My word, that was top notch production. The best production values and clarity of presentation that I've seen from Flite Test to date. I'm more of a builder myself, so I'm not even interested in the 350QX, but this episode was still an absolute joy to watch.
David please do more reviews like this! I love the beginners with their foam planes but enough is enough! An intelligent well documented and impartial review of something actually interesting for people that are not total newbies. Thank you!
David, must say this is the best review that FliteTest has done. Start out with the great set for the intro. Best yet. Then the night shoot with all the lights on the copter is great. Then you give all the pro's and con's to the copter. Excellent review. Gives a real good feel for what the product is.
This is the most comprehensive review of ANY quad I have ever seen. Great job David. I would love to see you do a review like this on the Phantom I and II.
Just ordered the QX3 and a BG200 gimbal. I honestly wanted a Phantom but I can get a Blade and accessories through my work at a very good cost. Since I have only had planes and I am not a expert. I think the QX3 will be a good start.
Great job David! This is the kind of stuff that makes FliteTest stand FAR apart from the crowd. I own(ed) a 350QX for a while. I got it at a great price and purchased it with the sole intention of getting acquainted with multirotor FPV. while I built my "real" quad. It did great for what I wanted/needed it do do! I did not have a hard time getting good video, and no difficulty of making the transition from fixed wing FPV to multirotor FPV. One thing *highly* recommend is to *NOT* fly FPV in SAFE (green) mode. I almost had a very, very bad thing happen to me one flight where the switch got bumped after the goggles came down, but before lift off. I almost crashed into myself (since I start most flights looking at myself) since I was not where the qaud thought I was and the more i fought it, the faster it came straight at me. Closest to real disaster in my 3 years of FPV. Thankfully I had enough wits to smash the RTH switch, and the terror subsided inches from my cowering body. I went through 3 bodies, threw 1 (B) prop in flight, tried the CNC prop adapters and APC props, flew worse. Working on it is a pain, and I had some issues with the RX being able to keep signal on the other side of the park. Sad to see the EXACT same antenna on the 350QX and the NanoQX (seriously?!) I know they are about to relase a V2 350x with better Rx, more flight modes, updated LED codes, and easier motor startup (along with a new package with camera and gimbal) for those still interested. Ive since sold it, built a mini quad (QAV250) and I doubt ill ever look back. I work at LHS and people ask me all the time about "drones" this, and quad that. I tell most to take that money, build your own. Itll be better suited for what you want to do exactly, gives one the understanding (not just the magical "this works!"), know how to work on and repair, and fine tune. That same money will be better spent on a NanoQX, lots of homework, and build a multi yourself. Ill end with "The 350qx is powerful, fun, and easy to fly. Like a sports car for the price of a nice bicycle!" Just my 2 cents. PS- The Phanotm is CRAP and WILL flyaway from you at some point. Do Not Get Phantom. if you HAVE to support DJI, build a flame wheel.
Great review David! I loved the format used for this review episode! You really did your homework and I feel you gave a fair and balanced review. I especially appreciated your comments at the end along with the ratings!
hey dude great demo! i want to get this for shooting rock climbers with go pro on it. Do you think come back home fuction is safe when lots of high rock around?
Jake...This is by far the bes "test/evaluation" video I've seen yet. You do an outstanding job covering all aspects. I own a S-1000 but really considering something to fly in the neighborhood
Pick up a second hand 350 last night, been out playing with it today. As a complete novice having never flown a quad before I found it great, safe mode is very slow didn't take me long to move up to stability mode. Did loose it once but that's my mistake for not understanding the return home mode, luckily found it about 1/2 a mile away in a field. All in all I found it a good quad to start on as it gives you more flight input so you learn pretty quick.
I have a 350 QX for 2 years now and i still have a lot of fun flying it. i first had the spektrum DX 5 controller but then i upgraded to a DX 8 and now it flys even better! AP mode on the 350QX works great for FPV and is a lot of fun.
Great review. Love the style - even though I love the older Josh and Josh style with their planes etc. David did really well with documenting this. The cinematics were fantastic too.
Thank you David. This is the most thorough and well thought-out review I have seen in a long time. Your explanation of the different flight modes was very clear and very helpful. I like how you broke out the various traits of the copter and rated each one separately. I also thought it was really helpful that you compared the Blade machine another manufacturer's machine and were able to point out their relative value and back up your opinions with specific meaningful facts about both. Just excellent work all around.
Impressed with the whole video. David did an excellent job of giving you the whole picture. Nice to see someone being totally unbiased and giving the pros n cons and then asking for people who already own it to give their feelings too. Top job David.
Dunno who put the new format together, but it's awesome. It's like FliteTest all grown up. Not personally a fan of pre-built multi rotors, appreciated the balanced presentation, bet it was hard to bight your tongue David, and well done indeed! Make the next challenge a parachute drop. Best of 3. Multi rotor from 100 feet, single motor plane from whatever height, multi motor plane from whatever height. Score in feet from target, lowest total wins.
I recently purchased a 350 QX3 AP Combo RTF With SAFE technology and I have been nothing but impressed. I am a skilled pilot and between the 3 axis gimbal and the stability/ap flight modes this beautiful bird captures absolutely wonderful stills and videos, even in moderate to severe winds. I did have to disassemble it already to swap boards and it is not as hard as everyone makes it out to be. I was back in the air in 10 min. I would give this quad a solid 9. The only way to upgrade from this quad here would be the DGI's inspire 1 at close to $5,000 I will stick with my 350QX until my areial photography business picks up.
I'm a scratch builder so not interested in the 350qx, but I had to chime in and echo the others that this was an excellent review. Best review I've ever seen on Flitetest. Happy to see David again :)
One of the best FT reviews I've seen. The content was concise and well organized. David's commentary, presentation and flying skills were excellent. The production and videography were very polished and professional. An impressive, entertaining and informative review. Thanks !!
What a great review. I have a Blade qx350 and live in high altitude state. Most of my flying is between 6,000 ASL and 8000 ASL. I am very happy with it and use if for FPV, but it is not without its short comings. Fortunately I have not had a catastrophic crash, but I have had issues with the props. As your review mentioned the plastic props vibrated even after balancing and buzzed horribly. One finally gave out on me in flight and after a 200ft fall onto a mountain side I decided to upgrade the props with CNC machined adapters and carbon fiber props. Total cost was $50 at red rocket hobbies and it was worth it. Rather than going the GoPro route I have found the foxtech has some pretty nice equipment. I use their HoryzonHD 1080p camera, TS832 transmitter and Skyzone goggles.To clear up noise I have a small 800 mah battery on the quad as well as the flight battery. With all of that equipment and the altitude I fly at my flight durations have gone as long as 7 min, but that close to falling out if the sky. I set my timer to 5 min so I have a comfortable 1:30 to get back and land. The GPS return to home and GPS commanded mode are REALLY nice and have saved my quad more than once. I normally fly in stability mode, because as David pointed out fliying in GPS mode is an odd experience. However, I have learned there is a very interesting use for it. Yes this quad has a GPS based RTH, but the flight speed in this mode is relatively slow. If you are 500 yards away and your timer just went off to land and you just lost orientation you are in a tight spot. This is where SAFE mode actually has some utility even for experienced flyers. Although flight speeds aren't as fast as STABILITY mode they are faster than RTH. Once you switch the quad to SAFE mode just pull the stick towards you and the quad makes a beeline straight to you regardless of which way it is pointed. As soon as it gets close enough that you can regain orientation you can kick it back to STABILITY and fly even faster to your location. When flying FPV you can use this feature to just get yourself pointed in the right direction, and when flying line of sight you can use this feature to get the model closer to you so you can regain a proper visual.
