The best sub250g freestyle FPV drones (according to you) // DJI / smart35 /crux35 / Emax babyhawk O3
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- Опубликовано: 30 июл 2024
- I asked you what were the best sub250g bind and fly freestyle fpv drones and then bought them based on your comments... and then I spent the last 4 months testing these and this is what I think.
Weirdly the one I was looking forward to most... was disappointing and the one I was looking forward to the least, was incredible...
Don't forget to follow me on instagram - I post sneak peaks there of my FPV stuff as well as my photography GarethDix
Links to the quads mentioned in this video - These are all non-affiliate links, the geniuslinks in this video just help me track how many people are clicking thru
Ummagawd 2Fiddy
geni.us/2fiddy
Emax Babyhawk O3
geni.us/BabyhawkO3
GEPRC Smart35
geni.us/smart35
AOS 3.5 Evo
geni.us/AOS35
Happymodel Crux 35
geni.us/crux35US
00:00 Intro
00:31 Inclusion criteria
01:37 Two notable mentions
02:17 The common attributes
02:53 The GEPRC Smart35
05:14 The Emax BabyHawk O3
09:32 The Happymodel Crux 35
12:43 Which one should you get?
What are you flying most?
The Great Discus is the best. I designed it to be the crux35 replacement frame. I'm working on an o3 version but it will be naked. the moment you try a discus you will never want to fly anything else.
@TorontoFPV I’ll take a look… love your videos as well!
@@GarethDix thanks bud I obsess over sub250 category. The crux35 with battery on top is even better. This is the mod that got me started down the rabbit whole. ruclips.net/video/DVtGBCLi1JI/видео.html
Hey also if you are down I'm starting a Fpv podcast basically just having fun and talking to different FPV pilots around the world. If you think that's interesting and you'd like to do one with me, let me know and we'll figure out how to time and we can spend an hour and talk about FPV or maybe even a bit longer
I also got the discuss and its so light and crash-proof, you can't go wrong. If you liked the crux35 you'll love the Discuss. Being able to top mount the battery is a big plus to me.
@@miquelmarti6537 you got the bumpers on it?
I just got the Emax BabyHawk II with the PnP. No reciever included for $140. I had an O3 already. This is my first Freestyle quad. I love it. I have gotten the jello footage but not all the time.
That’s a lot of quad for $140! I finally found the jello problem was an issue with the O3 camera so that was an extra $90 on top of the $500 I paid for it. The connection to the O3 was done so badly too that it kept dropping into low power mode
where did you find the version without o3?
I have a Smart 35 HD. I replaced the AIO F4 FC after a crash with an AIO F7 FC and it has now a flight time of over 9 minutes with a 4s 850 Mah pack. I love it, the only downside I see is the hardmounted camera. I just finished building an AOS 3.5 V5 O3 with 1604 T-motor and F7 AIO FC/Crossfire receiver which weighs 252 grams with a GNB 4s 650 Mah pack (179 dry weight). Did have to do some weight reduction to achieve this weight. With a softmount camera I must say that I like it even more then the Smart 35. No props in view and fast. I purchased the parts through Aliexpress (Except the O3) and it all cost me a little over €400 total.
I love my 3inch build which comes to around 180g dry weight it’s the closest I have to something Sub250g that feels like a 5inch… I’m building a 3.5inch version at the moment but I was going to use the same T-mount mini stack. What AIO are you using in the AOS?
I love my Crux35 HD with Vista. I agree, it's not necessarily a beginner quad. It's fast and kind of breakable, but buy extra motors and some extra bottom plates and have fun. I agree, it's helped make me a better pilot. It's a great park free-styler. Lately I've been flying my self-built Bee35Pro frame mostly, but I need to take my Crux35 out this week!
If it was more durable it would probably be the ultimate beginner quad… but yes bottom plate and motors are a necessity just in case
I think that this topic is very popular now and the video will be useful to people who are looking for such a solution. Mine Quadmula F3 is fat, I think now its a little more than 250
Yeah this class of quad is starting to get really interesting so I hope it helps people in the future. And although these are surprisingly good and perfect for people that don’t want to build their own, I would still take my F3 build over them, I’m building an F35 at the moment so let’s see how different it feels.
