Best Hobby Remote & App Controlled Vehicles
One Key Return Home. : With the press of a button (return to home) in Headless Mode, the drone would be able to fly back to the direction of the transmitter. 120° FOV HD Wifi CAMERA: Equipped with the newest 720P 120° Wide-angle HD Wifi Camera, which allows you to take high-res pictures & video during flight.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"or have a life... :). Sure, I chose this drone because of the features and low price to some extent but most of all; the great things said about their support! Be ready on the speed switch in case you need that extra burst of power! I contacted Holy Stone and replacement was handled straight away without leaving me with a feeling that I did anything wrong and they were doing me a favor. They directed me to a video on you tube and after that, I authored a motor replacement guide in PDF format. Recorded inside with normal ceilings and I still managed NOT to hit my wife's good glass decorations or wake the cat. Without that it would be a motor-burnt pile of black plastic and propellers, suitable for making a really weird looking planter with cool lighting..."
"While attempting to fly it out doors on a very calm day my daughter synced the drone to the remote and calibrated the gyro. she depressed the take off button and the drone shot straight into the air at full throttle with no remote control input. This is where customer service stepped in... After a couple of emails and proof of purchase they replaced the drone."
"Only flaw with mine is the RIGHT REAR motor seems to spin up slower than the others on startup which is not a real deal breaker, but I have to be prepared to correct the trajectory on takeoff. This motor may just be a little weaker than the others because the trim characteristics are maxed out to compensate for drift in that direction."
"My biggest complaint is how annoying the battery is to remove and replace."
"Easy to fly - even for a newb. I'm currently charging the batteries and can hardly wait to fly it again."
Package Includes: 1 x Quadcopter. 1 x 2.4G Remote controller (AA batteries not included). 1 x 3.7V 350mAh Li-ion battery. 4 x Additional blades. 1 x USB charger. 1 x Screwdriver. 1 x User Manual. HEADLESS SECURITY SYSTEM Enables players of any level to fly the drone easily.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"When I got my drone, it flew itself into a wall within the first couple minutes of flying (because I didn't know I had to calibrate the gyro (what I talked about above)) and one of the motors got all screwy. I wrote them with hopes that they would maybe send a new motor to replace that one, and they wrote back in a few hours saying "We'll send you a new drone."
"I was surprised to get a call on a Friday night at 7pm from a local number in La Puente, CA (626) 465-7134. He states he will be happy to send me a new drone and transmitter, if I could "help him out" by filling out more reviews. Then, he states he will email me a link to the Holy Stone company website, where I can post a review about his excellent customer service. I emailed him back, b/c all the links he sent me were to Amazon's website, none to Holy Stone's. I told him I revised my original 4 star Amazon rating to a 5, based on customer service thus far. He said he thought we agreed that if I posted excellent reviews, then he would ask his "finance" dept to send me a new drone and transmitter. Honestly, even if he does send me a new drone in good faith --> I am revising my review to 1 star based on the fact that the product stopped working after 10 minutes in normal flying conditions, and because the customer service, while promptly responsive, was geared solely on getting as many 5 star reviews for their products, regardless of whether they were bonafide, genuine, ethical reviews or not."
"Minor things to note would be 1) winds do disturb this little guy, but it is that - little and light weight - so not a real surprise. One could argue that the commoditization of gyros and brushless motors would lead an intuitive economist to expect prices to drop to the levels of this toy, but that same person could argue that with the commoditization and the increasing demand for these products, that performance would be employed as a differentiation strategy...but I digress. I'm not sure where to go with this experience for my own benefit (attempt to return it to Amazon, hope that the manufacturer takes note, etc). But I feel it is my responsibility to notify you, the readers of this product review, of this issue - and hope that you pay attention while charging, lest you discover a small incredibly brilliant fireball alight where you tiny LIPO battery once sat."
3D Flip: When the copter is flying in headless mode, player should keep facing the forward direction, do not turn your body's direction. Battery Flight Time: About 7-9 Minutes.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This is (was) my first drone. That said, this does fly well for a $100 drone. However one of the motors burned out after my 2nd day of use."