David (and team), really well done review! From the commentary and graphics for the ratings, to the really tasteful way you shot the reveal scenes and night flying, all involved deserve a lot of credit. I agree with the other comments, do more of these! :)
I've been flying my 350 v2.0 for around a month now. I bought the RTF version with the DX5I transmitter. I've found it to be a great introduction to multi rotor flying, having had petrol and 450 size electric helicopters. The safe features have saved me almost every flight, however it dose have limitations. David highlights a lot of the technical shortcomings and design limitations. I would like to add that the Return home mode can catch you out if you are flying in a sheltered area with high winds. I used the return home mode and watched my quad drift rapidly away downwind because it could not overcome the prevailing wind in that flight mode. However it did buy me time to figure it out and fly it back. Also the issued GoPro mount supplied has a major flaw in that if you clip a bush or tree branch while doing a flyby it will just separate the two halves of the mount and toss your camera off into who knows where! ( mine is still in the bottom of a mucky pond) untill I man up enough to go snorkelling for it! So get a small cable tie on that bugger! I posted a RUclips video of the limitations in flight modes if you guys want to see me almost loose mine. Just experience really.
Nice review David! I really like Flite Test and all of the hard work you all do. Honestly this has to be one of the very best efforts from you that I've seen, and I really enjoyed your honest unbiased perspective on this one. Keep up the good work and Thanks!
Great video and a very fair review. I picked up a blade 350QX a few months ago as my first 'real' quad, I learned to fly on a Hubsan X4. One comment about the video quality, so long as you're not going fast, it's great. I totally agree that at speed the video even with a gimbal is not awesome due to the excessive vibrations. Knowing what I know now, I likely would have bought a DJI Flamewheel 450 and just built it myself. But I wanted it now and it was available locally. I think it's a great quad to learn to fly on, it's pretty durable. Replacing the shell is a pain, but the one bad crash that I've had that broke a motor pod was fixable with some epoxy and it's been fine since.
Nice review David! I have a 350QX as well as the nano QX. I really love them both. Also my friends can fly the 350 without any skills which is a nice motivation to enter this great hobby. I think the 350 as well as the nano, are great entry level quads. No tweaking, no knowledge is required. HH did a great job. There will always be the comparison with the Phantom, but hey, thats ok. As long as you enjoy flying. I crashed once with the 350, accidently pressed the throttle cut switch, and it fell from about 50 m on the grass. Only a small crack on one of the arm. Some CA and Bob is your uncle. David and the rest of the FT crew, I am a huge fan! Keep up the great work!!
Nice review, David. I have been flying the 350QX since it was released. Many of your points are valid i.e. repairability, gain and prop flaws. I have dedicated a majority of my RUclips channel to getting the most from this quad. I bought it so might as well enjoy it, right? Prop adapters, third party props, gimbals, filters, FPV are some of the topics I involve my 350QX.
I bought the 350 QX early in the game....It had the original props...But, Horizon Hobbies has been fantastic in responding to any issues I have had. Their customer service is excellent and I continue to enjoy my quad....I have done a lot of Go Pro video recording and it's been great...I'm not a video expert, but it's worked well for me! Perhaps those who have more experience might think this quad is lacking in sophistication but it's been a great learning experience for me! I appreciate that Blade brought out a less expensive, full featured quad for those of us who are still in the learning curve!
Just bought one and totally happy with it! We are beginners though, and the stability mode is fun with some degree of sanity, having just moved from safe mode. The agility mode is crazy fun but find myself switching back to ensure I don't damage it but slowly ....getting better. So it is truly something that allows you to learn and grow as a pilot. I had my 10 YO ( it is his toy...i love it just as much) and he has graduated nicely to stability mode. Soooo good. As for shots - I had an amazing 7 mins of Go pro Video off the cliffs of terrigal and you would not believe how good the shots were. We even managed to follow a couple of surfers who have asked me to put the video and tag them on RUclips. So if you are looking for a great Quad i really think this is the one and the comments re the smaller one are for me - not even a consideration. It is a completely different experience and don't understand the relevance or comparison really (as have flown those before) and I can guarantee you and/or your kids will love this. I bought mine from Model Flight in Brisbane and had it shipped down. I had to call them to familiarise myself with things and they were very obliging and would recommend them.
Excellent Review David, just about 3-weeks too late. I bought the 350 QX at the first of the month after reading a ton of reviews & comparisons between it & the DJI Phantom 2 (not the Phantom 1 as you mentioned). For my first quad, it's been great though. Safe mode has kept me from absolutely destroying the quad the first time I put a battery in, even though it was weird not following direction of the nose. I've now gotten a good handle on things in stability mode but I'm not sure I'm ready for agility mode quite yet. As a true beginner, I have had several "mishaps", mainly with trees. The blades have held up great but the body & landing gear, not so much. I'm on my 2nd set of gear & waiting on my next crash to swap out bodies (which I'm not looking forward to). I've read about a few people mounting the guts of the 350QX onto a knock-off DJI frame so I may do that after I destroy this new body. For a starter quad, I think it's great, but I do agree with the drawbacks that David noted in the video, particularly the body. It's a cheap plastic that doesn't hold up very well. No regrets in buying it, it's been a good (albeit expensive) intro into the quad hobby, but I am looking forward to taking that next step & expanding my horizons into planes and FPV of both. Thanks again for the review and keep up the great work!!
Horizon Hobby ripped me off for 500 bucks and stole my Blade 350QX after I sent it in for repair....they said they were going to send me a brand new Blade 350 but never did...I keep complaining about it so the Terminated me as their customer..... WORSE THE BANK ROBBERS
SAME HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Horizon Hobby are nothing more then Pick-Pockets * They stole my 500 bucks too and are now threatening to sue me for talking bad about them! There are more then 200 videos saying this same thing as well as all the problems with the Blade 350QX, I should have listen to the guy at the hobby store who sold me the Blade, HE SAID TO STAY AWAY FROM THE BLADE, BUY A PHANTOM *** I didn't listen and now I'm out 500 bucks and they will not refund my money---- I gotta feeling there's gonna be a class action coming soon.....check the BB on Horizon Hobby in Champlain IL and look at all the complaints on RUclips, Good Golly!
bought mine thursday, it flew away from me at 150 feet in green mode...I hit the fly home feature and it kept going .. I don't trust it, needless to say 24 hours after I bought it, all I own is the remote. waiting on them to help me out.