That said I do like to throw the crux35 around a lot too!
The Crux35 flies the best, is quieter, and has the best efficiency simply because it's the lightest. Weight is probably the biggest factor when it comes to flying. The tradeoff with a quad being so light is it's durability however.
I love the crux35, putting the insides into the great discus frame solved the durability worries. That said the ultra lightweight feeling is great for accuracy and flying fast but doesn’t have the drift and fling of heavier quads that make it feel like a 5inch… it is awesome though
@@GarethDix Definitely, it really comes down to how you prefer to fly. In the sims, I'm always drawn to the lightweight 3" quads, which definitely translates to how I like to fly IRL. With heavier quads, I always feel like I'm fighting it. I don't really like to"fling" my quads, I prefer to use throttle to do maneuvers and not rely on the momentum to carry me. Just a preference though.
Your videos are great btw!
@Greg__K thanks! And I completely agree that there’s room for both. I love to fling stuff around when I’m in a. Wide open space or have stuff to fly over and under… but when I want to go fast and through gaps I much prefer a lighter quad because it’s like driving a go kart!
I got a geprc smar35 frame and built it from scratch. I use 1505 motors with a 4s 650mah lihv. Flies like a monster.
Nice… I was thinking about putting some 1604 motors on it to see what happens 😂
The 1604's from T-Motor are fantastic! My only gripe is those stupid t-mount props. I recently built a Siren F35 Split and put the T-Motor 1804s with the 5mm shaft on it! They are awesome! I can carry my standard 1300mah 6s packs on it and those motors with the Skystars 55a esc handle the extra weight no problem! It's way over 250g though, even with the 650mah 6s packs I normally fly on the F3 split. P. S. My F3 split is now an F35 Split as well!
@William_NS the t-Mount is the most painful thing on my Sub250g builds, on my Grinderino I have the 1804s but not enough weight budget left to go with the 5mm shaft 😫
I built an AOS 3.5 evo, 248g with battery. Flies beautifully with minimal tuning. Not even running an AIO. its a 20x20 stack
That’s the thing, I think I could build one Sub250g easily, it was just annoying I couldn’t include a BNF for this test… it is an interesting frame though… but not sure about the V5
I bought DarwinFPV BabyApe II, which has a vista version. I've been driving it for three months and it's very durable
Darwinfpv are doing some really interesting things, glad to hear it’s holding up durability-wise as this would have been my biggest concern. How does it feel to fly?
AOS 3.5 O3 with 550 mAh 4S R-Line Tattu seems the ultimate choice. The CRSF version of the quad weight is around 175 g and the lipo pack: 60g
Awesome thank you… is that the Evo version or another one?
I bought this drone . 3.5 inch Tiny Trainer HD x crossfire. Much better. My AOS3.5 rides my wall most of the time
@tonypena1 I wish Five33 announced the tiny trainer O3 a few months earlier and I probably would have got one for this test! Glad to hear you’re having a good time with it though, I do want to try it out in the future
@@GarethDix I just got the iFlight bind n fly AOS 3.5 and with the recommended 850 mAh battery it weighs 285g.
The 550 mAh batteries are meant for 150g drones. How much flight time are you getting?
I bought two crux35 hds when they first came out. I have converted both to top batteries and have put an 03 in one of them, but had to drop to 3" props because of the tpu mount I used for the 03. I used double sided tape to secure the air unit to the top frame and it has held strong for months now. I love how it flies as well, but the props are barely in view. 145.6g dry weight, inncluding gps and a 5g standalone vifly beeper, so it can just carry an 850 and stay sub 250, though I usually fly with 650hvs. The newer bottom plates are more durable than the originals and the occasional swap out is not too much trouble. Nice reviews man!
How does it fly with the top mounted everything in comparison to the original? I figured I could mount the camera above as well but I fly with quite a low camera angle so wasn’t sure if that upset the balance that made it so great
@@GarethDix It could be my imagination, but to me it flings and feels more like a mini 5" with the top mounted battery, and still feels nicely balanced. I fly with a pretty low camera angle too.
