Cheaper drone suggestion for a newbie before they buy the more expensive mini?

[superfunkmojo]

I’m looking to buy a small drone for a friend as a cheaper practice drone to practice on before buying the more expensive DJI mini. The idea is it’s better for a newbie to practice on a cheaper ~$100 drone because you are more likely to crash if you’re a newbie. Does anyone have any suggestions for such a drone, which is still decent quality, but much cheaper than the mini? Thanks

 

[Itzmyobsession]

I’m looking to buy a small drone for a friend as a cheaper practice drone to practice on before buying the more expensive DJI mini. The idea is it’s better for a newbie to practice on a cheaper ~$100 drone because you are more likely to crash if you’re a newbie. Does anyone have any suggestions for such a drone, which is still decent quality, but much cheaper than the mini? Thanks

Honestly I must have went thru 3 or 4 of those cheaper drones prior to buying my Mini..the only thing I was good at was retrieving it from the surrounding trees and bushes. With no GPS it had a mind of its own?
Bit the bullet so to speak and never looked back..Rock steady in the air and a ton of fun...buy the Mini you won't regret it...just my 2 cents worth.
Have fun and good luck?

 

[StantonZ]

Maybe not what you wanted to hear, but "you get what you pay for". I'm glad I didn't waste more $ on another "cheap drone", because I never had as much fun flying as I do now (mostly because it didn't crash all the time).
This also may not be popular advice, but I'll tell you the same thing a (more experienced) drone mentor told me: stay away from the smaller (e.g. Mini) line of DJI drones if you're looking for something long-term (again "you get what you pay for").

 

[THE CYBORG]

Got to agree you will most likely crash a lot if you get something cheap it will no doubt be hard to fly / control & could put you off drones for good.
Unfortunately something that will get you hooked can be a little expensive but you won’t crash, will have the fun you want as they are easy to fly and do what you tell them to do.

 

[Dharris6891]

I started with a Blade QX180HD a few years back. The camera was basically a gimmick but the drone itself has 3 skill levels on a toggle switch on the rc. It taught me to be able to fly with assistance and eventually, in atti mode. The drone has been tough as nails and my 7 year old son now flies it to learn also. I went through a few props and a few sets of landing gears over the years. They are discontinued now but parts are still available via eBay and a few online hobby shops and even used ones are available on eBay. I was saving to buy a Mavic Mini and they went on sale on Amazon so I bought it. I haven't had any issues flying it or my newer Air 2 and I feel starting with the blade helped. I have only had a few small incidents basically related to spatial awareness when flying via the camera, chipped a few props on my MM is all.

 

[KB4MTO]

I almost gave up on flying drones because I was flying cheaper drones for the same reason you are looking for one. They aren't as finely tuned and made as the DJI drones are. I found some of them very difficult to fly like I was constantly fighting the drone rather than flying it.

As soon as I got the DJI Mavic Mini, I never crashed again until I started flying FPV drones in acro mode, but that's a totally different story.

 

[msinger]

The idea is it’s better for a newbie to practice on a cheaper ~$100 drone because you are more likely to crash if you’re a newbie

It's really hard to crash a DJI drone if you're flying in a wide open location. Cheaper drones won't help you learn how to fly a DJI drone, but they might help you improve your motor skills.

 

[ponchi101]

My first drone is a Mini. It is great as a training drone if you have the patience. I literally spent two days just practicing in the parking lot: UP-DOWN, 50 meters one way, 50 meters in reverse in the same direction, again and again. I flew it with the guards all that time which, coupled with the payload mode, will limit your range to 30Mts height, 50 mts horizon. I did not move to longer distances until I was able to lift from my front deck and land the drone in my back deck (which I could not see so I had to fly using the screen).
Save the $100 and use it get the Mini combo. It will bring you the extra batteries, the protecting cage and a case.
Also: if you are worried about crashing the drone, DJI sells you a drone refresh package that will give you two replacement drones during one year. I believe it is not much more expensive than the $100 you are planning on spending on the cheaper drone.

 

[Yogi053]

I started with cheaper drones and still have them. Never crashed them but when I bought and flew the Mini 2, I found that using a bit of commonsense and following advice on here, I found the Dji Mini 2 super stable and ridiculously easy to fly. So, if the person you are buying for takes their time, they can start off with the likes of the Mini 2 and you can save the initial £100 or so.
If they desire to miss this step and go for something costing a 'grand' or more then by all means buy them a cheap drone to crash. But remember, how many drones are you willing to buy them before you run out of patience, or indeed, money.

 

[Dharris6891]

Another option is get the mini or mini 2 and set your friend up on the DJI flight sim to practice or let them fly in the simulator with your controller. The drones in the simulator fly very real. It's great practice to get the muscle memory down.

 

[RogerDH]

My first drone is a Mini. It is great as a training drone if you have the patience. I literally spent two days just practicing in the parking lot: UP-DOWN, 50 meters one way, 50 meters in reverse in the same direction, again and again. I flew it with the guards all that time which, coupled with the payload mode, will limit your range to 30Mts height, 50 mts horizon. I did not move to longer distances until I was able to lift from my front deck and land the drone in my back deck (which I could not see so I had to fly using the screen).

For anyone considering buying a Mini after some practice, I definitely wouldn't bother with a cheap practice drone. I bought a $100 GPS drone with that idea, and all it did was make me want something better. The Mini is a good beginner drone because it's so easy to fly, so although a crash would be more expensive, it's also less likely. If you get disoriented, just let off all controls, and it will stop and wait patiently for you to figure out where it is and what you're looking at. If you can't, then hit RTH, and (presuming you correctly set the necessary altitude) it will reliably come back to you. And it's great to know it will reliably hold its position while you're fiddling with unfamiliar settings screens.