I wish you the very bust of luck with those RIP OFF Con Artist People......If they give you a new one, Sell it ASAP and take your loss now....they wont replace it again even though it will do the same thing again or will crash from their bad props..... They have a HUGE ISSUE with the Cheap Made props....... .. Sell it and buy a DJI PHANTOM 2......then you will get the Quad copter experience that you were expecting to get from your Blade 350............ Best Of Luck My Friend
Best episode so far, a lot of info in a clear concise manner; other reviewers should take notes. Can't say much about the 350, but I can say that I love my Nano. So fun to fly around my living room. The only issue is my hardwood floors, the frame is not made to take hard landings started breaking withing the first few flights. They are only 8 bucks though so I can't complain. I have also seen a few tips on preventing the damage in the first place.
You brought up some good points in this review. As a blade owner with 120+ flights I have some things to add : The stock props on the 350 QX are faulty by design. They officially recalled the original "A" props and replaced them with "B" props, which are also faulty. Mine broke in a simple hover and caused major damage to the body, props, and landing gear. Horizon was not helpful and did not offer to send me replacement parts and requested I ship my unit to them to "investigate". I had already started swapping the parts out, so I was unable to ship it to them. I ate the cost of the replacement parts ($75). These prop failures could get someone seriously hurt. Horizon warns that using aftermarket (good quality) props with the available adapters will void the warranty on the blade 350. I don't care, I run them anyway so I can use good quality props that won't snap for no reason, and for the safety of myself and anyone near where I'm flying. The 350 QX is NOT GoPro compatible and should not be advertised as such. If you mount a gopro on it and fly around you will often lose GPS lock. It may also fail to obtain the initial GPS lock when the quad is powered up. This is due to interference between the gopro when recording, and the GPS receiver in the quad. Again, a major issue caused by faulty design. The aerial video quality is shaky even when being careful on the controls in light wind. It does not capture acceptable quality video at all, unless you modify it with a gimbal. I took my gopro back because of the interference and quality issues, when in reality it's the Blade that is faulty, not the camera. With no camera, and aftermarket props and adapters... the blade is a blast to fly. For pure fun flying, there is no comparison between the blade and the DJI phantom. It's much faster and more agile than the phantom. If you don't care about filming and don't mind voiding your warranty - The blade 350 with CNC prop adapters with Phantom carbon fiber props has been rock solid for me. I am pissed that it had all the problems I mentioned from the factory, but I have to admit it's a really fun quad to fly once you upgrade the props. If you want to film anything worth watching, buy something else.
Great new format and excellent production - kudos, David! One suggestion to folks worried about the "non-adjustable gains" you discuss: although the quad's gains are fixed, you CAN MODIFY THE GAINS of the signal sent by the transmitter instead. You can use the hi/lo feature of the DX-5e transmitter ("lo" knocks the transmitted signal gains down to 70%). Better yet, buy the Bind-and-Fly version, and use a better Spektrum transmitter: I use a DX-7s with my 350, and use the transmitter's mixing to adjust gains any way I want. I experimented with 20% gains on ailerons, elevators, and rudder (Horizon tells us to set up the transmitter in airplane mode for the 350) - which yielded very mellow and easy operation. You can even remix the throttle signal which will modify the max height at full throttle in "Safe" mode. Thanks for the great review!!!
Hey FliteTest, I was wondering if you can post pics/ brief description of how you set the FPV system on this multirotor. I have the same copter and wanted your input of what setup you used.
I have my blade since a year now, it is my first quad. I began flying it very safely doing what is written in the manual. When I began flying it with a gopro, problems came up, two fly away and a night in the net to understand the issue with the wifi. Since I removed the gopro, switched to another cam with an fatshark transmitter, no problems any more. I crashed it once by own mistake and had to move all the inner live to a new body. Lots of screws, I agree but easy to do. I also changed from the original props to carbon blades, this helps for better videos. I do not know other quads but for my opinion as a beginner this one is certainly not that bad.
Though this video is somewhat old, I would like to say that I've had a pretty good experience with my blade 350 qx so far. I previously owned a DJI Phantom 1, and while the aerial video quality was pretty good, the enjoyment of flying and FPV ability was pretty sub-par. On the other hand, so far the blade 350 qx has been a great fpv platform, so much fun just to fly around, and I've actually gotten some pretty nice footage. Finally, what made the decision for me was the fact that Blade 350qx's are available for MUCH cheaper than a DJI Phantom at the moment. I picked mine up RTF from an ebay seller for just under 300 dollars. For that price, the Blade 350qx is a total steal, and a quad that is really awesome to have. GPS lock is also more reliable it seems than the DJI Phantom I had, and the DJI Phantom only offers gps "trimming" but no actual trimming. Therefore, if you're considering indoor flying, DEFINITELY go with the Blade 350qx in my opinion.
Great review and awesome flying. I still love my 350 QX, but ditched the body and the props for upgrades. The new firmware will be soon. Maybe then some of the bad points will be improved. I video and FPV with the GPS disabled to get a smoother ride.
Thanks for an honest review, and your thoughts. This will definitely help people decide if this product is for them. We are all going to miss you David, when you go back home. (Take care brother)
I'm new to RC quads and recently bought a Blade 200 QX. So far I've had no problems with it. I'm still learning to fly it and have crashed many times, but overall it's been a very easy learning experiance. I've had to replace a couple of the rotors and the battery cover could have been made a little more sturdy, but it's still a very sturdy craft. Definitely considering upgrading to the 350 once I get more comfortable with the 200.
For those beginning in Arial photography and want a quad with all of these features and more, consider the DJI Phantom FC40. It comes with a 720p HD camera that transmits a low latency image to your smart phone for FPV! ALL FOR 500 bucks!! Durability? They are built like a Tank. I slammed into a basketball goal at full speed and slammed to concrete without do much as a camera or prop break! The image is dampened by the rubber ball mounts and it runs off at 5.8 GHZ Transmitter so you can upgrade to gopro and still run WIFI FPV without control interference. There is tons of support and aftermarket such as gimble..... David, I would really like to see a review and comparison on this machine!!!!
I really like the review David. I started with the DJI 1st gen and have been having a blast with it. The "Flight Test" channel has me wanting to try more and more. Thanx for taking the time to put it term the layman can understand.
Just got one for my birthday from my family. Took about 5+ hours for a first timer to get the thing off the ground. Read all the material, spoke with tech support and finally have it figured out. Can't wait to hook up the GoPro the kids gave me for my birthday last year. Great video on the capabilities of this product.
Great review David, much appreciated. Any chance of you doing one of the new Blade 350 QX3 ? And a side by side comparison of these two and their features/capabilities and upgrades?
I have the blade 350 qx, and as a beginner-intermediate, I found it perfect for me. I found out that it actually is REALLY durable. One of my first flights, I crashed it full throttle right into a wooden fence, and NOT even a scratch. Although, by the feel of it, the body is pretty cheap plastic compared to the phantom series, but they really improved the props, because they are really durable. Does anyone have any suggestions for FPV on this quad?
Awesome review!! The intro reminded me of Top Gears style of intro. I'm excited to see other reviews in a similar format. Keep up the awesome work!
10 лет назад
I noticed the same, David mentioned in some podcast that he wanted to bring some TG elements to the videos. Looks good, but I hope that it still remains as a Flite Test.
