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Good starter drones for kids

bdee1

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Jul 26, 2018
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46
Hi I am looking for an inexpensive drone for my 9 year old son. We have a syma x5c which is ok but is a little hard to co trip and keep breaking.

I would like to get him something cheap (in case he loses it in a tree or something)

there are so many cheap drones on amazon that I don’t know which ones are worthwhile.
Anybody have any recommendations for something decent. I am looking in the under $50 price range.

Aldo I know not to expect anything amazing for that price.

any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!
 
Good that you are teaching the youth about a fascinating hobby.

I only have the Spark and can't suggest anything.

However, this YouTube channel I watch has reviews on just about all of the drones manufactured.

He has a few videos on the best inexpensive drones that may be worth watching before purchasing a disappointment.


Good Luck. :)
 
I have a Syma that I use to chase squirrels off the bird feeder, but I find it very hard to fly accurately. I also have a DJI Spark and it's lightyears better and easier to fly well, but far more expensive. It is very stable in all flight regimes and has the ability to return if the signal is lost or the battery is getting low. Frankly, while I used to peruse YouTube daily looking for drones with cameras, after I got the Spark I stopped shopping. That being said, I suggest whatever drone you're interested in should have GPS and RTH (return to home) at a minimum. Flying my Syma is like trying to balance a B.B. on a basketball and it's totally hands-on required whereas the Spark can be put into position and will stay there. This may seem overly simplified, but it's accurate. So many drone manufacturers have come and gone, without keeping up with it I don't know what to suggest. You might look at some of the drone reviewers on YouTube like Captain Drone and Quadcopter 101. They give good assessments of a wide variety of drones and usually stay abreast of the industry. Unless things have changed dramatically, under $50 isn't going to give you much more than you've already got. Good luck.
 
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Hi I am looking for an inexpensive drone for my 9 year old son. We have a syma x5c which is ok but is a little hard to co trip and keep breaking.

I would like to get him something cheap (in case he loses it in a tree or something)

there are so many cheap drones on amazon that I don’t know which ones are worthwhile.
Anybody have any recommendations for something decent. I am looking in the under $50 price range.

Aldo I know not to expect anything amazing for that price.

any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!
I watch you tube vids about products, one, The RC Saylors is good. They test a range of prices and opinions seem honest. chech them out, see what you think
 
Tello? If 100 bux is inexpensive to you, and he's 9 he might like the Ironman version. They are clearing them out at a few local stores.
I second the Tello. It’s stable, durable and flies almost like the big boys due to VPS. Also, there are some apps developed by @volate!lo over at TelloPilots that add features like FollowMe, RTH, etc.

Chris
 
Hi I am looking for an inexpensive drone for my 9 year old son. We have a syma x5c which is ok but is a little hard to co trip and keep breaking.

I would like to get him something cheap (in case he loses it in a tree or something)

there are so many cheap drones on amazon that I don’t know which ones are worthwhile.
Anybody have any recommendations for something decent. I am looking in the under $50 price range.

Aldo I know not to expect anything amazing for that price.

any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!
Basic tello is a good choice with VPS,. I don’t know your location, but used tello is less than $100 us and does not cost more for a separate controller. Used packages are available on eBay. It will need an anderoid or smart phone for controller or pictures/video. GPS or htti will cost more.

I have flown syma, etc and yes it’s like controlling a ball bearing on a mirror!

Problem I have had with 3 tellos is need to recalibrate IMU/sensor, instructions are available on internal instructions of phone app under settings/more.
 
I watched a 9-year-old very handily flying a Mavic 2 Pro. Of course, it was his dad's drone.
 
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I first bought a inexpensive drone from Amazon and it helped me learn the controls, but I found it too light weight, a light breeze kept blowing it off coarse and finally it hit a tree and broke. When I bought my used Spark, I was amazed how stable it was even on a windy day. Much better control with better motors. You get what you pay for when it comes to drones. The cheap toys on Amazon are just that, cheap toys.
 
Bet you could find a nice deal on a used Spark. That's a real drone, not a toy quadcopter.

For toy drones, stay away from the tiny $25 toy ones. Those are darn hard to fly and will cause frustration. I had a pretty nice one that was bigger, and easier to fly, but its range was pretty short and one day a sudden blast of wind came and carried it from a few steps over there to out of range in no time. It's default activity when out of range, was to just keep going. You'd think it would have been smart enough to turn the motors off on loss of signal at least. That was the only flyaway I've ever had.

On the toy ones, just as the child starts to get the hang of it, one of the motors will stop working.
 
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If it has to be $50 or under than this one might fit the bill if a camera is not needed but just keep in mind what others have stated above.
From the manual.
Looks like a good backyard drone. I'm leery when I can't find anything on the box, or in the instruction manual, that states the operating distance.
This seems disconcerting -
"When the drone goes out of range of the controller, it will automatically land itself in its current
position"
 
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From the manual.
Looks like a good backyard drone. I'm leery when I can't find anything on the box, or in the instruction manual, that states the operating distance.
This seems concerting -
"When the drone goes out of range of the controller, it will automatically land itself in its current
position"
In this price range probably looking at somewhere between 250-500'. I had something similar only bigger and got 750' out of it but the signal was very spotty.
 
See if you can find a good deal on a Parrot Mambo with the controller. It is a discontinued model and that makes the price just right at under $50 if you can find one. They fly great and have altitude hold as well as a camera. There is an app for it which lets you set certain parameters like maximum altitude and flying style. The batteries are cheap and you can find them on eBay in packs of three with a 3 slot USB charger. Look for them on eBay. That is where I have bought mine and gotten great deals on them. And they are easy to fly indoors and outdoors if it is not too windy. Good luck with your search.
 
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I Srtarted with a DJI Ryze Tello. There is a lot of educational material that is available as well. I have a Syma but it is more of a toy. If you want to teach about drones and the drone hobby, you can’t beat a Tello. It can be programmed too which is an added benefit. It’s no t my Mavic Air 2 but I am so glad that I started with my Tello. Good luck.
 
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Tello is the only way to go. It is a great little drone. But you are going to need to get a game style controller and a cell phone phone to make it worth while. I can be flown with only a cell phone but the distance is very limited. There are tons of you tube videos on the Tello. Check them out. Lots of use full info. There is also a website; tellopilots.com Lots of good stuff there.
 
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This was my first drone.. Visuo

It was great, i bought a second battery for it and spare parts. I crashed it quite a bit and my daughter almost lost it one day but, it taught me how to fly responsibly and whether or not I actually wanted a drone. I wasn't sure if it was something i would want and use.
Then I decided on the Spark because, it was just enough drone for me. If I got into the game now, I would certainly just go right to the Mavic Mini. However, I love my spark, and all the accessories i have for it.
 
I would suggest this:
Inductrix
Indoor, outdoor with minimal wind, tough as nails. This was the basis for the “Tiny Whoop”.
$50.00 USD W/ transmitter.

Jake
 
We got one of my younger cousins a Tello. He was 9 when he got it. For the kid who destroys everything he really takes care of his drone. It’s easy to fly and you can upgrade to the controller of find a package deal.

I will say in my cousins case it’s taught him discipline. Checking the drone, wind, his surroundings etc. He’s even gotten a steady enough hand to assist me on a few shoots.
 
Take a look at these drones Holy Stone HS190, Cheerwing Syma X5C-1 which all are under 50. They're easy to fly, designed for indoor and outdoor use, and pretty resilient. Develop good, responsible operational habits.
 
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