"After reading countless reviews in search of a quad with a camera, I settled on the Holy Stone F181 and so far, have been quite pleased with it. The initial problem I had with researching was the numerous quads with 5 star reviews were from customers who were given free items in exchange for their reviews. Many reviewers have pointed out their exceptional customer service however I didn't think I would need tech support as I am an experienced flyer. I was able to fly this higher than any other quad I own that was in the same price range. All in all, for the price this one is hard to beat for beginners and even more advanced flyers and Holy Stone customer service is outstanding!"
"revised review: after 1st time out getting some video, copter worked fine, downloaded videos and every one was apparently corrupted."
"Since my review, they have contacted me and we are working on correcting the issue - offering me a drone to better suit what I am looking for. Due to their exceptional customer service, I am changing my review. ***NEW UPDATED REVIEW***. Holy Stone provided me with the HS160 and it appears to be exactly what we are looking for - real time view and great flying."
Best Hobby RC Airplanes
Simply speaking, when you choose a headless mode, your drone will go to left when you pull the left transmitter stick and go to right when you pull the right all the time, regardless where your drone is pointing at. HEADLESS MODE DRONE FOR KIDS and BEGINNERS: Worried about controlling or losing the drone?
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I found that this drone flies great if you take the time to understand the controls and make sure that it's level before you turn it on."
"It took so long for the controller to pair with the drone that I only got to fly about 3 minutes before it crashed and that was that. The instructions say "charge the battery first" so I did that. The red light on the charger cable (the red light is at the usb end) went out pretty quickly (30 minutes or so). I went to separate the battery from the charger cable and, whoopsy, out comes the wire from the connection that the battery plugs into. At this point I decided that I would never charge a battery while it was in the drone. Take the whole damn battery out, replace it or charge it, plug it into the drone connector cable, then put the battery in the drone. The manual does not tell you to move the left controller (the one that isn't spring loaded which controls propeller speed) to force pairing. Even doing that it still took over 5 minutes to pair the controller to the drone. When it is finally paired, the blinking green light on the controller will be solid. All I can say is....be patient...and when you no longer see the red light on the green/yellow/red light bar projected onto your working surface (its about 1" long and ½" wide), turn off the drone, wait 5 seconds and turn it on again. Pairing the camera: Took about 5 minutes and the instructions are easily understood...but read 'em two or three times anyway. The camera will only pair with your phone when the red portion of the light bar I previously mentioned is flashing. They sent me batteries, rotors, rotor guards and a new engine...oh and a cable. But now that I have the stuff, and an electric hobby screwdriver for those tiny screws, I'm happily playing with my drone again."
"The drone is a very nice toy, me and my son are enjoying it so far."
"However, after downloading 4 different camera apps with no camera response on his android, we tried the download on his iPod 5th gen."
"Strike one, strike two, this was my third quad, strike three, OUT!"
"Included instructions were vague and difficult to understand as there numerous control functions along with different modes to select from."
"I Lost control of my drone."
"Connection had to be with the phone so you could see the video but the video lags."
Best Hobby RC Cars
One Key Return Home. : With the press of a button (return to home) in Headless Mode, the drone would be able to fly back to the direction of the transmitter. 120° FOV HD Wifi CAMERA: Equipped with the newest 720P 120° Wide-angle HD Wifi Camera, which allows you to take high-res pictures & video during flight.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"or have a life... :). Sure, I chose this drone because of the features and low price to some extent but most of all; the great things said about their support! Be ready on the speed switch in case you need that extra burst of power! I contacted Holy Stone and replacement was handled straight away without leaving me with a feeling that I did anything wrong and they were doing me a favor. They directed me to a video on you tube and after that, I authored a motor replacement guide in PDF format. Recorded inside with normal ceilings and I still managed NOT to hit my wife's good glass decorations or wake the cat. Without that it would be a motor-burnt pile of black plastic and propellers, suitable for making a really weird looking planter with cool lighting..."