Thank You! I love this review format, its detailed with the interesting stuff. You get right to the points that are worth getting too and a simple easy summery at the end. Please do more of these with this format.
Great review, enjoyed it a lot. I have the 350QX, it is my 2nd quad after the little hubsan. The QX is a joy to fly but David is right about the video capture being a bit difficult. The propriety props do cause shaky and shuddery video. However it was good enpugh to get me hooked on quads with cameras (I have not flown it fpv). After Flying the 350QX I was confident enough to build a DJI 450 Flamewheel for fpv use and its fantastic. On the prop side I have bought some adaptors to allow standard props to be used. I'm going to try it with some nice carbon fibre blades and see if that smooths it up for video recording. Its expensive yes, but for ease of setup and to get into fpv/aerial easily its top class, flies great straight out the box. I use a dx8 and downloaded the tx setup from Spektrum but it would have been easy to program.
I just recently bought one of these, it is my 3rdish quad and my second pre-built. I got it mostly because I have crashed the hell out of my first kit build and later a scratch build and I needed something that would let me learn to fly a little more safely. My experiences so far with the 350 QX have been fantastic and I will be installing my FatShark onto it in the next week or so. I would recommend this little guy to anyone who has the extra cash and want to learn to fly. I do have some video of it in flight on my channel. The camera I am using is a Pyle actioncam
One of the best reviewer's I've seen. Good demonstration. And very honest and open minded person. I am going to get a DJI Version 1.1.1 I already have a Balde NANO QX which is teaching me how to fly quad's.
Excellent review. Love the format and love the honesty! Will be good to see rc plane reviews with a similar format for characteristics like manoeuvrability, quality etc...
Appreciate your review, David, and a good sense of humor, to boot! I own a 350 QX for almost a week, and have enjoyed flying it. Might move up to a more sophisticated craft soon.
looking for a quad to cover aerial video for adding shots to my adventure motorcycle trip, Since you scored this so low in that category, would you recommend another quad other than the phantom 1 in this price range? Looking for size big enough to carry gopro only, packs small, thanks
Buy the PHANTOM 2 STAY AWAY from the Blade 350 QX, its total junk, a kids toys that has tons of issues. over 300 flights with the Phantom and ZERO issues other then my own mistakes!
What do you think about the new Walkera QR X800? I like the 30 to 60 minute flight time for less than $3000. I value you opinion so let me know what you think.
Great review David, really going to miss you when you go back home. Well... miss you on flitetest, I will be watching your channel for more great stuff.
I was just given one of these Drones yesterday with the nice gimbal camera and I am looking forward to trying it out. It has a full charge on the battery pack looking at the lights on the Drone.We have not located the charger or clip that holds the Smartphone but both can be ordered online at a reasonable price. The owner passed away so the roommate gave it to me. I much prefer the camera I got with it since I don’t own a GoPro of any kind. It was a nice gift from a great friend and the previous owner was also a very close friend. I noticed that you’re quiet does not have the GPS antenna on? I thought they all had the GPS antenna that you can raise and lower? I think the video and photography ability with the gimbal camera that came with the Mann makes it an awesome choice for Ariel photography unlike the go pro mount which is terrible.
Super review! The format was really effective in transmitting a lot of information to the audience, but remaining very interesting. The night setting was also a nice change. Grade: A+ David's presentation: A++
Honest opinion from a beginner... I bought the QX350 six months ago only having experience flying the Blade CX2. No clue what i was doing with a multi. Out of the box and flying was super easy. I was able to learn each mode and move to agility rather quickly and became id say decent at doing stunts such as flips, rolls etc. I got cocky and crashed after trying to do too many flips too low. I wasn't to high up, and almost recovered. I was left with a broken arm. The Props were fine. I replaced the top half of the body which took time but wasn't to hard to do. Next time I crashed was some time after, I had it about 60 feet up and 50 yards away and it just fell. As if it was turned completely off! Their was no camera or anything attached to it. The entire body was destroyed however the props were just fine. I replaced the body and the motor I thought was bad and when I turn it on 3 motors spin and the 4th seems to try and spin in both directions so this is on hold for now. However I purchased the new QX350 2.0 and I am very pleased with it for me and what I want out of it. It fly's great and has a new flight mode and a compass/GPS error detection which actually works. I've only had this 2.0 version for about 2 weeks but i have well over 50 flights and it thus far is a champ. AP mode for video seems to be more stable but not amazing. The only issue I have experienced is the decent rate seems to be much faster even in safe mode. Which to me is a good thing but I was expecting it to slow down. Good thing I was paying attention! I did do a calibration and it still comes down faster then my first QX350. Overall I think from what I have experienced its good for flying, its agile, its quick but I wouldn't say fast, its okay for taking video, and my average flight time man handling it is about 8-10 min. If im just cruising, 10-12 min, and if im taking video its about 6-8 min. Hope this helps someone.
I purchased this in the QX3 version mainly because my local hobby shop has replacement parts in stock for it. Replacing the body is time consuming if you crash, but not too bad. Just added FPV and it feels like a great starter platform with all of the 'uh oh' features.
My word, that was top notch production. The best production values and clarity of presentation that I've seen from Flite Test to date. I'm more of a builder myself, so I'm not even interested in the 350QX, but this episode was still an absolute joy to watch.
David please do more reviews like this! I love the beginners with their foam planes but enough is enough! An intelligent well documented and impartial review of something actually interesting for people that are not total newbies. Thank you!
Maybe David and Alex could "branch off" and do videos that focus more on the intermediate and advanced stuff. Really like this video! Thanks.
THIS GUY IS ABSOLUTELY THE BEST REVIEWER I HAVE SEEN ON YT
Love the honesty in the assessment of this quad. Can you tell I've become a FliteTest fan? Well done David.
David, must say this is the best review that FliteTest has done. Start out with the great set for the intro. Best yet. Then the night shoot with all the lights on the copter is great. Then you give all the pro's and con's to the copter. Excellent review. Gives a real good feel for what the product is.
Deserves a thumbs up for purely staying out in the cold for that long!
Fantastic!
In-depth, balanced, and quantified...this is the new benchmark for RC reviews.
This is the most comprehensive review of ANY quad I have ever seen. Great job David. I would love to see you do a review like this on the Phantom I and II.
This was thee best Rc Helicopter Review I have ever watched! David you're the best!
Just ordered the QX3 and a BG200 gimbal. I honestly wanted a Phantom but I can get a Blade and accessories through my work at a very good cost. Since I have only had planes and I am not a expert. I think the QX3 will be a good start.
Flite test is one of the few channels that has an intro you don't want to skip
Great job David! This is the kind of stuff that makes FliteTest stand FAR apart from the crowd.
I own(ed) a 350QX for a while. I got it at a great price and purchased it with the sole intention of getting acquainted with multirotor FPV. while I built my "real" quad.
It did great for what I wanted/needed it do do! I did not have a hard time getting good video, and no difficulty of making the transition from fixed wing FPV to multirotor FPV.