@kurtzFPV you may have just said the magic words 😂 and now I’m looking into it instead of sleeping 😂
great setup! could you upload video review if you have a time? thanks
Nice shootout vid! New subber!
Thank you so much! 😊
I'm guessing not many have tried @sub250gfpv frames. Awesome little bashers.
I’ve been looking at those on IG… little beast looking frames… and similar ethos to TorontoFPV’s Discus frame
@@GarethDix I've got 2 of his and they have been beaten hard but still intact and fly well
@theshadow2576 I don’t baby that discus at all… I’ve broken the DJI antenna but I’m almost sure the frame is indestructible, it still looks like new!
Thanks for your great content. A question: why would you invest the money for an O3 and have the props in the view field of the camera?!
It’s a good question… as I got into the hobby wanting to do cinematic flying so the props were a just weird. But for freestyle the props help with a reference point whilst I’m flying… the O3 in the goggles makes the whole feeling more immersive in comparison the older vista system.
But if I wanted to film scenery I would probably use a dead cat style frame or something like the EMAX babyhawk or Djinn25 where the props are out of view
Bummer about the jello on your BabyHawk! Mine is super smooth and the tune out of the box is supper good. Awesome quad!! Getting around 9min of flight time on 850mah if just cruising. Quad does it all.
Yeah I wish it had just worked and that EMAX could have provided a solution but still no joy getting this to work correctly yet but a few fixes have been shared so I’ll try those out too and hopefully it’ll resolve it!
Same here. Love my BH2HD. Perfect little quad for flying anywhere. No jello or jitters👌
@CoreyFPV I should have gone with BH2 and modified it myself… still haven’t solved the issue a couple of months on
The Crux35 is a surprisingly good sub250g quad. I agree
It was definitely a great surprise when I started flying it… and pretty cheap considering how good it is!
Greetings from Tennessee!! I’m planning my first build, sub 250 siren F3 (how I found your channel) how does yours compare to these BNFs? I know it will cost more to build but I want the experience and also the ability to replace parts as needed. Love the price of those BNFs though
Honestly there’s no comparison, the F3 rips like a mofo and can take a beating… it’s still my favourite quad. However I’m building an F35 now as the extra thrust from the 3.5inch props should make it even better!
You’ll love the F3 though it’s worth the extra money and build time over the BNFs I actually think flying the F3 so much is what made me feel like something was missing from the smart35.
If you post a video of it let me know and I’ll come check it out
Imagine how well the Crux could fly with analogue system and less weight.
I like to be able to see where I’m flying though 😂
But not sure the less weight would help… I like to fling that thing up in the air so I need the weight for momentum
Yup ✊ can tell who hasn’t flown much analogue- amount of folk saying “I like to see where I’m going” 😂 if you ever have that problem with it it’s on YOU! 😅 I’d personally rather see what I’m flying past BEFORE I fly past it 😆👍🤝
@@GarethDixhow much analog experience do you have buddy? Or did you start on dji and just drop echo chamber comments? 😂🤝
@bugsy742 You know what… you’re right, what analog VTX/Rx would you recommend for the best quality video? I’ve been getting into tiny whoops recently but I’ll do a analog build in the future and see how good it is
@@GarethDix I have either TBS Nano VTX or Rush Tank Tiny. Both of them work nicely already with stock dipole antenna. If you have decent VRX on the goggles with decent antennas you are fine for reasonable distances and penetration. Obviously a wet and dense forest with eat up your range, while a nice scattered vegetation or open field (or a playground) will not have any range problems on VTX.
I have babyhawk2 hd vista and converted mine to o3. I have a great camera pod design if u have a 3dprinter for tpu . But I run fixed 20deg angle
I think I probably should have gone with the babyhawk HD and upgraded it… it did work out more expensive to do that though because they stopped selling the HD version locally when the O3 was released
Babyhawk 2 hd here as well. Mine has a 3d printed tail/antenna mount. Wounl love to see a pod design.
