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

[JoelP]

A friend gave me a $75 drone as a retirement present. It had no GPS or compass. The stability was akin to flying a helicopter - essentially none. It was relatively durable so crashing it was not an issue. I felt very good when I could keep it in the air for 5 minutes. Eventually a strong gust of wind blew this into a tree about 100’ off the ground and that was the last I saw of it. Having had so much fun with that toy drone, I bought the DJI Air. As a result of all that practice I have no fear of ATTI mode.

I used to tell people that a good entry to DJI was the Spark, but the Mini isn’t much more expensive and the Mini2 is a far better choice. Today there are drones in the $100 range that are far more stable than what I had. You will definitely develop skills with this less stable low cost drones that will serve you well when you have a more sophisticated drone.

 

[Dbez1]

I’m going to add a MM or MA2 recommendation to the list. They’re so easy to fly that with a little common sense you will not need to worry about crashing as you learn. You can pick up a used MM Combo for around $350 or a factory refurbished MA2 for $849. Buy once, cry once! Best wishes.

 

[Mavic Mini]

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

DJI (Ryze) Tello is perfect for beginner! Before Mini I have Tello.

 

[hiflyer201]

I liked all the answers because they basically all said the same thing. Don't buy a cheap drone. Remember the drone does all the flying..you just have to add common sense.

 

[macfawlty]

All these comments are spot on. Like many others, I bought a couple cheaper drones early on. It greatly discouraged me from the hobby despite a great desire for flight from being a hang glider pilot in my younger days. I couldn’t have imagined 10 years ago the advancement in drone technology available today with GPS positioning, cameras, gimbals and all of the user configuration. A big part of learning to fly is the experience of using the DJI apps and interface, on the bench and in the air in real time. Even between the different DJI apps and models there’s a learning curve.
You only learn by trial and error, but thanks to DJI technology, critical errors resulting in loss of drone and $$ are less likely.

 

[Docfly]

Opinions here are very individual, so here is my 2¢. I bought a "practice drone" for $40 with an end result of wasting $40. I then took out my Mavic Pro (my wife paid $1000 for the drone package) and took it to a WIDE OPEN FIELD and put it in BEGINNER MODE and began with small steps like hover, forward a few feet, back a few feet, rotate, etc.
If you buy a Mini, watch online tutorials and set maximum height and maximum distance to low numbers until you get confident. If you are heading for a tree or pole or house with a Mini (or DJI Air or Pro or ...), don't panic. Just release the toggle sticks and it will hover. Don't force it. That said, give all obstacles a very wide berth before you get proficient.

 

[scro]

Would you want to learn to drive in a cheap car that is difficult to drive and likely to crash, or would you much rather have a slightly more expensive car that is much easier to drive, more stable and far less likely to crash? Like others have said, cheap drones are almost always horrible to fly and not a worthwhile investment.

The Tello is relatively inexpensive, quite stable in the right conditions, and robust enough to withstand tumbles and crashes. I have one and have many hours of fun flying it. However, for a bit more of an outlay you get something like a mavic mini, which is a vastly more capable drone in every aspect. I have a Mavic Mini now and almost never fly the Tello any more.

 

[bassmanphil3]

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.

I have a Tello at £100 its a bargain

 

[Tsav]

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 easily spent more combined on “cheaper” drones that were all major disappointments than if I had purchased a Mini to begin with.

Enjoy a mini!

Good luck!

 

[IFlyhigh37]

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.

I also had the MJX Bugs 3 it’s a fun drone to learn on I had to buy the camera separately I also bought a 360 camera for it. It’s I well made good size drone fast and fun. I still have 2 on standby if I ever want to fly with no GPS. But I do have the mini and Mavic 2 pro which I love. The mini would definitely be my choice if you want a good camera and it’s a good learner before you get into the more expensive drones.

 

[cgmaxed]

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

Most every one is right. Wait and save your money for a Mini 2. Buy prop guards if you are a beginner. They let you hit almost anything solid. The mini doesn't even flinch. It just bounces off and keeps flying. Great for indoor practice.

 

[BamaBomber]

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?

I have 3 DJI drones now, but in the beginning, I was using the Hubsan 501S. Its not near the quality of a DJI, but they’re a lot of fun.