One thing *highly* recommend is to *NOT* fly FPV in SAFE (green) mode. I almost had a very, very bad thing happen to me one flight where the switch got bumped after the goggles came down, but before lift off. I almost crashed into myself (since I start most flights looking at myself) since I was not where the qaud thought I was and the more i fought it, the faster it came straight at me. Closest to real disaster in my 3 years of FPV.
Thankfully I had enough wits to smash the RTH switch, and the terror subsided inches from my cowering body.
I went through 3 bodies, threw 1 (B) prop in flight, tried the CNC prop adapters and APC props, flew worse. Working on it is a pain, and I had some issues with the RX being able to keep signal on the other side of the park.
Sad to see the EXACT same antenna on the 350QX and the NanoQX (seriously?!)
I know they are about to relase a V2 350x with better Rx, more flight modes, updated LED codes, and easier motor startup (along with a new package with camera and gimbal) for those still interested.
Ive since sold it, built a mini quad (QAV250) and I doubt ill ever look back.
I work at LHS and people ask me all the time about "drones" this, and quad that. I tell most to take that money, build your own. Itll be better suited for what you want to do exactly, gives one the understanding (not just the magical "this works!"), know how to work on and repair, and fine tune.
That same money will be better spent on a NanoQX, lots of homework, and build a multi yourself.
Ill end with "The 350qx is powerful, fun, and easy to fly. Like a sports car for the price of a nice bicycle!"
Just my 2 cents.
PS- The Phanotm is CRAP and WILL flyaway from you at some point. Do Not Get Phantom. if you HAVE to support DJI, build a flame wheel.
I have to say that I really enjoy just having David on an episode!
Awesome format. Production value was higher than ever with this review. Way to go David & company!
Great review David! I loved the format used for this review episode! You really did your homework and I feel you gave a fair and balanced review. I especially appreciated your comments at the end along with the ratings!
hey dude great demo! i want to get this for shooting rock climbers with go pro on it. Do you think come back home fuction is safe when lots of high rock around?
David the honest Swede gets my thumbs (again)
Can you do an up to date blade 350qx3 review please
Real nice review. Thanks! Would love to see you guys do an updated review for the QX3. Anything in the plans for that?
Best RC review I have ever watched, PERIOD!
Well done guys!
Jake...This is by far the bes "test/evaluation" video I've seen yet. You do an outstanding job covering all aspects. I own a S-1000 but really considering something to fly in the neighborhood
Pick up a second hand 350 last night, been out playing with it today.
As a complete novice having never flown a quad before I found it great, safe mode is very slow didn't take me long to move up to stability mode. Did loose it once but that's my mistake for not understanding the return home mode, luckily found it about 1/2 a mile away in a field.
All in all I found it a good quad to start on as it gives you more flight input so you learn pretty quick.
I have a 350 QX for 2 years now and i still have a lot of fun flying it. i first had the spektrum DX 5 controller but then i upgraded to a DX 8 and now it flys even better!
AP mode on the 350QX works great for FPV and is a lot of fun.
Great review. Love the style - even though I love the older Josh and Josh style with their planes etc. David did really well with documenting this. The cinematics were fantastic too.
Thank you David. This is the most thorough and well thought-out review I have seen in a long time. Your explanation of the different flight modes was very clear and very helpful. I like how you broke out the various traits of the copter and rated each one separately. I also thought it was really helpful that you compared the Blade machine another manufacturer's machine and were able to point out their relative value and back up your opinions with specific meaningful facts about both. Just excellent work all around.
Impressed with the whole video. David did an excellent job of giving you the whole picture. Nice to see someone being totally unbiased and giving the pros n cons and then asking for people who already own it to give their feelings too. Top job David.
great review i love the format especially the rateing system great job
Dunno who put the new format together, but it's awesome. It's like FliteTest all grown up. Not personally a fan of pre-built multi rotors, appreciated the balanced presentation, bet it was hard to bight your tongue David, and well done indeed!
Make the next challenge a parachute drop. Best of 3. Multi rotor from 100 feet, single motor plane from whatever height, multi motor plane from whatever height. Score in feet from target, lowest total wins.
Well done! I absolutely love the layout of the video. Great review and awesome work with the camera. Great super well done job!
I recently purchased a 350 QX3 AP Combo RTF With SAFE technology and I have been nothing but impressed. I am a skilled pilot and between the 3 axis gimbal and the stability/ap flight modes this beautiful bird captures absolutely wonderful stills and videos, even in moderate to severe winds. I did have to disassemble it already to swap boards and it is not as hard as everyone makes it out to be. I was back in the air in 10 min. I would give this quad a solid 9. The only way to upgrade from this quad here would be the DGI's inspire 1 at close to $5,000 I will stick with my 350QX until my areial photography business picks up.
I'm a scratch builder so not interested in the 350qx, but I had to chime in and echo the others that this was an excellent review. Best review I've ever seen on Flitetest. Happy to see David again :)
One of the best FT reviews I've seen. The content was concise and well organized. David's commentary, presentation and flying skills were excellent. The production and videography were very polished and professional. An impressive, entertaining and informative review. Thanks !!
What a great review. I have a Blade qx350 and live in high altitude state. Most of my flying is between 6,000 ASL and 8000 ASL. I am very happy with it and use if for FPV, but it is not without its short comings. Fortunately I have not had a catastrophic crash, but I have had issues with the props. As your review mentioned the plastic props vibrated even after balancing and buzzed horribly. One finally gave out on me in flight and after a 200ft fall onto a mountain side I decided to upgrade the props with CNC machined adapters and carbon fiber props. Total cost was $50 at red rocket hobbies and it was worth it. Rather than going the GoPro route I have found the foxtech has some pretty nice equipment. I use their HoryzonHD 1080p camera, TS832 transmitter and Skyzone goggles.To clear up noise I have a small 800 mah battery on the quad as well as the flight battery. With all of that equipment and the altitude I fly at my flight durations have gone as long as 7 min, but that close to falling out if the sky. I set my timer to 5 min so I have a comfortable 1:30 to get back and land.
The GPS return to home and GPS commanded mode are REALLY nice and have saved my quad more than once. I normally fly in stability mode, because as David pointed out fliying in GPS mode is an odd experience. However, I have learned there is a very interesting use for it. Yes this quad has a GPS based RTH, but the flight speed in this mode is relatively slow. If you are 500 yards away and your timer just went off to land and you just lost orientation you are in a tight spot. This is where SAFE mode actually has some utility even for experienced flyers. Although flight speeds aren't as fast as STABILITY mode they are faster than RTH. Once you switch the quad to SAFE mode just pull the stick towards you and the quad makes a beeline straight to you regardless of which way it is pointed. As soon as it gets close enough that you can regain orientation you can kick it back to STABILITY and fly even faster to your location. When flying FPV you can use this feature to just get yourself pointed in the right direction, and when flying line of sight you can use this feature to get the model closer to you so you can regain a proper visual.
If David said that the Safezone was five meters in diameter, then why did the little diagram at 4:40 show it as five meters in radius? ._.
