now, just like they all have a top speed of 99.9 MPH
And they are safer than 350g quad right? :D
@@bobusak02 I know right...who pulled that number out of their dark place?
We finally get to meet "Josh from the future"
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!
Intro music is great please keep it 😊
honestly forgot about that and have just been flying and that how it gonna be, funny intro though
Future Josh is so full of optimism!
would love to see BetaFPV actually putting more effort in design and overall product quality again. Too many newer products seem to be not thought through and have many problems, often just failing out of nowhere
It‘s sad but true! I bought the Beta 95x for the naked GoPro and the construction sucks. I had like three minor crashes and lost the VTX, four of the stock props, those TPU top construction base plates. Ah, the frame broke in two places. Luckily I was warned about loose motor screws from the factory by another pilot before I got into the air. All these issues mirror JB‘s test flights.
I modified to an Umma95 and never look back!
There's always the 4" sub 250g quads.. Geprc Dolphin or the Vifly x150 (this one I own).. They both have gotten great reviews.. So us sub250g quad pilots still have something with a more proportional thrust the weight drone. Purely my noobish opinion though. Thanks for sharing!
Beta fpv X-Knight 4"
Lol love the intro that was awesome I kinda wanna see the MOVIE take down of FAA ! Comming soon to a town near you!
I will build and fly whatever I want, I WILL fly safe like I have for the last 40 years without hurting anyone.
Progress does not need limits if it's going to keep progressing.
If this was 2024 though, I'd hope we would be flying with hd digital rather than 1970s analogue lol.
Hey it’s not all bad I fly 5 inch and sub250 I love both sizes. All you really sacrifice it top speed and the weighty feeling you soon get used to smaller quads and they come into there own. Proximity flying with small quads is just the same if not better. You only notice your flying a 5 inch or bigger in open spaces.
I recently started to play Liftoff, I knew this place looked familiar after I’ve seen the hole in the fence
When the governing body asks you how much the quad your flying weighs just tell em, “249g but I just lost it in the trees when you startled me with your line of questioning”
can’t find can’t weigh it.
Tiny m2 screws on quad do not come tightened properly. Then again that is something that should be checked with all quads before flying, and the price is quite good considering the included gear.
Interested in durability of pod and best replacement printed pods available. Would imagine if motor vibrations can be filtered in BF then twisting arms can be as well. New feature for toothpics?
I bought the 4" frame. put 1407' eco's on it. It's a great quad.
Do you have some more info about your build, im interested in building this one myself
Forgot his name, but a guy out there (Just checked, it's KababFPV) made a 1407 5" with bi-blades that absolutely RIPPED. He called it the Hyperfloss or Hyperlight or something.
Love my Titan XL5
Love the intro! LMAO!..if thats still a 2021 term..OMG..could I be busted? :) keep it up JB!
Most of the time i hate dumb skits, but i did laugh at the opening of this.
Joshua, I'm confident that you are able to modify it so it will be a good quad and still be under 250g
The greatest intro you've made 🤣🤣
I have that same blanket!
😂 One take Timmy Oscar worthy monologue 👏 🥇 🏆
why would anyone in the world dislike with this intro
Ladies & Gentlemen, JB has gone over the top! & I'm only 1:20 into this video.
As a Canadian I feel this insanity. The 250g thing is a pain in the ass. They fly alright but they have no momentum being that lightweight. Cut the throttle and they stop fast. People say they fly the same as a full weight 5" but they don't in one particular aspect. Try throwing a tennis ball over your house and then throw a cue ball over your house. Similar size. But definitely different.
On the smaller toothpicks we use elastic bands wound between the arms to hold on the battery. I don't know how it would do with a heavier battery.
Need more of these intros
That intro shifted my normally 'watch' habit of JB videos while my phone is my pocket, this one I had to watch on my PC..
No Cap that intro 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 though
You had far too much fun making this :p I love it !
I prefer 3" in my area less noise (depending on props) and cheaper all round also my 5" gear is around 4 years old now including batteries . The main thing is less area is needed to fly and 3inch props look less intimidating to people,although they can bites just as hard ;) I went from 5 to 4" pretty early on and found it just as fun, now 3 seems just as good, the main thing is how much fun the flying is size is irrelevant to me
Wait.... we make it to 2024? That is amazing the way things are going 😂
Nice introduction
My biggest hunches are sub250 isn't aimed at reducing kinetic energy...granted getting hit with a 1/4 pound versus 1/2 pound freefalling object is substantially different...I have a hunch their concerns are twofold; foreign object damage to a jet engine and excess payload capacity that could be used for contraband drops. Already illegal to fly over a prison for example...but if you have to register/remoteid anything over 250, then it makes those clandestine operations much more difficult.
I have the BetaFPV TWIG ET-5. Seems to be a much better built quad. Props are attached with nuts, so the shaft size is like a normal 5" motor. Struts on the front and back seems to make the build more solid feeling. It's 4S, but why do you need 6S on an ultralight? Trying to go to the moon??
I have the same issue with throttle response, though. It doesn't drop quick enough!
Love the opening drama. 👏
This will be so nostalgic in 2024
Awesome video Joshua!
Hey Josh. Mom asked me to tell you to bring the bathroom rug back home she wants a shower and the floor gets slippery.
love the new intro music finally. I hope it stays
Yep i bought it the same week it released. I couldnt/wouldnt recommend for the high cost/sub-par performance. My props from factory were on backwards and 1 motor was normal when it should have been reversed and... my motor bolts were loose 😕 bad betafpv. I think it should have come with 2 sets of arms and 550mah 4s or 6s battery.
my motor screws also came loose - lost a motor on third flight
My x-knight 4” flies great.... put the Mo2 350mw vtx on it... 🤙🏻
Bought the x-knight 5” and do not like it. Flies really weird. Needs weight. Idk.
JB....channeling HOLLYWOOD. Nice intro JB.
So we need to review of TBS Source Podracer and RacerX ET5 to compare to x-knight.The arms coming loose seems to be a common thing with x-knight frames.
My old-ish Diatone M515 still flies great.
I had the same problem with 2mm motor shaft on the M515. Even worse in fact b/c the 1806 motors are taller so there is more leverage on the shaft.
I am JB and I'm gonna make you cry today.
the mjx x800 weighs under 60 grams and flies quite nice and fast (im simulator beginner) for a toy drone that is over 5 years old, but it needs an acro mode. maybe a close to the limit hexacopter with good components would do a nice job, but thats just a guess. also saw a video of a hex by the name raiju that at least in the video looked impressive and sort of leight
Looks like Joshua from the future finally moved into that doomsday bunker.
Very nicely done! I don't just want FPV videos... I want creative FPV videos. Keep em comin!
Try BrotherHobby Hyperbola or a variation of it. I put one together but with 1950KV motors (6S) and separate 20x20 FC and ESC instead of AIO, and this kwad does 90% of what my normal 6S 5 inch freestyle kwad does. It weighs 257g with a 6S 550g battery, but if FAA asks me it weighs 249.9g
Awesome intro music! Great review! I think I still want one of these.
Waiting for the best sub-250g video!! My 450g days are over :(
This intro is hilarious af