@hi_desert_rat that’s actually a good point my O3 builds all have a stubby antenna mount and maybe the antenna length is causing an issue
Hey, I just finished building my Siren F3 Split thanks to your recommandations on where to buy the parts in Switzerland. In the end I order most of my parts from Aliexpress, and it ended up quite cheap. I'm currently finishing my BF setup and can't wait to try it out when I will get my batteries. Thanks again for the tips !
Also I was wondering, now that you tried different sub 250 quads, is the Siren still your favorite ?
Awesome! Glad you got the parts, on my F3 in BF I think I used a superfly preset tune with my rates and it flies great.
Even after flying all of these the F3 is still my favourite it’s just aggressive and has so much punch in comparison. I’ve only managed to fly my Grinderino build a little but does feel really good as well. I’m building an F35 split at the moment as I want to see how much difference the 3.5 inch prop makes and maybe that will be better than the F3 but let’s see!
@@GarethDix Ok I will check this preset thanks ! Have you tried the tune of MurdersFPV for the Siren ? You should make a build video for the siren F35 and a full review, you are very good at it haha.
@dronebiketv I haven’t tried murders tune as I don’t think I’m good enough a pilot to fly with that level of filtering 😂 I should try it though.
I’m still in the planning of the build of the F35 trying to figure out what I want to keep the same and what to change (as I have to save some weight to get it under 250g) but maybe I should film that process
@@GarethDix Ahah yeah these tunes seemed quite aggressive, but it also mean a better flying quad. I advise you to train 30 min on the sim everyday if you can, in 1 week you will already feel the difference.
Your test video on the Siren F3 was really nice and it’s good to have tips or infos about problem that could emerge, and it is always nice to know how other pilots deal with them. Basically free knowledge 😂
so far I've had zero issues with the siren f3 build I have a bunch of spare motors for it but the only thing I've managed to do is splinter 1 arm so far... I'm about to start my F35 build so hopefully this will be just as solid
Ive got the babyhawk o3 and i dont have jello like youve mentioned. I dont think dont help much but maybe send it back for a replacement
I would have but EMAX don’t seem to think this is an issue and this is normal for some reason 🤔
I've got an AOS 3.5 EVO that I run sub 250g with 4S 850mAh packs, however I don't fly DJI, I fly HDZero so would probably have to compromise on the battery weight to put an air unit in it I think.
ye i have one on 4s 650s and its just a sliver below 250 on dji
I hope the next DJI unit is a little lighter! But sounds like it can be run with a smaller battery.
@@GarethDix i hope lmao
Were u get your all parts from???
@sosdeathvalley I get mine from dronefactory.ch helifree.ch FPV-racing.ch hobbyrc.co.uk flying-tech.co.uk and then also ordering direct from the manufacturer (eg Flywoo or T-Motor)
I freestyle with my long range frame 4 inch 235g take of weight (analog) drone. Apparently that's not a thing. Also currently building a 5 inch toothpick style frame sub 250g drone.
Ahh awesome I have an analog VTX that I’m going to test out on a build… it’s so much easier to get it Sub250g .
I’d love to be good enough to fly a 5inch toothpick but I crash way too much 😂😂
@@GarethDix haha yes,This hobby is really a rabbit hole in how much time and money it consumes. I crash enough but I mostly freestyle in nature, it's in my opinion a lot more forgiving than concrete/buildings.
@Truth12345 a wise man once said never calculate the amount of money you’ve spent on FPV 😂
Is the Emax Babyhawk O3 on ELRS? Your RSSI values looked horrible for how close you where in the field. Many people have mentioned the antenna location inside the carbon frame is a poor location for it. I am looking at the ELRS Emax Babyhawk O3 as well, but I'm hesitant to pull the trigger due to this issue.
You can a change the antenna and push it forward or to the back quite easily. I think the flight in the field was one of my first flights with the ELRS module… and that was running at about 25mw… a bit later I figured out how to change that so I haven’t had any issues at 250mw. But then I don’t fly that far away maybe 500m or so max and the penetration through trees and buildings has been fine so far
@@GarethDix That is good news, thanks for the follow up.
