Carbon Fiber Props

[@PeteVee]

Maybe I'm evil - but I'm a fan of CF prop's. I replaced the stock 'quiet' DJI prop's on my Mavic Pro Platinum, with CF prop's the same shape and dimensions, except they are a bit thicker in the air-foil section. They ARE quieter than the quiet props, and the reason is that they are stiffer i.e. there is less torsional flex in the blade, and therefore they maintain their angle of attack and lift. I did measurements and found that with the stock DJI 'quiet' Platinum prop's, the motor rpm showing on the controller during hover, varied between 501 and 515 rpm. With the CF prop's, the rpm range dropped in the hover to 460 to 475 rpm (test was done at same hover altitude within 5 minutes of each other). It's the slower rotational speed that makes the prop's quieter (ask any attack helicopter pilot!). I thought that the CF prop's would make the Mavic twitchy in windy conditions, because the torsional & longitudinal flex of the stock DJI prop's act like shock-absorbers and soak up the turbulence (like an airliner's wing does) - but - I've not seen any evidence of that 'when the winds of November came early!'
So - maybe long term I'll find I've made a problem for myself, but meanwhile, I'm flying OK ...

Love the Gordon Lightfoot - Edmund Fitzgerald reference. re: winds of November

P

 

[mavicman3]

Rig

if the softer props deflect or buckle and absorb the impact, then better that than much harder Carbon props causing more damage..
Waylander

Right on!!! I would agree 100%. I do a lot of hand catches. If you mess this up an a Mavic Pro and I guess the Mavic Pro 2, then the back prop can hit your thumb / finger. I have had that happened. It messed up the prop but I would rather that that having a messed up thumb / finger. I think if you are hitting a wall / twig / bird / etc it would be best to have softer props which give way a little and you keep flying rather than the motor freaks and the entire thing drops out of the sky.

I think the factory props are great! Why would you want anything else. If you mess them up just buy another set!

 

[mavicman3]

They are extremely durable and are quieter due to them being 'stiffer' ... Due to the stiffness, the motors don't need to turn as fast to keep the Mavic in the hover (its the rpm that makes the noise). I found that the rpm dropped from about 510 rpm with the stock DJI 'quiet' prop's, down to around 470 rpm with these c-f prop's. It will be interesting to see what you think of them on the Mavic Pro 2.

Interesting. I have not used them. Hence my previous comment about liking stock props. But I can see that if the RPM is lower then it may be a little less noisy. Maybe I will need to try them....???

I like how the stock props will just give way and clearly show any damage. It means you know when to replace them. But I also like the idea of less noisy flight especially when just hovering.

 

[FlyingDetector]

Interesting. I have not used them. Hence my previous comment about liking stock props. But I can see that if the RPM is lower then it may be a little less noisy. Maybe I will need to try them....???

I like how the stock props will just give way and clearly show any damage. It means you know when to replace them. But I also like the idea of less noisy flight especially when just hovering.

Definetly they are a lot quieter, but they are dangerous, if they use the same prop attachment like DJI I would use it, but these carbon props uses screws and after a few flight they come loose.
Drone World advertise this:

• Caution! Carbon props sold elsewhere use screws to attach props to the hub that loosen and back out after a few flights (please note 75% of competitors cf props online are low quality and dangerous)

But it's the same, screws to attach the props. see my pictures on 1st page. I had them come loose on me thankfully I notice it after I landed the drone

 

[FoxhallGH]

Definetly they are a lot quieter, but they are dangerous, if they use the same prop attachment like DJI I would use it, but these carbon props uses screws and after a few flight they come loose.
Drone World advertise this:

• Caution! Carbon props sold elsewhere use screws to attach props to the hub that loosen and back out after a few flights (please note 75% of competitors cf props online are low quality and dangerous)

But it's the same, screws to attach the props. see my pictures on 1st page. I had them come loose on me thankfully I notice it after I landed the drone

