buying first blade, whats the best?

buying first blade, whats the best?
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buying first blade, whats the best? - 5/12/2008 12:21:30 AM

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alot of people have told me to start off on the blade cx2, but I dont want to outgrow it to fast and I want something I can fly outside, I have around 250 bucks to spend, I want one of the blades but not sure what one. I want to beable to grow with it, fly outside and eventuall beable to some some inverted stuff and tricls, and the reason Im goign with a blade is because my lhs carries replacment parts for alot of them, so what blade do you think would be good for me?

RE: buying first blade, whats the best? - 5/12/2008 12:37:17 AM

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I think between a belt driven tail and a motor driven tail the belt is easier to learn on. So I would recommend the CX2 or B400. I think it is best to start out with a coaxial then work up to a collective pitch. People have started out with collective pitch helicopters and do just fine, but it takes some time to put them back together after a crash. Then the CX2 doesn't take that much time to fix. The CX2 is really cheap to fix after a crash and the B400 is a little bit more. With learning to fly helicopters there are going to be crashes. You could always get a used CX or CX2 pretty cheap then buy a CP helicopter when you are ready.

Nick

_____________________________

Since I started this hobby money seems to keep disappearing. :)
Blade CX, Blade CP Pro, T-Rex 450SEV2

(in reply to Deftones123)

RE: buying first blade, whats the best? - 5/12/2008 1:15:41 AM

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I mean I would really like to fly outsside and alot of people said that the cx2 you cant really fly outside, and I would rather pay alittle bit more up front for a heli on something im not going to outgrow, I have used havoc helis and such with ease if thats anything like the cx2

(in reply to evdreamer)

RE: buying first blade, whats the best? - 5/12/2008 1:53:46 AM

DVI

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I learned to fly helicopters using a Blade CP. I still have it and fly it often. I saw that they have come out with the Blade CP Pro 2 that comes with the 2.4 GHz Radio, You may want to check that out!

(in reply to Deftones123)

RE: buying first blade, whats the best? - 5/12/2008 2:39:44 AM

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Hi Deftones,

Well, I started with a CX2, and like you mentioned, I quickly outgrew it, and realized that it is not suited for outdoor use at all, unless it's like ZERO wind. I then progressed to a CP Pro, which was quite a step up from a coaxial heli...definately a challenge for sure! After reading many posts on here and talking to people at the LHS, I realized that generally speaking, the bigger the heli, the more stable it is, and actually is easier to fly. So, I went up to the B400, and love it.

So, now I have all 3....and I can honestly say that I still like and fly all 3 of them. Some people like DVI started with a collective pitch heli, and do fine. Other people will say to start with a coaxial, and then work up...it's up to you. But the biggest reason not to start out with a collective pitch heli is the possiblity that you will crash often, and get discouraged, and regret the experience (in my opinion anyways). If you are determined enough, go for the CP heli. I have to agree with Nick, I after owning a tail motor heli (the CP Pro) and a belt driven tail (the Blade 400)...belt driven tails are the only way to go!

If I had it to do all over, I honestly believe that I would have gone straight from the CX2 to the Blade 400...and skipped the CPP... there is a saying in the heli forums and hobby shops that I have heard over and over..."if you can fly a CP Pro, you can fly any RC heli"...and I have to agree. It's not that the CPP is a bad heli; I love mine still...it's just not a stable heli at all, and it would make a difficult and possibly frustrating first heli experience...

I do have a suggestion though, do any LHS's in your area have a demo of a flight simulator like Real Flight G4? That would be a great idea to see if you think you would like to go to a collective pitch heli right off the bat...give it a try on the sim first if you can...the sim isn't a perfect comparison , but it will give you an idea of the difficulty involved in even hovering a collective pitch heli ! You might be surprised just how difficult it is at first!

Hope this helps...I know the B400 is out of your price range, but it might just be your best long term bet if you are set on Eflite helis and a collective pitch model !

Glenn

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RE: buying first blade, whats the best? - 5/12/2008 3:13:49 AM

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so you wouldnt recommend the a cp or a cp pro? I just dont want to get something outgrow it and have to get something better in like a few months

(in reply to rotarydoc)

RE: buying first blade, whats the best? - 5/12/2008 3:17:40 AM

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my spending amount is only 250 less, only reason im leaning away from the cx2 is because i heard it cant handle wind at all, and its only a tiny step up from a havoc relflex, I wanna get a e-flite because my lhs has tons of parts

(in reply to Deftones123)

RE: buying first blade, whats the best? - 5/12/2008 3:51:23 AM

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Hi Deftones,

Well, let me start by saying that I love my CP Pro, and still fly it as much if not more than the Blade 400! It is not a bad heli by any stretch of the imagination. I have read both schools of thought on the coaxial helis in a recent RC heli magazine...there are those who say that a coaxial like the CX2 is great for teaching basic manuvers, tail control, some very limited cyclic (right stick) manuvers, etc. And then there is the school of thought that it teaches you to be basically "lazy" at the controls, and makes the transistion more difficult because it's too easy to fly....as an example, my CX2 will basically (as will any well setup CX2) hover itself for short periods of time, with no hands on the controls. Trust me, that will NOT be the case with the CP Pro...just hovering it is a constant game of corrections...