"While attempting to fly it out doors on a very calm day my daughter synced the drone to the remote and calibrated the gyro. she depressed the take off button and the drone shot straight into the air at full throttle with no remote control input. This is where customer service stepped in... After a couple of emails and proof of purchase they replaced the drone."
"Only flaw with mine is the RIGHT REAR motor seems to spin up slower than the others on startup which is not a real deal breaker, but I have to be prepared to correct the trajectory on takeoff. This motor may just be a little weaker than the others because the trim characteristics are maxed out to compensate for drift in that direction."
"My biggest complaint is how annoying the battery is to remove and replace."
"Easy to fly - even for a newb. I'm currently charging the batteries and can hardly wait to fly it again."
Best Hobby RC Crawlers
Aluminum Capped Oil Filled Shocks, Bead-lock Rock Crawling Tires.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Great crawler!!"
"Good crawler, just a little bit too slow."
"It's not a bad beginners crawler but it is a little on the slow side and the tires are a very hard compound and their battery connectors are very odd."
"Another great redcat rc."
"This rock climber from Redcat is an absolute monster I cannot find anything it will not climb over very good for the price."
"Great R/C, worth every penny, for real!"
"Crap receiver lasted two drives."
Best Hobby RC Helicopters
Battery Type: Lithium Polymer (LiPO Battery).
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"It's very durable which is perfect because so far he has flown it into numerous walls, the ceiling, and slammed it against the floor many times. This helicopter fits in the palm of your hand and is very light weight. We are able to fly it around the house on a full charge for a good 20 minutes or so."
"The same night after writing this review, something clicked for me and I was able to nail half a dozen perfect landings on target indoors. The main change I made was allowing the copter to fly a bit higher, such that it was less affected by the draft that it created with its own rotors. Within minutes, I was flying the copter in the living room, though I had trouble balancing the trim so that it would not spin in place when hovering. I wasn't really sure how to judge its maneuverability and stability -- all I know is that I had a really hard time making very precise small corrections with it."
"The S107 had an issue where when turning and moving the throttle far up and down, the helicopter would spin very rapidly. This would cause it to be a bit out of control, but was kind of fun if you learned to work with it."
"These are wonderful, especially indoors."
Best Hobby RC Quadcopters & Multirotors
3D Flip: When the copter is flying in headless mode, player should keep facing the forward direction, do not turn your body's direction. Battery Flight Time: About 7-9 Minutes.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This is (was) my first drone. That said, this does fly well for a $100 drone. However one of the motors burned out after my 2nd day of use."
"After reading countless reviews in search of a quad with a camera, I settled on the Holy Stone F181 and so far, have been quite pleased with it. The initial problem I had with researching was the numerous quads with 5 star reviews were from customers who were given free items in exchange for their reviews. Many reviewers have pointed out their exceptional customer service however I didn't think I would need tech support as I am an experienced flyer. I was able to fly this higher than any other quad I own that was in the same price range. All in all, for the price this one is hard to beat for beginners and even more advanced flyers and Holy Stone customer service is outstanding!"
"revised review: after 1st time out getting some video, copter worked fine, downloaded videos and every one was apparently corrupted."
"Since my review, they have contacted me and we are working on correcting the issue - offering me a drone to better suit what I am looking for. Due to their exceptional customer service, I am changing my review. ***NEW UPDATED REVIEW***. Holy Stone provided me with the HS160 and it appears to be exactly what we are looking for - real time view and great flying."
Best Radio Control Boats & Watercraft
Venom High-Speed RC Boat 2.4GHz Transmitter (Remote Control) 2 x 3.7v 600mAh Li-Ion Battery USB Battery Charging Cable Display Stand Spare Propeller User Manual. BUY MORE AND RACE YOUR FRIENDS: 4 channel (Forward, Backwards, Left, Right) 2.4GHz frequency controller allows multiple rc boats to be raced at the same time. ULTRA RELIABLE: Features a water-cooled, single-prop powerful motor for safe and reliable operation and a rugged ABS anti-tilt hull that combines style, speed and affordability.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This is actually a nice and fast boat, but it has some well known issues that can easily be fixed.... Do these things as soon as you confirm your boat is working. The gasket on the top cover is too thin, so you have to either add another on top so it doubles the thickness, use removable waterproof tape on the top cover, or remove the gasket and fill the gap in the top cover with gasket sealant... Next you will need some clear silicone, add some inside the boat around the rubber cone that the rudder shaft comes through, you should put some marine grease inside the cone to water seal it completely."