My AOS35 weights 249g with the 1W hdZero system and 1505 motors. If you use 1404 motors and a 200mW VTX it will be much lighter. I use 650/750mah batteries.
Is that a BNF or self built? If it’s a self build what brand of 1505 motors are you using?
@@GarethDix Self build. I used some cheapo motors I found on a chinese portal probably engineered with a cinewhoop in mind. YSIDO 1505 3750KV
Other better/lighter options seem to be: Brotherhobby Tornado T2 1407 OR T-MOTOR P1604 (light) OR Rcinpower SmooX 1404+ (very light).
I think an AOS 3.5 build will happen in the future as I’ve built Sub250g quads with heavier frames… it’s just a shame I couldn’t include it in the BNF for this test for people that don’t want to build.
But I have a load of spare Pacer 1604 motors from other builds so I think I’ll give those a go… although I’m interested in seeing how a cheapo 1505 performs in comparison (especially if saves money)
@@GarethDix 1604 is typically reported as the perfect measure for a 3,5 build. The AOS frame is nice if you need to use a 1W digital VTX. If you already have the AOS frame, go for it. Otherwise let me suggest you The Discuss just because it's stronger and lighter.
@@miquelmarti6537 I’m currently building a quadmula Siren F35 as my F3 build as be one of my favourite to fly over the past year… I’m sure it would be pretty easy to switch it into another frame and see how it performs.
The more I look at the discus the more I’m drawn to building one though!
AOS 3.5 (DJI 03) is under 250g with a smaller 4S battery, 550 maybe 650 mah lipo
Awesome what’s the dry weight of the quad? And how much flight time are you getting on the 650?
can we do the same with walksnail now? 3.3" bnf elrs WS is what id need. i dont wanna ride DJI...
It’s weird as there just aren’t as many walksnail BNF’s in this class. The 3 I reviewed here don’t seem to come with it as a BNF but they do have analog and HDZero versions. The walksnail VTX is appearing in a lot of whoops at the moment and some 5inch freestyle so it won’t be long before they’re offered in more 3-3.5inch quads. Lots of people are building Sub250g 3.5inch quads with walksnail though so it’s definitely favoured by builders.
I currently have goggles for DJI, analog and HDZero but with the new moonlight kit I might have to get the walksnail module for my HDZero goggles and give it a go.
Hey, I just got the Babyhawk O3, and it also has the same issue. Have you found a solution yet? ):
Unfortunately not. I’ve now transferred the whole thing to a Djinn F25 frame to see if it’s something to do with the frame but I’m almost certain it’s a problem with the DJI O3.
But before you do anything drastic to fix it see if EMAX will help (or if they just tell you it was the wind)
Flash bluejay onto the ESC and change the pwm frequency to 48khz - it’s set to 24khz which causes issues with the O3 (this has fixed the issue on some of my other quads).
Make sure everything is tight on the frame… the camera the motors etc
Failing that you’ll likely need to take the camera apart and check that it’s all tightened down… and then as others have suggested here in the comments add glue to the camera because if a lens issue.
None of these have worked for me so far but as soon as we have some good weather I’ll test it out in the new frame and see if that’s helped… otherwise I’ll be getting a new O3
Do you guys think the happymodel crux35 is a better drone than the DarwinFPV babyape II?
I haven’t tried the baby ape2 yet a few people have mentioned it in the comments, I don’t think you could go wrong with either of them and the baby ape has replaceable arms.
Can you do anything but without DJI? Not everyone has DJI money.
I will in the near future as I just picked up some other goggles that aren’t DJI (which ironically cost almost as much as my DJI goggles)
@GarethDix But if I say I don't have DJI money, that would mean anything that costs the same. Not everyone can afford DJI.
@carlhall2563 you don’t need DJI money to run these.. there’s also a module and I can run analogue too… analogue Sub250g is much much easier though as the vtx is so much lighter
A pitty your babyhawk has this issue. My older vista babyhawk is awesome.
