This article was submitted through the GetFPV Community Program by Aidan Henriques. You can follow Aidan on Instagram or YouTube.
Disclaimer: This article was written solely by a member of the FPV Community. Views and advice in this article are that of the author and does not necessarily reflect the opinion or views of GetFPV.
As many beginners have been getting into FPV lately, I thought that I would share my thoughts on what would be best to buy for a beginner; the DJI FPV drone or an alternative FPV kit.
Firstly, some of the key benefits of getting the DJI FPV drone over something else are, the emergency brake, obstacle sensing, and hover mode. These features are amazing for beginners as they offer a sense of security during your first flights. However, these features come at a price of $1,299 for the combo, or $739 for just the drone. Unlike traditional FPV drones, this drone comes all ready to go without any work, something quite convenient especially for beginners. $739 is quite a hefty price to pay for a FPV drone though as you could buy two traditional FPV drones for the same price. Besides the hefty price, the DJI FPV drone has shown minimal durability as it is made mostly out of plastic instead of the more durable carbon fiber, as well as very expensive replacement parts if you ever break something. Normal FPV drones are much more durable and can take much harder crashes, and just take back off after. In addition to the lack of durability, the replacement parts are very expensive. For example, a set of propellers for the DJI FPV drone (https://www.getfpv.com/dji-fpv-5-3×2-8×3-propellers-set-of-4.html) costs $15 while you can get some normal ones (https://www.getfpv.com/lumenier-5x5x3-butter-cutter-propeller-set-of-4-clear.html) for only $3. Additionally, if you were to buy some extra batteries (https://www.getfpv.com/dji-fpv-intelligent-flight-battery.html) for the DJI FPV drone, it would set you back $159 instead of a typical $20-$30 depending on the capacity, number of cells, and quality.
In conclusion, for just the drone, it is a very expensive option that has some great features for beginners.
The DJI FPV drone is not only sold on its own, but also as a kit that has everything to get you started at the price of $1,299. In comparison, a typical FPV drone kit (everything you need to get started) would cost you around $1,120. Keep in mind the typical kit that I calculated was a DJI HD kit meaning it has HD video, not analog video (an alternative video transmitting option with lower quality video). There is not too much of a price difference, however as mentioned above, as you learn, crash, and buy more parts, the typical kit will for sure cost less, especially in the long run. I will link both kits below if you are interested in buying either.
Good luck with your FPV journey!
DJI FPV drone kit: https://www.getfpv.com/dji-fpv-combo.html
Typical kit
Drone: https://www.getfpv.com/iflight-nazgul-hd-5-fpv-freestyle-rtf-w-caddx-vista-hd-system.html
Battery: https://www.getfpv.com/tattu-funfly-1550mah-4s-100c-lipo-battery.html
Radio: https://www.getfpv.com/tbs-tango-2-fpv-rc-radio-controller.html
Goggles: https://www.getfpv.com/dji-fpv-goggles-v2.html
Charger: https://www.getfpv.com/ev-peak-c1-50w-6amp-nimh-and-lipo-battery-balance-charger.html
