ARF Multirotors Vendors

[Murocflyer]

I was listening to TheCrashCast yesterday and they discussed a company called Ready To Fly Quads. The make a quad call The Flip. Looks like a nice quad and and at a good price.


I just bought a DX8 in preparation for buying my first multirotor. I had planned on getting a Blade mQX but then thought it might be better to get something bigger. Since I really don't have time to build my own, and in the airplane world ARFs are a big hit, it made me think that there must be other companies that make ARF multirotors.


Can anyone take a few moments to share who else makes ARF multirotors (bigger than those small mulirotors for around $100) so I can have a look at them to see what I'd like to buy? As always, links are always a bonus.


Thanks,


Frank

 

[Bartman]

I was listening to TheCrashCast yesterday and they discussed a company called Ready To Fly Quads. The make a quad call The Flip. Looks like a nice quad and and at a good price.


I just bought a DX8 in preparation for buying my first multirotor. I had planned on getting a Blade mQX but then thought it might be better to get something bigger. Since I really don't have time to build my own, and in the airplane world ARFs are a big hit, it made me think that there must be other companies that make ARF multirotors.


Can anyone take a few moments to share who else makes ARF multirotors (bigger than those small mulirotors for around $100) so I can have a look at them to see what I'd like to buy? As always, links are always a bonus.


Thanks,


Frank

Hi Frank,

When my shop is open I plan to sell my basic XY quad frame in a variety of combinations to suit different users' needs. If starting out, the standard center frame (which is universal for all of the combinations) with shorter arms and four motors will make a good starter quad. It can be supplied as a "rolling chassis" (that's what car guys refer to as a body and frame without a motor) in which case you'd get the frame, motors, esc's, all assembled and ready for you to drop your control system into place. As you progress you can change it from a four motor quad to an eight motor coaxial quad, lengthen the arms, add the Big Mutha' pro grade 2-axis camera mount that I'll have for sale, whatever, and it will all be very familiar to you and less of an investment than having to buy an entirely new frame and flight control system.

I'd recommend the Hoverfly PRO flight control system as it flies well and is very well suited for either sport/fun/FPV flying or professional grade aerial media work.

If you have more specific expectations we can discuss the flight control system that might be best for you.

It's one option, give it some thought. Pricing and availability will be online soon. PM me if you have any questions or email me at bart@aerdro.com.

Thanks,
Bart

 

[Droider]

Is this a thread about mine is better than yours or what!

@ Murcocflyer are you affiliated to the site you are linking to?

Dave

 

[Bartman]

what do you mean Dave? i was under the impression he was asking for options while referencing the info he came across the night before?

did i misread it?

 

[PeterLester]

I am sure most MR manufacturers get caught by surprise with an unexpected amount of additional technical support that almost every customer requires...... most of which traces back to Radio Control system configuration issues. Hence the DJI marketing approach to sell a completely functional system including the radio....."called the Phantom".

DraganFlyer and others previously attempted to follow the same approach but with proprietary developed RC systems which get expensive.

The Blade MQX is another example that is ready to fly out-of-the-box.
Benefit: You can learn quickly for crashes with little to no repair costs and get hooked on the hobby.
Disadvantage: You will get bored fast with the smaller MRs which have no payload capability etc.

For a system that is not quite ready to fly but easier to assemble..... there is the DJI F450 or F550 in which case the DX8 is a very good and compatible RC system to use with it.

I was listening to TheCrashCast yesterday and they discussed a company called Ready To Fly Quads. The make a quad call The Flip. Looks like a nice quad and and at a good price.


I just bought a DX8 in preparation for buying my first multirotor. I had planned on getting a Blade mQX but then thought it might be better to get something bigger. Since I really don't have time to build my own, and in the airplane world ARFs are a big hit, it made me think that there must be other companies that make ARF multirotors.


Can anyone take a few moments to share who else makes ARF multirotors (bigger than those small mulirotors for around $100) so I can have a look at them to see what I'd like to buy? As always, links are always a bonus.


Thanks,


Frank

 

[Brugamer]

Drioder needs to read a little closer I think.

 

[PeterLester]

As previously mentioned..... some MR manufacturers offer their own RC system for their ARF/RTF MR.... here is one from DraganFlyer.....
http://www.draganfly.com/uav-helicopter/draganflyer-x8/specifications/controller.php

I was listening to TheCrashCast yesterday and they discussed a company called Ready To Fly Quads. The make a quad call The Flip. Looks like a nice quad and and at a good price.


I just bought a DX8 in preparation for buying my first multirotor. I had planned on getting a Blade mQX but then thought it might be better to get something bigger. Since I really don't have time to build my own, and in the airplane world ARFs are a big hit, it made me think that there must be other companies that make ARF multirotors.


Can anyone take a few moments to share who else makes ARF multirotors (bigger than those small mulirotors for around $100) so I can have a look at them to see what I'd like to buy? As always, links are always a bonus.


Thanks,


Frank

 

[Droider]

Apologies for not reading correctly. It had been a long day!

 

[Bartman]

I am sure most MR manufacturers get caught by surprise with an unexpected amount of additional technical support that almost every customer requires...... most of which traces back to Radio Control system configuration issues. Hence the DJI marketing approach to sell a completely functional system including the radio....."called the Phantom".

DraganFlyer and others previously attempted to follow the same approach but with proprietary developed RC systems which get expensive.

The Blade MQX is another example that is ready to fly out-of-the-box.
Benefit: You can learn quickly for crashes with little to no repair costs and get hooked on the hobby.
Disadvantage: You will get bored fast with the smaller MRs which have no payload capability etc.

For a system that is not quite ready to fly but easier to assemble..... there is the DJI F450 or F550 in which case the DX8 is a very good and compatible RC system to use with it.

I've got a Blade mQX and will finish up a product review soon. It flies much better than I expected and I think it's a perfectly good option for learning to fly. It's actually a little quirky to fly as it's doing something between manual/attitude mode and auto-level.....the result is you've got to fly it or it'll go coasting off in one direction (like a manual mode heli). It sits on the floor calmly as you bring the power up which a lot of bigger heli's won't do so it can be steered around on the floor as you figure out the controls and what does what. In fact, you can put it up on an angle with two motors running and the other two stopped and it will just sit there waiting for your next move. It's better than I expected, definitely an option if you really want to learn to fly one and not just slew it around with help from the GPS.

My eyes were opened when I saw the guys flying these around the gymnasium in Toledo before the eTOC and they would have given warthox a run for his money, with an mQX!! I think my mouth was actually hanging open at the sight.

Formal review soon.

Bart

 

[SMP]

One of the best bits of advice from the guys here at MRF was to start with the little Blade MQX. Being able to crash it into just about everything before moving onto the 550 helped a ton. As Bart mentioned it's like flying a DJI Naza in Manual, inside the living room. We've crashed it into coffee tables, draperies, TV's, ourselves. It's a blast. The cat digs it too. What the Blade does NOT like is wind. Sooner or later you will want to take it outside. Bring your track shoes and a decent sense of Orientation cause that little guy will be out of sight in a flat second.

 

[Murocflyer]

@ Murcocflyer are you affiliated to the site you are linking to?

Dave

Why do you ask that?

And thanks for the info gentlemen. Not sure what I am looking for right now for a MR, just really looking to know what it out there right now when I get tired of the mQX.

Frank