It's difficult to get an O3 freestyle BNF sub250g with battery. The Aos 3.5 O3 weighs like 190g dry. That leaves you to only use a very small battery.
Seems you cant get past buildung yourself and busting the 250g if you use a good larger battery with the O3 as a nice little freestyle quad.
That's why I was so hopeful with the Babyhawk as it's one of the only Sub250g BNF's that was built for freestyle... it's a shame and I'm determined to fix it... and if not then at least I have another O3 to put into a new build :)
My grinderino build I think is about 190g dry and I can only run a 380 6s on it but it's worth it... the new AOS looks pretty strange though... like it's had a few too many doughnuts from the last version :D
@@GarethDix what I dont understand on the new aos 3.5 frame: it's got a new vibration isolation cutout design in the middle for the FC. But if you place an AIO in front and VTX in the Back, then the FC isn't on that special isolation plate.
So it's total BS.
Right now I'd go for the valador 3.5 or quadmula 3.5 frame with the O3.
Doesn’t the isolation plate stop the vibration travelling from the arms to the rest of the frame?
I’m not really great at tuning so it would be wasted on me I think… the quadmula frames have been incredible so far… when I need something for a brutal session though the Grinderino is a beast
actually i got a 4“ with walksnail which is with lipo and with action2 under 250g and flies 3 mins freestyle
building list:
lethal conception ultra 4 31g
diatone mamba f722 mk4 mini stack 17g
xnova 1404 3800kv 9.8g each
Walksnail Avatar HD Nano v3 kit 20g
betafpv lite rx elrs 2g
dogcom 560mah 59g
Gemfan 2 bladed 1,7g each
dji action 2 56g
tpu prints 17g
@flo8273 that’s pretty awesome and even with an action 2 as well!
Will the happy model crux bind with a radiomaster zorro?
Yes you just need to make sure the protocol matches. The Crux35 comes with ELRS so if you have that version of the Zorro you should be goodable to to go. If you use a different protocol on the Zorro (eg crossfire) you’ll need to either add an ELRS module to the Zorro or change the receiver in the crux35 to match
@@GarethDix thanks for the response…yes I do have the elrs version.
@nationalist1969 as long as you don’t get the FRSKY version you should be good to go!
I already broke the Crux35 motors twice, but the frame is still 100%. Don't think the Crux35 frame is fine.
That’s kind of amazing to break the motors before the frame… I swapped my frame out to a Discus frame by TorontoFPV… pretty easy switch over and has taken a beating. There’s even nice motor guards to protect those too! Not sure if there’s something similar available for the original crux35 frame but sounds like it would be worth printing
I'm pretty sure thats a lens issue. I had something similar going on and this is the tutorial I used to fix it. ruclips.net/video/aT0sWDIg8Jk/видео.html
I actually had the whole camera apart at one point thinking this must be it, nothing was lose but maybe I can glue it just in case… but if not I’ll try swapping it with one of my other O3 cameras as see if it’s that
@@GarethDix yeah, when I took mine apart there was nothing noticeably moving. I just did the fix anyway with a bit of paper glue round the edges and it worked a treat.
I'll give it a go and hopefully it'll work!
@@GarethDix if not just get the hammer out… that will sort it. Eyeing up a wee 3inch quadmulla build here. Torn, as I kinda want another 5 inch as I have this constant worry I will lose it and have to wait an age to get another
@boydsleator9075 the hammer solves everything 😂
If you don’t have restrictions on where you can fly or how big it is you may as well stick with the 5inch… for me I have to travel so far out of the city to fly my 5inch so I now favour a 3-3.5inch
They are a lot of fun though!
Loose camera sensor
Someone else mentioned about gluing it… when I pulled it apart it looked like it was all fixed correctly but I’ll give it a go and see if it works
@@GarethDix you may hear it rattle inside the camera
So I managed to glue it up and take it for a test flight and it hasn't resolved it... I'll swap out this O3 camera with another one and see if that helps... if it works it might just be a duff camera
all drones identify as sub 250g.
😂😂