Dont let other peoples lack of knowledge/commitment make you second guess the Mavic. The people who buy it, rip it open, and fly it all in 1 day (without any prior dji experience) are typically the people who crash and experience all these "problems"... I spent 2-3 months reading everything I could and watching countless videos about the mavic before I even attempted to fly. I had prior drone experience but not comparable to the mavic. Read/watch how it works, operates, settings, problems that could happen before, during, or after flight, etc.. I have had absolutely 0 problems with my mavic (knock on wood). Take your time, read everything you can, watch everything you can and you will be fine. Also get yourself a StateFarm Personal Articles policy. $60 a year, $0 deductible, and statefarm will replace the drone (send you a check) should you crash or lose it.