This is the main difference in construction - yes. Stock DJI prop's use a pin arrangement to hold the prop' blades to the hub. My CF 8331 prop's use a small hex-drive screw (a T6 fits it), that goes into a brass fixture moulded into the hub. If you were to screw these up tight, then the blade would not swing for storage - or when it hit something - so they are designed to be 'loose'. I continuously fold and unfold these props to store my Mavic Pro in a carry case, and have not had one even look like coming loose. If a hub-screw came loose, it would do just that - but the blade would still be adequately held to the hub. And as for Drone World telling us we should be buying their product! ... I think that's more to do with their over-inflated pricing than anything else. I fold out my prop's before takeoff anyway - and checking the blades for damage and seeing if they are loose on the hub [i.e. if they have excessive up/down movement] is part of my pre-flight check. One advantage of this is that the CF prop-set is actually 3 pieces (or 5 including the screws), and therefore, it is possible to replace a single blade if you wanted to ...

 

[Inspirephil]

The correct ones are 8473 or 8743 for the Mavic 2? I get the numbers mixed up but the 8331 are for the Platinum

 

[FoxhallGH]

The correct ones are 8473 or 8743 for the Mavic 2? I get the numbers mixed up but the 8331 are for the Platinum

8743 for the Mavic 2 Pro ... Correct, the 8331 format is the 'quiet' shape/design for the Mavic Pro Platinum.

 

[Inspirephil]

8743 for the Mavic 2 Pro ... Correct, the 8331 format is the 'quiet' shape/design for the Mavic Pro Platinum.

Thanks for reminding me of what the correct number is!

 

[FoxhallGH]

Thanks for reminding me of what the correct number is!

Just FYI ... I've been informed that the numbers have meaning i.e 8331 means 8.3 inch diameter prop x 3.1 inch pitch - and - 8743 means 8.7 inch diameter x 4.3 inch pitch.
Forgive if I'm 'teaching Granny to suck eggs' - but pitch measurement is like ... "how far forward would the prop go if you immersed in a bowl of jello, and then turned it 360 degrees". Now there's a picture!

 

[Inspirephil]

Just FYI ... I've been informed that the numbers have meaning i.e 8331 means 8.3 inch diameter prop x 3.1 inch pitch - and - 8743 means 8.7 inch diameter x 4.3 inch pitch.
Forgive if I'm 'teaching Granny to suck eggs' - but pitch measurement is like ... "how far forward would the prop go if you immersed in a bowl of jello, and then turned it 360 degrees". Now there's a picture!

FYI- I just got a very sensitive digital scale and weighed all the different styles of props that I have purchased for my M2P. There’s less than .15grams between all of them. I don’t think that’s much of a weight difference between the sets. What do you think? And I weighed the set of CF props and they’re within allowable tolerances for me.
And you can teach this “Granny to suck eggs anytime”!!

 

[SharkHunter2012]

Just got these CF props for my M2P from Drone World yesterday and I will be testing them out as soon as the rain stops here in Oregon. I’ll let everyone know how I like them after a few test flights. Not looking for more speed than the stock propellers I am just checking them out for durability reasons.

I got a set of CF Props and one week in the prop broke free of the connection base. Thank god I was on the grass and a few feet off the ground, and fell on the grass. Went back to the DJI gold tips, if the entire props were CF I think it would be better. ~SharkHunter

 

[Inspirephil]

I got a set of CF Props and one week in the prop broke free of the connection base. Thank god I was on the grass and a few feet off the ground, and fell on the grass. Went back to the DJI gold tips, if the entire props were CF I think it would be better. ~SharkHunter

Where’d you buy them from? I bought mine on Amazon. I’ve had CF props on my Inspire 2 for over a year with no issues whatsoever and hopefully the ones I have on my M2P will be just as durable. But the ones on my Inspire 2 have metal hubs and that’s a big factor for durability. I wish DJI would have used metal hubs on theirs too for the Mavic props.