Purchasing my first drone

[ebarber]

Hello everyone, I am looking to purchase my first drone by purchasing something not expensive and will entertain my needs for a while. Call me cheap but I am trying not to go over $400 but will tolerate $450. As of right now I am looking at the new DJI Mini SE and Mini 2. I am contemplating which drone and package I should buy; $299 Mini SE (Standard), $379 Mini SE (Fly More), $379 Mini 2 (Standard/Refurbished), or $445 Mini 2 (Standard). I guess I am looking for advise on wether refurbished is trustworthy and if the fly more package out weighs the quality of a better drone or vice versa. I am pretty set on purchasing a drone from DJI but open to suggestions. I have seen the Zino Mini Pro but to me hubsan doesn’t build DJI quality drones even if their specs claim to exceed that of the Mini 2.

 

[db4476]

Mini 2 would be my choice.

4k video on the Mini 2 vs 2.5k video on Mini SE.
Mini 2 has OcuSync with a 6mile range, Mini SE has Enhanced wifi-2.5 mile range.
Flight time is about the same, 31mins Mini 2 vs 30 Mins Mini SE.
Mini 2 is a bit faster @ 16m/s vs 13m/s for the Mini SE.

In my view, the Mini SE is a rehash of the Original mini. I would go with the Mini 2 that has better video resolution and a much better controller.

Cheers!

 

[Lastrexking]

Mini2 all the way

 

[Deleted member 103366]

Why not consider second hand?
To be honest, both for long term economy and satifaction/enjoyment, I think the flymore is desirable. I suspect you would find, rather quickly, that having only one battery becomes frustrating.
With the Mini series I also think the multi sequential charger makes a very convenient battery storage container.

Other things to consider, what can your 'video equipment' handle?
Is you phone compatible with the FLY App?

 

[ebarber]

Why not consider second hand?
To be honest, both for long term economy and satifaction/enjoyment, I think the flymore is desirable. I suspect you would find, rather quickly, that having only one battery becomes frustrating.
With the Mini series I also think the multi sequential charger makes a very convenient battery storage container.

Other things to consider, what can your 'video equipment' handle?
Is you phone compatible with the FLY App?

T
Yes my phone is compatible with the DJI Fly App. I really do appreciate your response, thank you. Also, sorry if this is a stupid question but what do you mean by second hand?

 

[Deleted member 103366]

Previously owned by someone i.e. you would be the 2nd or 3rd or.......owner.

 

[ebarber]

Previously owned by someone i.e. you would be the 2nd or 3rd or.......owner.

Alright, that sounds interesting. I will start asking around.

 

[Deleted member 103366]

I bought a Mavic Mini new but my Phantoms and the Mavic 2 are second, or more, hand bought via ebay. The buyer protection is a useful safety net. I sent one Phantom back because of undeclared stress cracks in the motor mounts. I assume you have similar protection in the USA.

 

[Interficiam Stercore]

A DJI refurbished or preowned Mini2 fly more combo. But get DJI Care when you recieve it. It's an easy process. For the mini 2 it is very inexpensive.

 

[ebarber]

I bought a Mavic Mini new but my Phantoms and the Mavic 2 are second, or more, hand bought via ebay. The buyer protection is a useful safety net. I sent one Phantom back because of undeclared stress cracks in the motor mounts. I assume you have similar protection in the USA.

Yes we do, hearing you say that you bought used drones on eBay makes me feel much better about purchasing from there. Thank you for you detailed response.

 

[Rhody Seth]

I picked up the Mini 2 a few months ago and really enjoy it. I didn't do the fly more package and eventually I picked up an additional battery and charger.

 

[Schweizer 126MH]

Hello everyone, I am looking to purchase my first drone by purchasing something not expensive and will entertain my needs for a while. Call me cheap but I am trying not to go over $400 but will tolerate $450. As of right now I am looking at the new DJI Mini SE and Mini 2. I am contemplating which drone and package I should buy; $299 Mini SE (Standard), $379 Mini SE (Fly More), $379 Mini 2 (Standard/Refurbished), or $445 Mini 2 (Standard). I guess I am looking for advise on wether refurbished is trustworthy and if the fly more package out weighs the quality of a better drone or vice versa. I am pretty set on purchasing a drone from DJI but open to suggestions. I have seen the Zino Mini Pro but to me hubsan doesn’t build DJI quality drones even if their specs claim to exceed that of the Mini 2.

A friend has the mavic mini 2. Video is excellent HD, small and portable and excellent machine. Costco has them new at $450. I’m going to get one to backup my Mavic Pro 2 for hiking.

 

[atc1]

There appears to be two DJI sellers on eBay for factory refurbished. (1) dronesuperstore and (2) official eBay DJI store. They both offer factory DJI refurbished products, however dronesuperstore has cheaper prices. Any thoughts why to pick one over another?
Thanks

 

[Deleted member 103366]

Can you verify that 1) is actually selling drones refurbished by DJI?
Similarly are you certain the 2) is actually the company "DJI"? I have not noticed they do so in the UK.
What warranties do these sellers offer and who is responsible for the warranty?

 

[atc1]

Can you verify that 1) is actually selling drones refurbished by DJI?
Similarly are you certain the 2) is actually the company "DJI"? I have not noticed they do so in the UK.
What warranties do these sellers offer and who is responsible for the warranty?

All I can go by is what the listing says. They both state their products are "Certified DJI Refurbished"
Yes, 2) is the official eBay DJI store. Warranty appears identical.

 

[Deleted member 103366]

What are their feedbacks like, you can 'sort' and display the feedbacks by type I.e. positive, neutral, negative. I often check the negatives and neutrals to see what the problems were and to see how a seller responds to those feedbacks. If the seller gets 'mouthy' I generally give them a miss.

 

[WyomingCB]

I'm not trying to up-sale you with this comment but what kind of winds do you encounter on the OR Coast?

Reason I mention this, The mini and it's many clones/copies won't handle the winds we usually see in most parts of Wyoming. I learned on a mini clone and quickly discovered that an 8-10 mph wind will simply take it away. All a fella can do in that case is set it down before it's out of range or possibly lost forever.

Allegedly the mini 2 is more resilient but I've seen videos and read reports of a noticeable difference between it and the larger Mav 2, Air 2 etc.

 

[PVilardi]

My first drone was a renewed mini 1 fly more from Amazon for $249.00. I have over 350 flights with it and no issues to date. I mostly bought it for training purposes. Then I purchased a new Mavic Air2. So in effect the Mini was my gateway drug into drones

 

[slozukimc]

My first drone was a renewed mini 1 fly more from Amazon for $249.00. I have over 350 flights with it and no issues to date. I mostly bought it for training purposes. Then I purchased a new Mavic Air2. So in effect the Mini was my gateway drug into drones

I agree. I sold my Mini 2 because the wind never quits blowing here and while zig zagging back and forth to get home fighting the wind and bordering on running out of battery is super thrilling it wasn’t the thrill I was hunting for. Lol

Mike

 

[WyomingCB]

Today isn't windy by our standards. Not as calm as yesterday but way better than tomorrow is supposed to be.
Today it changed from 3-5 mph to 10-20 mph in about 30 minutes.
Here's the image if it shows up. ??