 

[Fort Pierce Pilot]

I could go either way on this one. I started with a non gps $50 (on sale) cheapo from Amcrest. Lost it a couple times - retrieved out of trees with a weight casting up with a fishing rod. (I'm sure my neighbors thought I was nuts) I painted the black prop guards orange to better find them when I crashed. The camera was junk. I could not trim it out to hover; so a constant battle to fly. It has a place of honor in my office and occasionally I challenge myself to fly it.
That said, the very first time I saw my neighborhood from the sky I was hooked. I also felt the pain of crashes and lost drones. This gave me much more respect for the skills I needed to gain. In hindsight, I should have bought one with GPS - it would have been almost as beneficial but less frustrating. I did get a lot of experience in "Atti" mode, so I'm not completely panicked if I see that.
Hope this helps!

 

[MavicMiniMancUK]

Yup, same here, started off with cheap toy drones ... spent most of the time picking them out of trees and bushes ... treat yourself, spend the extra on the Mini or the Mini 2 ... you won't regret it, i know i didnt with my Mini. They fly pretty much straight out of the box and once the software is installed on your phone/tablet ... steady in the air due to GPS and easy to fly and SOOOOOOOOOOO much fun

 

[PhoebeSnow]

The Fimi x8 se 2020 is terrific and a great alternative to DJI. Have 2 of them (plus 4 DJI drones). Great in wind, video is awesome, range terrific, battery life 30-35 minutes and price only about $400. Similar to the Mavic Pro in size but with no sensors. You really don't need them flying conservatively. Got it because I was tired of DJI's updates with more flight restrictions. The Fimi rarely has them. And if lost or fly away not as worrisome as a $1500 Mavic 2 Pro.

 

[rainsipper]

Why don't go for a used Spark or Mini? I was a newbie like everyone else and I started the sport with a used Spark. Did lots of reading before my first purchase. My conclusion is, in short, nothing better than a DJI at its price level. A Spark is still better than most sub $200 4K drones. The gimbal played an important role to give you a steady footage. Even at 1080p the footages are usable and a pleasure to watch.

I flew hundreds of hours with my Spark, Air and Pro. There were some moments that I might have my drones lost but they are still with me. Read a lot about the behaviour of your drone, plan your flight carefully, be prepared for every possible situations, and your drone would be secure. If you plan to fly a DJI, don't waste time on other drones. Get a used one and get yourself familiar with the drone and the app.

 

[Flyhighsky]

Don't know about the cheap ones but I started out with a Parrot Bebop2 I got off ebay..came with the minimum needed stuff..1 batt,controller,fpv goggles charger and spare props. paid $175..of course I crashed a few times but its rugged just replaced a couple props, It flies very well has gps and rth..easy to repair great camera/vids. still fly parrot power editions now and mav mini


Jim

 

[JoelP]

While you may get frustrated with a drone that has no GPS capability I can promise you that if you learn to fly one of these cheap drones first you will be a better drone pilot when you upgrade later. You will spend every moment of flying trying not to crash and will likely lose it after some time in a tree. With this experience under your belt you will have the confidence to fly a much better drone in ATTI mode that most drone pilots never get any practice at flying.

 

[ashyt16]

The fun of drone flying comes from actually being able to fly the thing and great camera views. Cheapo drones are frustrating on several levels.
Difficult and frustrating to fly. Short flight time, short distance, fear and likely hood of loss and random behaviour.

Don't waste your time, you won't learn anything flying these things. Trying to control and ride a shopping trolley with an engine is not the same as driving a proper vehicle.
You won't learn anything on the trolley.

It is scary enough your first few flights with a drone, but with a mini it will literally fly itself and the learning curve is much shorter.
My 8 year old son was able to fly a mini with ease within minutes.

Just go easy in wide open spaces and you'll be enjoying being airborne in no time without fear of randomly crashing or your drone waving goodbye never to be seen again.

Hone your skills on the vehicle you plan to use, don't frustrate yourself and spoil the experience on something half baked.
DJI drones are very reliable and not easy to lose unless because of your own stupidity.

 

[CaptainMavic]

The Potensic D58 is fun to fly and not very expensive. But I got my Mini used for $100 and wouldn’t go back. Now my Mavic Pro is my favorite and I bought it used for $200.