"This boat was a Christmas present for my 15 year old grandson."
"Grandson loved it."
"Fast easy to use and very impressed with quality kids love it and so simple my 5 year old is an expert now."
"my Grandson loved this Christmas gift."
"Runs really good my son loves his Christmas present however I noticed that there is a yellow discharge after using the boat."
"This is the second boat of this type I have gotten."
Best Hobby RC Tanks
This remote controlled tank has independent flexible tracks, realistic sound effects and firing simulation. 1-Year warranty remote control army tank.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The batter doesn’t last very long, but I pretty much expected that."
"It is a small version of real tank.I liked the color of the tank and one person above it."
"When you fire the main gun the tank jumps back."
"On the left of the control are the trim buttons, they control calibration so make sure not to touch those after you calibrate."
"We also just noticed last night that it has a super charge speed button."
"The Tank is super easy to control & has lots of features..it recoils when shooting, has sound effects, the turret moves, it has 2 speeds, does 360's and is really fast!"
"I don't have to chase it just to stay in range like other small remote control cars."
"He's not sending it through obstacle courses of army guys or anything (yet), but the basic mechanics of it are definitely not too hard for him."
Best Hobby RC Trucks
One Key Return Home. : With the press of a button (return to home) in Headless Mode, the drone would be able to fly back to the direction of the transmitter. 120° FOV HD Wifi CAMERA: Equipped with the newest 720P 120° Wide-angle HD Wifi Camera, which allows you to take high-res pictures & video during flight.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"or have a life... :). Sure, I chose this drone because of the features and low price to some extent but most of all; the great things said about their support! Be ready on the speed switch in case you need that extra burst of power! I contacted Holy Stone and replacement was handled straight away without leaving me with a feeling that I did anything wrong and they were doing me a favor. They directed me to a video on you tube and after that, I authored a motor replacement guide in PDF format. Recorded inside with normal ceilings and I still managed NOT to hit my wife's good glass decorations or wake the cat. Without that it would be a motor-burnt pile of black plastic and propellers, suitable for making a really weird looking planter with cool lighting..."
"While attempting to fly it out doors on a very calm day my daughter synced the drone to the remote and calibrated the gyro. she depressed the take off button and the drone shot straight into the air at full throttle with no remote control input. This is where customer service stepped in... After a couple of emails and proof of purchase they replaced the drone."
"Only flaw with mine is the RIGHT REAR motor seems to spin up slower than the others on startup which is not a real deal breaker, but I have to be prepared to correct the trajectory on takeoff. This motor may just be a little weaker than the others because the trim characteristics are maxed out to compensate for drift in that direction."
"My biggest complaint is how annoying the battery is to remove and replace."
"Easy to fly - even for a newb. I'm currently charging the batteries and can hardly wait to fly it again."
Best Professional Video Stabilizers
This Is the Original AUTHENTIC Roxant Pro stabilizer in a LIMITED “Midnight Black” EDITION with the Elite Low Profile Comfort Grip Handle. Solid superior design & construction. 3 separate counter-weights for precise balance adjustments. Comfort grip handle reduces fatigue. Shoot Like A Pro, Order Now & Get FREE SHIPPING! Our superior design and construction provide "pro style" stabilization with less motion and shake compared to other handheld stabilizers. For use with Point and Shoot, DSLRs, Video Cameras, GoPros, Smartphone and any other camera up to 2.1 lbs Elite Low Profile Comfort Handle Edition - with a lower center of balance making stabilization even easier.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I bought the Roxant Video Stabilizer out of curiosity, more than anything else, to understand how it works."
"The company emailed me to let me know they have an online video tutorial on how to balance the rig (which is a great video) and to make sure I was happy with my purchase."