David (and team), really well done review! From the commentary and graphics for the ratings, to the really tasteful way you shot the reveal scenes and night flying, all involved deserve a lot of credit. I agree with the other comments, do more of these! :)
Is it possible to 3D print mounts so you can put regular props on the quad?
There are after market adapter.
I've been flying my 350 v2.0 for around a month now. I bought the RTF version with the DX5I transmitter. I've found it to be a great introduction to multi rotor flying, having had petrol and 450 size electric helicopters. The safe features have saved me almost every flight, however it dose have limitations. David highlights a lot of the technical shortcomings and design limitations. I would like to add that the Return home mode can catch you out if you are flying in a sheltered area with high winds. I used the return home mode and watched my quad drift rapidly away downwind because it could not overcome the prevailing wind in that flight mode. However it did buy me time to figure it out and fly it back.
Also the issued GoPro mount supplied has a major flaw in that if you clip a bush or tree branch while doing a flyby it will just separate the two halves of the mount and toss your camera off into who knows where! ( mine is still in the bottom of a mucky pond) untill I man up enough to go snorkelling for it! So get a small cable tie on that bugger! I posted a RUclips video of the limitations in flight modes if you guys want to see me almost loose mine. Just experience really.
Nice review David! I really like Flite Test and all of the hard work you all do. Honestly this has to be one of the very best efforts from you that I've seen, and I really enjoyed your honest unbiased perspective on this one. Keep up the good work and Thanks!
One of the best reviews I've seen for a Quadcopter!
This is one of the best reviews I've ever seen... and I mean about the way the video was made and all the info they put in the video
That's dedication to duty, how cold was it on that field ? Great video.
It's never too cold for a Swede
I really appreciate the video and the straight talk. I have had a blast watching Flite Test this week.
Great video and a very fair review.
I picked up a blade 350QX a few months ago as my first 'real' quad, I learned to fly on a Hubsan X4.
One comment about the video quality, so long as you're not going fast, it's great. I totally agree that at speed the video even with a gimbal is not awesome due to the excessive vibrations. Knowing what I know now, I likely would have bought a DJI Flamewheel 450 and just built it myself. But I wanted it now and it was available locally. I think it's a great quad to learn to fly on, it's pretty durable. Replacing the shell is a pain, but the one bad crash that I've had that broke a motor pod was fixable with some epoxy and it's been fine since.
What will you do when it loses GPS lock and flies away? Do you have a way to track it?
Nice review David! I have a 350QX as well as the nano QX. I really love them both. Also my friends can fly the 350 without any skills which is a nice motivation to enter this great hobby. I think the 350 as well as the nano, are great entry level quads. No tweaking, no knowledge is required. HH did a great job. There will always be the comparison with the Phantom, but hey, thats ok. As long as you enjoy flying. I crashed once with the 350, accidently pressed the throttle cut switch, and it fell from about 50 m on the grass. Only a small crack on one of the arm. Some CA and Bob is your uncle. David and the rest of the FT crew, I am a huge fan! Keep up the great work!!
No skills, eh? ;-)
Which brand/model of Quadcopter would you recommend for a beginner who wants the return to home mode ? Any other tips for a newbie ?
Nice review, David. I have been flying the 350QX since it was released. Many of your points are valid i.e. repairability, gain and prop flaws. I have dedicated a majority of my RUclips channel to getting the most from this quad. I bought it so might as well enjoy it, right? Prop adapters, third party props, gimbals, filters, FPV are some of the topics I involve my 350QX.
I bought the 350 QX early in the game....It had the original props...But, Horizon Hobbies has been fantastic in responding to any issues I have had. Their customer service is excellent and I continue to enjoy my quad....I have done a lot of Go Pro video recording and it's been great...I'm not a video expert, but it's worked well for me! Perhaps those who have more experience might think this quad is lacking in sophistication but it's been a great learning experience for me! I appreciate that Blade brought out a less expensive, full featured quad for those of us who are still in the learning curve!
can you guys do a review on the aquacopter
Just bought one and totally happy with it!
We are beginners though, and the stability mode is fun with some degree of sanity, having just moved from safe mode.
The agility mode is crazy fun but find myself switching back to ensure I don't damage it but slowly ....getting better.
So it is truly something that allows you to learn and grow as a pilot. I had my 10 YO ( it is his toy...i love it just as much) and he has graduated nicely to stability mode. Soooo good.
As for shots - I had an amazing 7 mins of Go pro Video off the cliffs of terrigal and you would not believe how good the shots were. We even managed to follow a couple of surfers who have asked me to put the video and tag them on RUclips.
So if you are looking for a great Quad i really think this is the one and the comments re the smaller one are for me - not even a consideration. It is a completely different experience and don't understand the relevance or comparison really (as have flown those before) and I can guarantee you and/or your kids will love this.
I bought mine from Model Flight in Brisbane and had it shipped down. I had to call them to familiarise myself with things and they were very obliging and would recommend them.
Excellent Review David, just about 3-weeks too late. I bought the 350 QX at the first of the month after reading a ton of reviews & comparisons between it & the DJI Phantom 2 (not the Phantom 1 as you mentioned). For my first quad, it's been great though. Safe mode has kept me from absolutely destroying the quad the first time I put a battery in, even though it was weird not following direction of the nose. I've now gotten a good handle on things in stability mode but I'm not sure I'm ready for agility mode quite yet. As a true beginner, I have had several "mishaps", mainly with trees. The blades have held up great but the body & landing gear, not so much. I'm on my 2nd set of gear & waiting on my next crash to swap out bodies (which I'm not looking forward to). I've read about a few people mounting the guts of the 350QX onto a knock-off DJI frame so I may do that after I destroy this new body. For a starter quad, I think it's great, but I do agree with the drawbacks that David noted in the video, particularly the body. It's a cheap plastic that doesn't hold up very well. No regrets in buying it, it's been a good (albeit expensive) intro into the quad hobby, but I am looking forward to taking that next step & expanding my horizons into planes and FPV of both. Thanks again for the review and keep up the great work!!
Horizon Hobby ripped me off for 500 bucks and stole my Blade 350QX after I sent it in for repair....they said they were going to send me a brand new Blade 350 but never did...I keep complaining about it so the Terminated me as their customer..... WORSE THE BANK ROBBERS
SAME HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Horizon Hobby are nothing more then Pick-Pockets * They stole my 500 bucks too and are now threatening to sue me for talking bad about them! There are more then 200 videos saying this same thing as well as all the problems with the Blade 350QX, I should have listen to the guy at the hobby store who sold me the Blade, HE SAID TO STAY AWAY FROM THE BLADE, BUY A PHANTOM *** I didn't listen and now I'm out 500 bucks and they will not refund my money---- I gotta feeling there's gonna be a class action coming soon.....check the BB on Horizon Hobby in Champlain IL and look at all the complaints on RUclips, Good Golly!
sounds like DJI 1 year later and I am still waiting. bet ill never see it again.
they all suck
bought mine thursday, it flew away from me at 150 feet in green mode...I hit the fly home feature and it kept going .. I don't trust it, needless to say 24 hours after I bought it, all I own is the remote. waiting on them to help me out.
