Mr. Steele $900 Apex RTF vs. $200 iFlight Cidora | WHICH WOULD YOU PICK

[@JimPriest]

All I can think of is getting 200 stuck in a tree or 900 stuck in a tree LOL.

[@testaccount4191]

yeah when renting a chainsaw and sneaking into the park at night is a viable option you know its a bit much

[@yannickg6904]

@@testaccount4191 Lol, I can imagine the whole operation in my head.

[@testaccount4191]

@@yannickg6904 kzbin.info/www/bejne/pHzaoX-GhsiFr8U

[@yannickg6904]

@@testaccount4191 Lol

[@kc8302]

Always good to carry an overinflated small basketball to knock the stuck quad out of a tree.

[@mqblowe]

If I had $900 to burn then I'd get the Cidora and I'd buy the DJI Goggles and Air unit from Banggood with the change. #simples

[@corpsefpv3154]

There's some IQ points right there!

[@radiokicks]

Very good point👍👽👍

[@iforce2d]

hmm.... big brain

[@vivekrana926]

Me 2

[@peteflyfpv8697]

Only an idiot would buy a quad for $900.00 and how about when you crash..na I'm good I can build 3 quads for that or ever 2 awsome quads for that kind of price .

[@moviepassion7995]

Just amazing to have such an honest quality reviewer in this community 👌

[@redbeardthepilot3168]

There’s always the “buy 4 Cidoras for the same price as the Apex for when you explode them on new tricks” option, too. I’ve always been curious about KISS and Steele doesn’t put his name on anything he’s not 100% behind - dude is particular but very in tune with what he’s looking for.

[@mangofpv9324]

@@grandmaster-grouch i threw up in my mouth three times while reading this

[@gautamkrishna7421]

Yang Gang lmaoooooo😂

[@RCinginSC]

The $300 difference is the included magic smoke they preinstall in the ESC.

[@apsfpv2217]

I assume your talking about the kiss 4n1... my experience, never smoked one in 1 solid year of flying and crashing hard. I couldn’t tell you how many BLHeli’s I’ve smoked some just flying around and some on hard crashes. They are pricy though...

[@xliver4]

@@apsfpv2217 I think that it largely comes down to the manufacturer and their QC practices. I've blown a countless number of Holybro ESC's before deciding to try different brands, and I've only blown one other ESC since that point. You know what you're getting with KISS. Flyduino has every reason to make sure that their one product isn't shit. It's more of a tossup with the BLHeli esc's.

[@ho-xo8my]

@@apsfpv2217 I see many kiss esc on fire look like it's normal :/ I'm not kidding 4n1 and individuals. You can blame the builder if you want

[@mikesullivan5851]

You mean the 700 dollar difference

[@morganhv]

@@mikesullivan5851 $900 RTF - $600 of parts = $300, RTF Apex vs cost to build it yourself.

[@manillagorilla8591]

I had the same experience out of my Steele build and I built it while watching Steel's youtube build filed the holes, and still had the kiss ESC fry on the first flight, went with a diatone stack after and it flew amazingly!

[@carlharrison3637]

Your 3 packs a day look like they're paying off - beautiful flying there Josh

[@zoroe]

There is nothing wrong with buying something because of the brand! If you can afford it, more power to ya! I’m just glad there are more options now more than ever! Also Joshua the beard looks really good on ya! I’m jealous, I can only grow a $200 beard and yours looks like a $900 one 😭

[@huckaberryfpv4986]

Me neither

[@mistery79]

Once you get the mr. steel quad flying again, put a cmos camera in it. I’m curious if the latency makes that big of a difference.

[@crisnmaryfam7344]

Check out Linus Tech Tips "does higher FPS make you a better gamer - Featuring Shroud" Youd be surprised how much a tiny bit of extra latency throws a wrench into things. Some people are more sensitive to it, and some dont notice it at all. The ones that dont notice it at all have less of a skill cap then the ones who have higher sensitivity. The more sensitive / faster reflexes person is more cut out to be a pro gamer, or even a jet fighter pilot.. Some people just dont have the eye hand coordination or the reflexes.

[@BiecherBender]

I was driving RC cars 15 years ago. I remember the RC car alone being close to 1000$. The motor 350$. electronics 250$ (for the car). The the remote 400$ ... RC drones are ridiculously cheap compared to that. Which is absolutely awesome .

[@slowentropy4531]

I totally agree!! For what we get it's gotta be the cheapest hobbie going for the fun factor. You don't have to spend big bucks to rip and race the sky's.