The way you come across to me, is that you would, like I did, become bored fairly quickly with the CX2. I quickly reached it's potential (or lack thereof) and basically wanted a heli that would do more...and the next logical step up seemed to me at the time to be the CP Pro. So, I went for it, and have not regretted it since. It's maybe not the best heli to learn on, but if you are patient, and persistent, there is absolutely no reason you can't learn on it and enjoy it. The good way to look at it, as I did, is what I said before...if you DO master the CP Pro, other helis will be a piece of cake to fly later on... I honestly believe that flying my CPP before the Blade 400 has made me a better pilot on the B400!

I didn't mention it earlier, but if you are going to "wing it" with a CP Pro, a flight simulator will be of tremendous help! I do agree with you on the parts availability issue, every day the heli is down for parts (and it WILL be), is a day lost practicing flying it...the same goes for crashing. Patience pays off here....if you are crashing every day, you will be spending more valuable time fixing the heli, rather than enjoying learning and improving on it (not to mention money). The main reason I stick with Eflite helis is that I have two LHS's that are pretty well stocked with parts...less down time.

Way back in the day, (1989) I bought, assembled, and learned how to fly a .60 size nitro heli....without the internet, forums, flight simulators, or any outside help !! (I never got very good with it, but that's another story!) So, it can be done! It's all about how patient and persistent you are willing to be...there are going to be crashes...there are going to be good days, and bad ones...and there is going to be a huge feeling of accomplishment the first time you have a stable hover, do forward flight, take the training gear off (me right now!) !!

BTW, it pretty much goes without saying that you will at the very minimum, need a set of training gear for the CP Pro, should you decide to go that route...

There is also an online heli training "class" that some swear by, called RADD'S....just google it....I didn't use it so much, but it's a great place to start out...

I hope I am helping, I think you will be OK with a CP pro....just expect it to take quite some time to even master a stable hover! And expect to crash, it will happen!

Make sure you go with the Pro, or the about to be released CP Pro 2...much better than the basic CP...although some would argue that the bell-hiller mixing is not for beginners...but it can be converted back to hiller only...the other improvements are worth it LiPo battery, motor heat sinks, symmetrical blades, etc.

I can't over emphasize the simulator...they are expensive, but not when compared to the amount of money you can end up spending in parts! My sim, the Real Flight G4 is the best money that I have spent in the hobby by far! (Plus, you can practice any time, day or night, rain, snow, whenever you want!)

Let me know if I can answer any more questions, I will do my best...and I am sure there are alot of others that can put their 2 cents in as well...rest assured, you are in the right place for excellent advice! This forum has been so valuable to me I can't even begin to tell you...a great bunch of guys here!

Glenn

(in reply to Deftones123)

RE: buying first blade, whats the best? - 5/12/2008 3:58:39 AM

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thanks alot for the advice rotarydoc, it deff helped out, I wanna get the cp pro just because I want something to expand on and grow with even though I might crash alot, I have played guitar for about 10 years so I have patientce, whats the difference between the cp and the cp pro, isnt there numerous cp e-flites? what one would u go with for 250

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RE: buying first blade, whats the best? - 5/12/2008 4:21:52 AM

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Hey Def,

I like the CP Pro better, it is an upgraded version of the CP, and at my LHS goes for $249, right at your limit...but put an extra $10 for training gear...and you ARE going to want at least one extra battery...remember that it takes about an hour and a half to charge the pack...and it runs for about 7-8 minutes (safely).

I can't remember all the differences over the regular CP, but some of them are the symmetrical blades, the bell-hiller mixing, the cooling fins on the motors, the Lipo battery vs. the CP's NiCad....and there may be more...the CP pro is meant more as an aerobatic heli, and in fact can do 3D right out of the box, although somewhat limited 3D... the drawback to the CP Pro is that with all the aerobatic upgrades, it makes it a bit more difficult to fly for the beginner; the bell hiller mixing gives very quick cyclic response, not the best idea for the new pilot ! But the Lipo battery, and the motor heat sinks, etc are all good things to have going for you...

Either out now, or about to be is the CP Pro 2, as I understand it, it has a much better tail motor arrangement (direct drive, I think) and a much better radio..a 2.4 Ghz setup vs the CPP's FM radio...which is OK, but not the best as far as glitching issues go...the 2.4 Ghz radios are the way to go now! I don't know the availability or the price yet...you may be able to find out by doing a google search?

On the issue of tail motors...the stock CP Pro tail motor SUCKS. PERIOD. Plan on spending $10 on a regular basis for tail motors...they drop like flies. In fact, when I get off the PC here, I'm putting one in mine. I have been through about 3 of them now, I would venture to say in my case, they last about 20-25 flights...on the upside, they are cheap, and very easy to replace...just a little soldering job involved. This is the biggest single drawback to the CP Pro. Belt driven tails are far superior.

