DucktileMedia
Drone Enthusiast
Ok, I have to get a bunch of things off my chest.
First off, I am getting into AP because I mentioned to a client that i did a video for that I always wanted to try this. He told me he would volunteer to be my first paying client once I got it figured out. I have owned about 5 helicopters and many planes and am not afraid to weld, solder, machine, etc. although non perfected software often leaves me lost.
With this said. As i started to peruse the forums and see what was available I started to see that the options were wide spread. It appeared that the Xaircraft was getting some pretty good feedback from people thinking of using a Guai for beginner AP. As i started to dig up information on this I was starting to think this was the route I would end up taking. After a few weeks of forums and many hours talking to Jeff at Xaircraft USA I was convinced that any of the previous problems XA might have had were completely ironed out. BUT.........
After placing my order for my x650 v8 which was supposed to arrive July 21st i have been doing more research and talking to people who actually own one or both of the XA/MK units. So far there is 1 person that has had a wonderful out of the box experience, and the other few have told me "good luck with that." So out of fear I may have made a bad decision. Back to the internet to try to dig up even more info. So far the forums would suggest that the XA is erratic and not predictable yet a good handful of people seem to enjoy flying them on a hobby level. But I have no interest in watching something do aerobatics nor do i care to show how zippy it is. I want dead stable/slow and predictable. And as this request gets presented to the masses i get the same answer-MK.
But there is a rebellious side of me that thinks XA might have fixed all their issues and will have a great machine that can compete with the MK for a 1/4 the cost and has a really nice frame to add.
I would love to hear form people who actually have seen both fly or at least have the XA, what their honest opinion is for using this as an AP platform. The plug n play aspect of XA is so nice. And one of the things about MK that baffles me so much is that they are supposedly making the best unit in the world yet they make you solder parts on a board that should really just be on there to begin with. Why, if you went so far as to have someone make this precision circuit board would you stop there and have people risk doing harm to expensive electronics when you could have completed the job for another $5-10? It drives me nuts! So part of me feels like I dont want to join the masses just because they are the masses. I know i am rambling , sorry...
I was told XA has super glued magnets on the motors and the props can be easliy over tightened leading to stripped threads and possibly pulling the motor shaft out?! I've heard that the GPS was a complete failure (although i dont really need this for my application). I have heard it jitters alot from some and others say it is pretty stable. It also seems that instead of making new software/hardware, they made a new frame. XA is still using the same FC, so if there was a previous problem, I am guessing this will STILL be a problem. But when someone says, "hey, it's no mikrokopter." that implies to me that there must be this huge visible difference in flying quality. But so far not that many people can back that difference up with hard evidence. And as nice as Jeff at XA USA is, he is obviously going to be a biased answer, although I do tend to believe most of what he tells me.
So can anyone and everyone chime in here who has real answers? As much as I think MK is the bees knees, I would love to be the first to prove everyone wrong about XA with their new units coming out.
HELP!
First off, I am getting into AP because I mentioned to a client that i did a video for that I always wanted to try this. He told me he would volunteer to be my first paying client once I got it figured out. I have owned about 5 helicopters and many planes and am not afraid to weld, solder, machine, etc. although non perfected software often leaves me lost.
With this said. As i started to peruse the forums and see what was available I started to see that the options were wide spread. It appeared that the Xaircraft was getting some pretty good feedback from people thinking of using a Guai for beginner AP. As i started to dig up information on this I was starting to think this was the route I would end up taking. After a few weeks of forums and many hours talking to Jeff at Xaircraft USA I was convinced that any of the previous problems XA might have had were completely ironed out. BUT.........
After placing my order for my x650 v8 which was supposed to arrive July 21st i have been doing more research and talking to people who actually own one or both of the XA/MK units. So far there is 1 person that has had a wonderful out of the box experience, and the other few have told me "good luck with that." So out of fear I may have made a bad decision. Back to the internet to try to dig up even more info. So far the forums would suggest that the XA is erratic and not predictable yet a good handful of people seem to enjoy flying them on a hobby level. But I have no interest in watching something do aerobatics nor do i care to show how zippy it is. I want dead stable/slow and predictable. And as this request gets presented to the masses i get the same answer-MK.
But there is a rebellious side of me that thinks XA might have fixed all their issues and will have a great machine that can compete with the MK for a 1/4 the cost and has a really nice frame to add.
I would love to hear form people who actually have seen both fly or at least have the XA, what their honest opinion is for using this as an AP platform. The plug n play aspect of XA is so nice. And one of the things about MK that baffles me so much is that they are supposedly making the best unit in the world yet they make you solder parts on a board that should really just be on there to begin with. Why, if you went so far as to have someone make this precision circuit board would you stop there and have people risk doing harm to expensive electronics when you could have completed the job for another $5-10? It drives me nuts! So part of me feels like I dont want to join the masses just because they are the masses. I know i am rambling , sorry...
I was told XA has super glued magnets on the motors and the props can be easliy over tightened leading to stripped threads and possibly pulling the motor shaft out?! I've heard that the GPS was a complete failure (although i dont really need this for my application). I have heard it jitters alot from some and others say it is pretty stable. It also seems that instead of making new software/hardware, they made a new frame. XA is still using the same FC, so if there was a previous problem, I am guessing this will STILL be a problem. But when someone says, "hey, it's no mikrokopter." that implies to me that there must be this huge visible difference in flying quality. But so far not that many people can back that difference up with hard evidence. And as nice as Jeff at XA USA is, he is obviously going to be a biased answer, although I do tend to believe most of what he tells me.
So can anyone and everyone chime in here who has real answers? As much as I think MK is the bees knees, I would love to be the first to prove everyone wrong about XA with their new units coming out.
HELP!
Last edited by a moderator: