| Specs | |
|---|---|
| Flight Time | 5-8 mins |
| Charge Time | approx. 30 mins |
| Control Distance | about 30m |
| Size | 40 x 40 x 22 mm |
| Weight | 11.5g |
I first saw this drone back around November/December of last year while browsing Micro Center for some computer parts. The store had a stack of them near the checkout for customers to pick up as impulse buys. It wasn't until almost half a year later that I decided to buy it. Honestly, I picked it up mostly because I thought it was super cute!
While first flying it, I was a little worried. My dad and I had previously tried out only one (faulty) drone before this one. His first drone was a little bit larger and meant for outdoor flight, but it seemed ideal to start with a smaller drone to learn to fly. Hands down, the CX-10 was the best starter drone for us. It flies extremely well, responds to the controls accurately, and seems to withstand some serious crashes. After playing with my orange CX-10 for a bit, my dad decided to buy his own green one.
After a small kerfuffle with our lemon tree, I looked into buying a guard. The particular model we bought came with just the basics: the quad, a charger, a controller, and a few extra propellors. We managed to find a package with two guards and four extra sets of propellers for about $12 on Amazon. The guards do a great job of protecting the drone (and trees) from damage. You can even bump the drone into walls and it will stay in the air. However, it does cut down on the flying time with the extra weight.
The propellers that came in the bundle, although advertised for our model, did not fit our drones. We ended up taking a 1/32" Dremel drill bit and manually widening the holes in order to widen the propellor holes to fit on the CX-10 motors.
The CX-10 is primarily an indoor drone. It has 3 different speed modes and can be taken outside on calmer days. I recommend bumping up to a higher speed mode to combat the wind. The quad also features a 360° spin that is activated by pushing one button and indicating which direction the drone should flip.
Really, the only downside of this quad is the relatively short flight-time, but it is comparable to other quadcopters of its size. Every time the drone ran out of juice, we didn't want to stop flying! The charge time isn't too long (about a half hour).
For about $20 (and ~$6 for spare parts), the CX-10 is a fun quadcopter and easy-to-fly for beginners!
| Summary | |
|---|---|
| Features | ★★★★★★☆ |
| Battery Life | ★★★★★★★ |
| Control | ★★★★★★★ |
| Durability | ★★★★★★★ |
| Price | ★★★★★★★ |
| Total: ★★★★★★★ | |
I'll have to look for this the next time I'm in Micro Center. I guess I'm surprised these don't come "complete" with what you would need to safely fly. Has it been your experience that most of the spare parts purchased need to have modification?
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your blog!
Fortunately, the kits usually do include the basics and many starter drones have a built-in guard. As long as you're not recklessly trying to damage the drone or things in your house, you should be okay without it. But accidents do happen!
ReplyDeleteI'm honestly not sure what happened with the propellers. The description on Amazon made it seem like they were meant for our specific model. The only other spare part I've had to order so far, I did extensive research on prior to ordering to avoid the need for modification. It's a 50/50 gamble in my experience so far.