The tail motors have been the only real issue with my CPP as far as durability goes, everything else has been good...I have only had one crash..and it was a little one...blades, and skids, nothing major. I did upgrade the radio, and add a heading lock gyro for better tail control...but those were upgrades of my choice, not by necessity...

If you can learn guitar, I'm sure you have the patience for the helis....and some people just have a knack for it more than others....just like anything, some people just pick it up really quickly, and others it takes longer (me) !

Hope this helps, write back any time!

There are some things you need to know that I didn't when I first started regarding the LiPo batteries involved in these helis, please ask if you need to know! They can be dangerous, and they can also be ruined very quickly!

Glenn

(in reply to Deftones123)

RE: buying first blade, whats the best? - 5/12/2008 4:29:15 AM

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Other schools of thought say to skip the Blade CP and go with Something like the Honeybee King V2(V1 is shaft driven, not belt). With belt drives the tail is more rock solid depending on the gyro and the tail servo used.

I personally do not own a HB King V2, the reason behind this is parts avail from lhs. I'm tempted to go this route next, but i think I'll wait for the Blade 400, it's much closer to my new Trex and LHS stocks parts..

As they say one up one down. One flying and one in for repairs.

I own a CX almost CX2(just need the 2.4 radio now)
CP "Extreme" (CP with updated parts better than the CP Pro) Updated engine/radio/servos etc...
Trex 450SA
Blade 400 (soon?)

I can say with all honesty the CP ruined my initial feelings toward flying, I figured by updating everything I'd eventually have a flyable heli. Don't get me wrong it works, it will definitely teach you to fly the tail. But ultimately I ended up trying the trex and I've never looked back. Yes it is more expensive, however I've found that fixing it costs way less than the equivalent parts for the CP, as long as you don't kill the electronics.

Put it this way I've spent as much fixing and upgrading the blade cp as I have getting my trex up to speed and repairing the small issues I've come up with.

AGAIN don't get me wrong I liked the Blade I just REALLY REALLY recommend a belt drive tail. You'll get this with either the Blade 400(approx $400-$500) or better flyer like the Trex.

As they say you WILL wreck, there is no one I've ever met that hasn't lost something, understand it will cost you within the first 3 flights above say 5-6 feet about a third to half as much as you spend on whatever bird you wish to fly. Just a friendly warning from someone recently in your shoes. It may be a little longer than 3 flights but it WILL happen.

CX - Blades/broken head/landing gear - $30-$40 for a $100 bird (Ebay price)
CP - Spindle/blades/gears-shaft/tail motor/tail blade and gear $50-60 dollars for a $150-175 bird on ebay

REALLY not trying to be an arse, just warning you before you go into this. ~$250 is just the starting point of your spending.

Semi-funny story I just bought a rc sailboat as I'm going through chemo right now and didn't want to stress over worrying about the heli and fixing it => monay. I figure I take out the 3rd dimension when sailing and no gravity issues beside the water friction

. Not trying to change your mind as this is a wonderful hobby and people here will REALLY help.

Keys:

1. Don't go cheap you will regret it. Don't skimp on bird/gyro/tail servo those are my big 3.
2. Spend time leveling and getting servos to 90 deg.
3. Spend lots of time on number 2 LOL. For each hundred you spend, spend that many hours leveling and 90ing the servos.
4. Have fun, I'd say one of the biggest rewards is the maintenance required, it keeps a technical mind moving. it's 75% of the fun i have jsut tinkering.
5. Find a local hobby shop and buy from them, they need the business and they will help you through most issues. Key is to buy stuff they have when you wreck on a Saturday and can't overnight a part fro internet.

After all that get a Blade 400, wait and save a little more, it costs less to repair and it's a way better bird. If you have another few hundred get a Trex 450 and build it yourself.

DY

(in reply to Deftones123)

RE: buying first blade, whats the best? - 5/12/2008 4:30:18 AM

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I saw the cp pro on ebay new factory sealed for 150.00

cp pro

is that the one you are talking about?

and does the heli have a cutoff voltage for the lipo packs?

I used to use lipo and a123 in my rc trucks

(in reply to rotarydoc)

RE: buying first blade, whats the best? - 5/12/2008 4:37:24 AM

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Hey Def,

Yea, that's it, and a pretty darn good deal too! Ah, then you are aware of the dangers and pitfalls of Lipos....good deal...

I don't think the CP Pro has a low voltage cut off, if it does, it didn't work for me...I ruined a couple of my packs by over discharging them before I knew better...sucks..

That one on eBay looks great for $150! You would have some $$ left for some batteries too !!

I paid $249 for mine....I guess that's the price you pay for supporting the LHS...oh well, I want them to be there for me when I need parts!!

I already have the new motor installed, did it in the break between our postings...

Let me know if you need any more advice..but that looks like a great deal to me!

Glenn

(in reply to Deftones123)

RE: buying first blade, whats the best? - 5/12/2008 4:43:21 AM

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I see another vote above for the Blade 400....any way you can part with an RC truck for a little extra heli cash? LOL

The