I wish you the very bust of luck with those RIP OFF Con Artist People......If they give you a new one, Sell it ASAP and take your loss now....they wont replace it again even though it will do the same thing again or will crash from their bad props..... They have a HUGE ISSUE with the Cheap Made props....... .. Sell it and buy a DJI PHANTOM 2......then you will get the Quad copter experience that you were expecting to get from your Blade 350............ Best Of Luck My Friend
David, great review this has to be one of the BEST I've seen done on anything!
Best episode so far, a lot of info in a clear concise manner; other reviewers should take notes.
Can't say much about the 350, but I can say that I love my Nano. So fun to fly around my living room. The only issue is my hardwood floors, the frame is not made to take hard landings started breaking withing the first few flights. They are only 8 bucks though so I can't complain. I have also seen a few tips on preventing the damage in the first place.
Awesome job David! I really enjoyed the style and thoroughness of this review.
You brought up some good points in this review. As a blade owner with 120+ flights I have some things to add :
The stock props on the 350 QX are faulty by design. They officially recalled the original "A" props and replaced them with "B" props, which are also faulty. Mine broke in a simple hover and caused major damage to the body, props, and landing gear. Horizon was not helpful and did not offer to send me replacement parts and requested I ship my unit to them to "investigate". I had already started swapping the parts out, so I was unable to ship it to them. I ate the cost of the replacement parts ($75). These prop failures could get someone seriously hurt. Horizon warns that using aftermarket (good quality) props with the available adapters will void the warranty on the blade 350. I don't care, I run them anyway so I can use good quality props that won't snap for no reason, and for the safety of myself and anyone near where I'm flying.
The 350 QX is NOT GoPro compatible and should not be advertised as such. If you mount a gopro on it and fly around you will often lose GPS lock. It may also fail to obtain the initial GPS lock when the quad is powered up. This is due to interference between the gopro when recording, and the GPS receiver in the quad. Again, a major issue caused by faulty design.
The aerial video quality is shaky even when being careful on the controls in light wind. It does not capture acceptable quality video at all, unless you modify it with a gimbal. I took my gopro back because of the interference and quality issues, when in reality it's the Blade that is faulty, not the camera.
With no camera, and aftermarket props and adapters... the blade is a blast to fly. For pure fun flying, there is no comparison between the blade and the DJI phantom. It's much faster and more agile than the phantom. If you don't care about filming and don't mind voiding your warranty - The blade 350 with CNC prop adapters with Phantom carbon fiber props has been rock solid for me. I am pissed that it had all the problems I mentioned from the factory, but I have to admit it's a really fun quad to fly once you upgrade the props. If you want to film anything worth watching, buy something else.
Was this episode shot on a c 300? The image looks different :)
Great new format and excellent production - kudos, David! One suggestion to folks worried about the "non-adjustable gains" you discuss: although the quad's gains are fixed, you CAN MODIFY THE GAINS of the signal sent by the transmitter instead. You can use the hi/lo feature of the DX-5e transmitter ("lo" knocks the transmitted signal gains down to 70%). Better yet, buy the Bind-and-Fly version, and use a better Spektrum transmitter: I use a DX-7s with my 350, and use the transmitter's mixing to adjust gains any way I want. I experimented with 20% gains on ailerons, elevators, and rudder (Horizon tells us to set up the transmitter in airplane mode for the 350) - which yielded very mellow and easy operation. You can even remix the throttle signal which will modify the max height at full throttle in "Safe" mode. Thanks for the great review!!!
Hey FliteTest, I was wondering if you can post pics/ brief description of how you set the FPV system on this multirotor. I have the same copter and wanted your input of what setup you used.
Nice work guys! Love the format.
I have my blade since a year now, it is my first quad. I began flying it very safely doing what is written in the manual. When I began flying it with a gopro, problems came up, two fly away and a night in the net to understand the issue with the wifi. Since I removed the gopro, switched to another cam with an fatshark transmitter, no problems any more. I crashed it once by own mistake and had to move all the inner live to a new body. Lots of screws, I agree but easy to do. I also changed from the original props to carbon blades, this helps for better videos. I do not know other quads but for my opinion as a beginner this one is certainly not that bad.
Though this video is somewhat old, I would like to say that I've had a pretty good experience with my blade 350 qx so far. I previously owned a DJI Phantom 1, and while the aerial video quality was pretty good, the enjoyment of flying and FPV ability was pretty sub-par. On the other hand, so far the blade 350 qx has been a great fpv platform, so much fun just to fly around, and I've actually gotten some pretty nice footage. Finally, what made the decision for me was the fact that Blade 350qx's are available for MUCH cheaper than a DJI Phantom at the moment. I picked mine up RTF from an ebay seller for just under 300 dollars. For that price, the Blade 350qx is a total steal, and a quad that is really awesome to have. GPS lock is also more reliable it seems than the DJI Phantom I had, and the DJI Phantom only offers gps "trimming" but no actual trimming. Therefore, if you're considering indoor flying, DEFINITELY go with the Blade 350qx in my opinion.
Great review and awesome flying. I still love my 350 QX, but ditched the body and the props for upgrades. The new firmware will be soon. Maybe then some of the bad points will be improved. I video and FPV with the GPS disabled to get a smoother ride.
Thanks for an honest review, and your thoughts.
This will definitely help people decide if this product is for them.
We are all going to miss you David, when you go back home. (Take care brother)
I'm new to RC quads and recently bought a Blade 200 QX. So far I've had no problems with it. I'm still learning to fly it and have crashed many times, but overall it's been a very easy learning experiance. I've had to replace a couple of the rotors and the battery cover could have been made a little more sturdy, but it's still a very sturdy craft. Definitely considering upgrading to the 350 once I get more comfortable with the 200.
For those beginning in Arial photography and want a quad with all of these features and more, consider the DJI Phantom FC40. It comes with a 720p HD camera that transmits a low latency image to your smart phone for FPV! ALL FOR 500 bucks!! Durability? They are built like a Tank. I slammed into a basketball goal at full speed and slammed to concrete without do much as a camera or prop break! The image is dampened by the rubber ball mounts and it runs off at 5.8 GHZ Transmitter so you can upgrade to gopro and still run WIFI FPV without control interference. There is tons of support and aftermarket such as gimble.....
David, I would really like to see a review and comparison on this machine!!!!
I really like the review David. I started with the DJI 1st gen and have been having a blast with it. The "Flight Test" channel has me wanting to try more and more. Thanx for taking the time to put it term the layman can understand.
Just got one for my birthday from my family. Took about 5+ hours for a first timer to get the thing off the ground. Read all the material, spoke with tech support and finally have it figured out. Can't wait to hook up the GoPro the kids gave me for my birthday last year. Great video on the capabilities of this product.
Great review David, much appreciated. Any chance of you doing one of the new Blade 350 QX3 ? And a side by side comparison of these two and their features/capabilities and upgrades?
Nice review.. what FPV did you use.. and will it be more stabel with better props..
I have the blade 350 qx, and as a beginner-intermediate, I found it perfect for me. I found out that it actually is REALLY durable. One of my first flights, I crashed it full throttle right into a wooden fence, and NOT even a scratch. Although, by the feel of it, the body is pretty cheap plastic compared to the phantom series, but they really improved the props, because they are really durable. Does anyone have any suggestions for FPV on this quad?
