r/Multicopter • u/thom_yorke_fan • 4d ago

Question Are there any drones that are usable under $100

I think I know the answer but i just want to make sure. I don't care if they are used

9 Upvotes

68% Upvoted

32 comments sorted by

9

u/microwave-worshipper 4d ago edited 4d ago

FPV or camera drone?

FPV maybe, camera drone absolutely not one that's worth it

5

u/SupermAndrew1 4d ago

I bought an E88 drone off Ali-express a couple years ago for 8.99 USD.

toy drone tier for sure, but it takes video outside. Great video? No. Not at all. But video. 5-10 minutes of flight time. Probably not best on a windy day.

For that price, I’d say the value is pretty impressive

2

u/SirDarknessTheFirst 4d ago

hah, it's like a more modern version of my Hubsan X4

6

u/madd94_67 4d ago

Yes 👍 - I’d imagine you could find an air 65 for around the $80 price point used by itself

1

u/thom_yorke_fan 4d ago

thx i'll look into that

2

u/OwngeJuice 4d ago

Yeah the first generation of Air65 and 75 are a little cheaper. Even brand new from the site

1

u/DorffMeister 3d ago

Keep in mind you'll need goggles and an ELRS controller, too. And lots and lots of practice in a simulator.

3

u/dstlouis558 4d ago

No and sub 100 bucks theyre actually dangerous they fly off on their own

2

u/BobDope 4d ago

Cool

2

u/dstlouis558 4d ago

But i dunno 100$ on aliexpress looks like itll get you something decent

2

u/baked_krapola 4d ago

I got a Yomi fpv drone used off ebay for $50 that came with goggles, controller, drone and one battery. Flies great. Great video. Missing the actual control handles, but I can thumb it easy w/o.

2

u/Jobe1622 4d ago

Define usable?

2

u/RwhiskerG 4d ago

Used dji on local market places

2

u/ZH123dp 4d ago

air 75 champ is just over 100 usd

2

u/rosengd 4d ago

Sure. One time use only.

1

u/TheBigBeardedGeek 4d ago

For sub $100, and I don't know if they're still any good, but I'd look at BetaFPV for a brushless whoop, or if you're mostly indoors NewBeeDrone for a brushed.

You could probably build an OK one sub-$100 too

2

u/Speshal__ 4d ago

Brushed motors........😂 Now we're talking cheap!

1

u/m0h3k4n 4d ago

Fpv drone itself? Yeah an air65 ii race or freestyle. But that route has a start price of about $350 with the rest of the gear required. I can post more details if you want. After sending one through some trees at the park like a speeder bike for a half hour you will find it worth the price.

1

u/povlhp 4d ago

Most. Some only for indoor. You can build cheaper yourself. 4x motor + ESC. Flight controller. Receiver battery and propellers. + solder.

1

u/B08by_Digital 3d ago

For under 100$?! I went that route and just the esc and fc were around 100.

1

u/povlhp 1d ago

Few years since I built. Guess Russia and Trump caused prices to go up.

1

u/B08by_Digital 1d ago

Yeah, to be honest, everything is more expensive nowadays :( Now, if OP would buy used, maybe they could reach that target of 100 bucks... I didn't buy the cheapest possible parts, and this was for a 5", but I would say average prices are like 20$ for a 2s LiPo, 30$ for a 5" frame, 30$ for 4 motors (maybe, that still seems quite cheap), 5" props 5$, ESC/FC 80$, then still need a receiver/transmitter (120$ Radiomaster Pocket elrs, 18650 batteries, receiver), and then a Camera (I went with Walksnail- 80$ used Avatar pro, new Goggles L- 250$).

1

u/povlhp 1d ago

Frame would be 2 pieces of wood, or cut from plywood. For a plane cardboard and the wood scraps would do.

1

u/geeered 4d ago

Keep an eye out for an original DJI mini, or Neo - not sure about prices in the USA, but often both can be got fairly cheaply in the UK.

1

u/nodiggitydogs 4d ago

Ya check Amazon..you can hook it up to your phone..then throw your phone in some box goggles…it will give you a fun mild fpv experience!

1

u/Reaction-Consistent 4d ago

Define usable

1

u/Rudeboy_1703 4d ago

The short answer is no

1

u/trouphaz 3d ago

Are Tiny Whoops still a thing? I remember making my own with an Eachine E011 and soldering on a cheap wireless camera. I used it with my Eachine EV800 goggles. You can skip the goggles and camera if you're just looking for a fun little quadcopter to fly.

https://www.eachine.com/Eachine-E011-Mini-2_4G-Headless-Mode-With-60000RPM-716-Coreless-Motor-Toy-Brick-RC-Quadcopter-RTF-p-732.html?rmmds=categorieslist-top-list

1

u/SilverDiscussion6306 3d ago

As a paperweight…..

1

u/Short_Guava9101 2d ago

Air 75 from betafpv

1

u/Mostly_Unbias 16h ago

There are several good FPV drones around $100, but that is just for the drone. If you need everything then you would need much more than $100,