No matter what they're flying, beginners are likely to crash if they're flying around things to crash into. If you can avoid doing that for at least a few hours of practice, the Mini is a good starter drone.

 

[peterf]

I apologize for not directly answering your question, I don't have experience with any non-DJI drones. I would however say that having a drone that you really don't want to crash may be a pretty good way to get into it. You'll practice pre-flight checks and controls and then get into basic maneuvers in safe areas you picked out, you'll form a habit of checking for things like overhead wires and all sorts of towers, you'll get a feel for and set up RTH behavior and then by the time you're confident you'll actually have a reason to be confident because you haven't dared to cut corners.

 

[JC in New Hampshire]

I'll offer a contrarian view.

The "cheap" drone I learned to fly on was the GPS enabled MJX Bugs 2. The current model is the Bugs 3 MJX BUGS 3 Entry-level Brushless RTF Drone - Bugs Series - MJX | Dream Of The Future I just can't understand how they can package that much technology into a product that costs a hundred bucks. the camera on it was junk but the speed, maneuverability, power and responsiveness were awesome. The DJI drones are slow and conservative by comparison and by the time I upgraded to a Phantom, I had all the skills for absolute confidence and control.

I crashed the Bugs a few times but parts were available and I was able to replace even the entire plastic airframe.

All that said, don't buy a drone without GPS and some kind of live video feed because you will be frustrated.

 

[Marcass Carcass]

Get you up an old yuneec breeze 4K drone, less than 100....

 

[Deleted member 137163]

Great replies above. I am a brand new drone pilot...as in MA2 arrived less than a week ago. I have however been a pilot/instructor for a good long time. I waited, waited and the waited some more to jump into the MA2. The last step in the process was to debate the Mini 2 vs MA2. Either were good choices but the MA2 fit my needs. Mini 2 is a good drone but I knew that I would move to the MA2 quickly. Any comments above about the person getting frustrated and eventually stopping flying due to the characteristics of a cheaper drones are valid.

There are plenty of laws/principles of learning that apply. The law of primacy in a simple explanation says... "That which is learned first is learned best." Do your learning upfront and continuously as a drone pilot. Use checklists like your manned pilot cousins. Consider being a mentor to your friend as well. Of course make sure he joins this forum!!

Again, I am new drone pilot i.e. "student pilot". The short answer is that I did not choose to waste money on lesser drones and then move up later.

 

[howardK]

I cut my teeth on a few Skyvipers and i mean a few. I put one or two of them into the pool, hung them up in trees etc. The Skyviper Journey is not bad as it does have GPS. I still have a few of the "cheapies" but since i got my M1P's (i have two of them) the vipers just sit on my drone shelf

 

[tlswift58]

I’m looking to buy a small drone for a friend as a cheaper practice drone to practice on before buying the more expensive DJI mini. The idea is it’s better for a newbie to practice on a cheaper ~$100 drone because you are more likely to crash if you’re a newbie. Does anyone have any suggestions for such a drone, which is still decent quality, but much cheaper than the mini? Thanks

No DJI will fit that price unless it's a used one and doubtful then.

Get a Mini (used) or a Mini2 as they are not priced bad. Great little drone to practice with and unless your friend is a"cowboy" - then crashing is last thing on their mind they want to do. Yeah, crashing is somewhat inevitable, but when there is $$$$ at stake - most people a tad more conservative.

Build a drone for the cheap and most have parts that are more modular and if you and when you do crash - simply replace the broken part(s) and back to flying. A buddy build them all the time on the cheap and doesn't care if he crashes or not - as so cheap to fix. Drop it in some water and can't find it - then only about $150 in parts and time to build lost. Yet, again - the need some skin in the game to play it more conservative while learning.

 

[Rex Peters]

I’m looking to buy a small drone for a friend as a cheaper practice drone to practice on before buying the more expensive DJI mini. The idea is it’s better for a newbie to practice on a cheaper ~$100 drone because you are more likely to crash if you’re a newbie. Does anyone have any suggestions for such a drone, which is still decent quality, but much cheaper than the mini? Thanks

I would look on Kijiji as many people who originally bought the Mavic mini have upgraded to the mini 2 or MA2 and are selling their mini’s fairly cheap. I know Costco is also selling the mini now. Anyway, it would be better in my opinion to start off with a DJI drone that actually flies as well as the higher end DJI drones with a lot of the same functionalities and software. Take the leap of faith and buy the mini as your first drone. You won’t regret it.
Cheers,
Rex

 

[OldGuy]

I’m looking to buy a small drone for a friend as a cheaper practice drone to practice on before buying the more expensive DJI mini. The idea is it’s better for a newbie to practice on a cheaper ~$100 drone because you are more likely to crash if you’re a newbie. Does anyone have any suggestions for such a drone, which is still decent quality, but much cheaper than the mini? Thanks

Go straight to the DJI Mini 2. Don't waste your money on cheap drones they are not worth it and you will learn nothing that you won't learn (safely) with a Mini 2.

 

[restyler]

This time last year I was in the same position of wanting to try something relatively cheap first, so bought a Holy Stone HS165 for around £100- it was actually very good & could do most of the Mavic tricks as it had inbuilt GPS.
The main thing that let it down was its range & camera quality - but I sold it after a few months for virtually same price & bought the M2Z, although with smaller funds id have gone straight for the Mini2
If you still want to buy a cheaper model first, just spend a bit more for a gps equipped model.