I REALLY liked the format of that review; very well done!
Awesome review!! The intro reminded me of Top Gears style of intro. I'm excited to see other reviews in a similar format. Keep up the awesome work!
I noticed the same, David mentioned in some podcast that he wanted to bring some TG elements to the videos. Looks good, but I hope that it still remains as a Flite Test.
Can you do a vid on how to mount Fpv gear please. Looked so neat from what I could see
He said it all. But should redo the review again when the AP is out in a few
I agree, after the new firmware, review it again :)
MrCottonmouth
What are they saying is going to change with the new firmware?
At the Online store this info is posted.
Blade its not to AP... Phantom is way better, and yes i has one of the first to get a Blade 350QX in september 2013...
Thank You!
I love this review format, its detailed with the interesting stuff. You get right to the points that are worth getting too and a simple easy summery at the end. Please do more of these with this format.
Great review, enjoyed it a lot. I have the 350QX, it is my 2nd quad after the little hubsan. The QX is a joy to fly but David is right about the video capture being a bit difficult. The propriety props do cause shaky and shuddery video. However it was good enpugh to get me hooked on quads with cameras (I have not flown it fpv). After Flying the 350QX I was confident enough to build a DJI 450 Flamewheel for fpv use and its fantastic. On the prop side I have bought some adaptors to allow standard props to be used. I'm going to try it with some nice carbon fibre blades and see if that smooths it up for video recording. Its expensive yes, but for ease of setup and to get into fpv/aerial easily its top class, flies great straight out the box. I use a dx8 and downloaded the tx setup from Spektrum but it would have been easy to program.
Which FPV system are you using in the video? What transmitter off the GP where you using to talk to which goggles?
I just recently saw some prop adapters for the 350QX on Hobby King.
I just recently bought one of these, it is my 3rdish quad and my second pre-built. I got it mostly because I have crashed the hell out of my first kit build and later a scratch build and I needed something that would let me learn to fly a little more safely. My experiences so far with the 350 QX have been fantastic and I will be installing my FatShark onto it in the next week or so. I would recommend this little guy to anyone who has the extra cash and want to learn to fly. I do have some video of it in flight on my channel. The camera I am using is a Pyle actioncam
this is literally the coolest quadcopter i have ever seen
One of the best reviewer's I've seen. Good demonstration. And very honest and open minded person. I am going to get a DJI Version 1.1.1 I already have a Balde NANO QX which is teaching me how to fly quad's.
Excellent review. Love the format and love the honesty! Will be good to see rc plane reviews with a similar format for characteristics like manoeuvrability, quality etc...
Appreciate your review, David, and a good sense of humor, to boot! I own a 350 QX for almost a week, and have enjoyed flying it. Might move up to a more sophisticated craft soon.
looking for a quad to cover aerial video for adding shots to my adventure motorcycle trip, Since you scored this so low in that category, would you recommend another quad other than the phantom 1 in this price range? Looking for size big enough to carry gopro only, packs small, thanks
Buy the PHANTOM 2
STAY AWAY from the Blade 350 QX, its total junk, a kids toys that has tons of issues.
over 300 flights with the Phantom and ZERO issues other then my own mistakes!
Liking the format of this review, very professional looking and informative (but please don't lose the old format - I enjoy it way too much!)
I would recommend the FPV blade nano qx as a first quad, you can start LOS then migrate to FPV
alex scott Yes I wholeheartedly agree with that. Although on the cheaper side you could get the plain Nano QX, but the FPV nano is very helpful.
What do you think about the new Walkera QR X800? I like the 30 to 60 minute flight time for less than $3000. I value you opinion so let me know what you think.
I liked the format, pretty professional (not that the way you've done videos before is bad, I love them)
Good Job David!
I got a 350qx for Christmas and now all I need is a Gimbal!
Great review David, really going to miss you when you go back home. Well... miss you on flitetest, I will be watching your channel for more great stuff.
Excellent review!!! It is always great to hear David's thoughts on a product.
Can you guys do a review on the DX9?
Thanks,
Keyon
I was just given one of these Drones yesterday with the nice gimbal camera and I am looking forward to trying it out. It has a full charge on the battery pack looking at the lights on the Drone.We have not located the charger or clip that holds the Smartphone but both can be ordered online at a reasonable price. The owner passed away so the roommate gave it to me. I much prefer the camera I got with it since I don’t own a GoPro of any kind. It was a nice gift from a great friend and the previous owner was also a very close friend. I noticed that you’re quiet does not have the GPS antenna on? I thought they all had the GPS antenna that you can raise and lower? I think the video and photography ability with the gimbal camera that came with the Mann makes it an awesome choice for Ariel photography unlike the go pro mount which is terrible.
Super review! The format was really effective in transmitting a lot of information to the audience, but remaining very interesting. The night setting was also a nice change. Grade: A+
David's presentation: A++
This is one of the MOST helpful videos I have watched on this quad. THANK YOU!~John
Honest opinion from a beginner... I bought the QX350 six months ago only having experience flying the Blade CX2. No clue what i was doing with a multi. Out of the box and flying was super easy. I was able to learn each mode and move to agility rather quickly and became id say decent at doing stunts such as flips, rolls etc. I got cocky and crashed after trying to do too many flips too low. I wasn't to high up, and almost recovered. I was left with a broken arm. The Props were fine. I replaced the top half of the body which took time but wasn't to hard to do. Next time I crashed was some time after, I had it about 60 feet up and 50 yards away and it just fell. As if it was turned completely off! Their was no camera or anything attached to it. The entire body was destroyed however the props were just fine. I replaced the body and the motor I thought was bad and when I turn it on 3 motors spin and the 4th seems to try and spin in both directions so this is on hold for now. However I purchased the new QX350 2.0 and I am very pleased with it for me and what I want out of it. It fly's great and has a new flight mode and a compass/GPS error detection which actually works. I've only had this 2.0 version for about 2 weeks but i have well over 50 flights and it thus far is a champ. AP mode for video seems to be more stable but not amazing. The only issue I have experienced is the decent rate seems to be much faster even in safe mode. Which to me is a good thing but I was expecting it to slow down. Good thing I was paying attention! I did do a calibration and it still comes down faster then my first QX350. Overall I think from what I have experienced its good for flying, its agile, its quick but I wouldn't say fast, its okay for taking video, and my average flight time man handling it is about 8-10 min. If im just cruising, 10-12 min, and if im taking video its about 6-8 min. Hope this helps someone.
I purchased this in the QX3 version mainly because my local hobby shop has replacement parts in stock for it. Replacing the body is time consuming if you crash, but not too bad. Just added FPV and it feels like a great starter platform with all of the 'uh oh' features.
I like the ratings part: it feels great to be able to compare products through numbers.
Great review!
Some ratings could be based on measurements, like speed. 100 meter speed trap would be a great way to compare multirotor speeds.
can you do a flip tutorial? my current quad has an automatic flip built in but I want to get one without it, where I would have to do a manual one