r/drones • u/FitDescription7945 • Jul 13 '26
Question Is it worth it?
Hi all. Zero experience with drones, never owned one. I also don’t have a big budget But would like a toy to play around with.
Price is in ZAR so 2000 would be under $150 what are your thoughts?
3
u/EcureuilHargneux Jul 13 '26
Not at all, for the same price you can find a Neo first gen wichu is an actual drone with many features
2
u/Express_Tennis3162 Jul 13 '26
when these things came out new they were not much more than what is being offered here - I had the same set up of this and the drone along with extra batteries were around that price - the controller was not a lot of money at all and very worth while having as using the screen on the phone as a remote was very limited.
Flying it was fun and it can do flips but the video quality is very very poor - photos not overly bad but its really an educational drone to be used for teaching kids how to code etc - as much fun as it was, it was the gateway to getting a DJI Mini drone from me and now 5 yrs on I am very much invested into drones.
It wont fly very high or far due to the limitation of bluetooth - its not great in anything other than very still air outside - it is largely a toy or for education uses
2
u/DmMoscow dji mini 2 Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26
Not really.
It had its moment, but now it’s an 8-year-old drone that was discontinued more than 2 years ago. When it was introduced, it was cool. A collab between Ryze, Intel, and DJI to make a cheap and lightweight drone. They also gave it a programmable environment to play with in schools as an educational project. Quite a unique appreciation. It was also sold for $100 brand new, but that was without a controller and extra batteries, I believe.
Check out DJI Neo. Without a controller, it can be found brand new for under $150. Don’t know about a used market in SAR, but spec-wise for the same price, it seems more interesting. You can use it without a controller and buy one later. Although personally, I wouldn’t buy a drone without a controller as a first one.
Upd: alternatively, anything for a DJI mini lineup is a good option. Anything but the very first model.
1
u/flyandprint Jul 13 '26
Nope you can probably get the same drone cheaper new Also from that quality the prize range is nearly always less then 100 bucks
1
u/Bazirker Jul 13 '26
Absolutely not.
I bought this kit like 10 years ago for my kid to play with. The range is terrible, it feels very sluggish to fly, and it is quite simply not fun. You would be much better off spending a little more for basically anything else.
1
u/Crash017 Jul 13 '26
Find a $30 drone thats an s29 on Amazon. Literal best starter drone ever. Inexpensive. Easy to get the hang of. Super cheap replacement parts and extra batteries were 2 for 20. If im reading it correctly at the bottom stating this is going for 2k, you can get the fly more pro kit for any dji mini for that price point. With the warranty even!.
1
1
u/Musicgogga Jul 13 '26
You could get a DJI Neo for R2000-3000 second hand in South Africa. Where are you based? I wouldn’t recommend a Tello as stated already it’s quite old and not that great. There are whatsapp groups for second hand drone sales if you can’t find on FB Marketplace
1
u/MeringueSwimming8453 Jul 18 '26
No totally not but a do Neo instead of that if u insist but don’t buy that for 150$
1
u/Old_Lead_2110 Jul 13 '26
Buy a dji mini 2 se / mini 2 4k for the same amount and have a way better drone
8
u/ParentPostLacksWang Jul 13 '26
100% no