"The only two pieces of plastic on the unit are two non-critical plastic tension screws that could be replaced with a 5-cent wingnut if they were to ever break or get lost. I eventually found the sweet spot for my counterweights and repositioned the handle to the front position. I see so many people on Youtube who would vastly improve their videos if they would start using a stabilizer. You won't be able to do that with a larger stabilizer because a lot of the units extend 2-3 feet below the camera. This stabilizer is considerably lighter than my Opteka unit that kills my arm after using it for 5 minutes, not to mention the Roxant costs 1/3 the price and works equally as well."
"My box was already opened when I received it and there are a few dings on it making me assume my product was used and I payed for a new one. It's nice to be able to move it around to adjust to my liking, but I feel like the little screw isn't strong enough to hold the handle in place with all that weight. I've had experiences with similar appliances and those plastic pieces break often, therefore rendering the locking mechanism useless."
"However, I need to mount my camcorder (Canon Vixia HF R800), a shotgun mic and sometime a light source. Currently I use a "U" stabilizer, but that ain't that great when moving around, but I can mount my rig to it."
Best Quadcopter Camera Mounts
Lightbridge digital streaming allows live viewing of 720p video (full resolution video is simultaneously recorded on the internal micro SD card).
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"First, I did not like the ‘fish eye’ lens on the P2 vision as I don’t have time to do the correction afterwards. I was not too hung up on the range because at 1000ft in daylight, you probably won’t see the quadcopter so you’d have to rely on the video, which cuts in and out around 700ft and sometimes drops out. Welcome to the DJI Phantom 3 Advanced with improved range especially video, rectilinear lens and gimbal, added features over its predecessor at a price no one else can beat and it’s ready to fly right of the box. Physical dimensions of the quadcopter are about the same as the P2 except with the addition of the vision position sensor and gimbal [non-vision plus]. It is the Inspire 1 remote controller [form, fit and probably 90%+ function]- Contoured rubberized edges for comfortable grip, tablet support capability, video transmitter built in the controller, built-in Lipo battery and camera controls plus the “PAF” mode switch neatly tucked on the side for unintended operation. I also liked the fact that all of the aircraft and remote controller settings can be accessed directly from the tablet/mobile device as opposed to its predecessor where it has to be connected to the computer - very smart move DJI. I’ve been flying outdoors to make sure I get all the practice and not crash this thing. I also love the built-in director app to quickly edit and compile your videos and watch or send them. Using this thing under sunlight can be an extreme killer so I’ve ordered a sunshade. You’ll probably need a lanyard as the controller with the tablet will have some weight and after prolonged use, your muscles will start to twitch. I pretty much used this thing about 3-4 times within a week and the battery indicator did not go below 75% which is solid. Don’t go disabling the GPS [unless you have a license or permission] to make life difficult for the rest of us plus you could lose your bird. Update on 11/10/2015. So I've flown this bird now for over 5 months and I must say that I've matured a lot in flying and using the functions or the quadcopter. Feature added for RTH function to come back to remote controller instead of last take-off point. I don't like the built-in video editor due to the time limitation and a bunch of stuff."
"The new controller rocks and with the built in lightbridge the wifi range is now MUCH better and the FPV being put out on my phone is amazing. 3.). They can now be flown inside (If the area is big enough) due to the new "Sonar" type sensor on the bottom. The phantom will take off and then hover wherever you leave it so that you can control the direction or camera much easier.. Also, DJI offers e very good collection of videos (Found on their YouTube) that really helps you learn how to fly this quad safely and quickly!! The FPV, I found to be nearly HD quality and I noticed its range was amazing!! I still have my quad limited on distance (I choose 400 FT high and 400 feet out) but the quality of the FPV was amazing the entire time.. If your android phone (Or Tablet) doesn't have the DJI pilot app, you can find it from their site if its not in your market.. I found my issue to be the USB cable that came with the phantom wasn't working with my phone for whatever reason.. It comes with extra decals (Like previous Phantoms) in case you dont like gold or silver.. **This review will be updated as I fly and learn my quad**."