[@jorgeromero4680]

maybe in the end you spend more because of crashing? i don't know about rc cars.

[@slowentropy4531]

@@jorgeromero4680 maybe but I feel the fun against RC at least for me is incomparable. I never understood the appeal of line of site RC, no judgment everyone has thier opinion and preferences:)

[@verdi6092]

You are right. Every practice outing u need fuel, glow plug, tires, etc

[@ecookman]

yep some of my fixed wing AC were nearly 5k

[@MindRiderFPV]

So $900 quads arrives in a plain cardboard box, offers little more than a$200 one and goes up in smoke at the end. You made a great point here JB. Marketing works. I need an iFlight DC5. DJI now.

[@Kikerumbo]

Mr. Bardwell, next step is to build a KISS quad by yourself (and tune it up) and compare it to the Mr. Steele edition one. There's nothing that justifies a 900$ FPV quad (old camera, bad ESCs (people say), +150$ frame without lifetime warranty). If people think that a 900$ FPV quad is going to raise their pilot skills to the top pilots level... think again. At a certain point (when you have reliable equipment), there's no amount of money that's going to make you a better pilot. I can get a Mr. Steele edition quad and I'm going to end face first at the side of a building like with any other quad. Oh, and there are CMOS cameras as fast as the CCD ones now a days. What's the point on using HDO 2 with a CCD camera? You for example. You are doing this 3 batteries per day challenge, with differents quads and your piloting skill are much, much better. Imagine if you practise with the same exact quad all those flights. Mr. Steele is one of the best (if not the best, even if I don't like how he flies) because he has been flying the same quad for nearly 5 years and of course because he dedicates hundreds (if not thousands) of hours to fly. Call it dedication, passion... whatever. As told, I'd love to see you build a DIY KISS quad (maybe FETtec and XING-E motors) and your take on it. Maybe even a "how to build" a KISS quad with the stand alone OSD (can't understand why, because I still remember the Minim OSD wiring and flashing. Nightmare!). (why aren't the spaces between paragraphs working?) (got they working doing double spacing)

[@Averell64]

The apex does have "lifetime" warranty though on all the carbon parts... (at least that's what the website says and also a friend of mine who bought the frame) And regarding ccd vs cmos - I personally like the picture of ccd better, that's Personal preference though (even though I did change to dji recently)

[@Kikerumbo]

@@Averell64 Two year warranty, is what they state.

[@Averell64]

@@Kikerumbo ah yeah, I knew there was something, hence the quotation marks... I personally do find that fair though seeing how almost no-one flies a quad for more than 2 years

[@MrIndyjonescj]

Mr. Steele ripping off the people that made Him famous! Top shelf parts and tune is capable on almost any quad. I don't like paying inflated prices just to make some idiot rich!

[@Kikerumbo]

@@MrIndyjonescj Well sir, he made a name for himself and he isn't pointing a gun to make anyone buy "his" products. If money wasn't a problem for me, I'd like to try that quad and see for myself how good is it. Anyways, I'm with you about that any quad can be tuned to "perfection". Sadly, to do that with Betaflight, you nearly have to have unlimited time or a PhD. Hehe

[@EvolVillainRC]

we know where the extra cash is going.. :) Steele has been sporting some pretty nice rides as of late. Good for him to finally cash in on this hobby.

[@ramongarciano569]

maybe hes funding a lambo or ferrari

[@ChrisParayno]

He deserves it

[@natelarsen9466]

Best channel for drones on KZbin! The clarity, in depth explanations and expertise definitely set you apart!

[@DronePlayground]

Joshua, put fc and esc from Cidora to Apex, makes is bf, than fly it. And than tell as is that precision flying comes from kiss, or from lighter quad, 2306 more torque motors with light props. After that conclusion, put your favorite cmos fpv cam to apex and fly again and make final conclusion. 💪👍👀🇭🇷 P.S. I don't want to fire 100$ esc with out reason, that is a half of price od BF quads. 🤔

[@yannickg6904]

That would actually be a perfect test to validate the actual Kiss magic.

[@jelloproductions9511]

Yea that'd be really interesting to see!

[@SirDanMartin]

I agree, would love to know if it was kiss magic or the actual build and components.

[@yannickg6904]

@@SirDanMartin One thing I've been wondering is how well would Kiss electronics work on a 7in build. Would it make it easier to tune?

[@jtaraskus]

29:16 as ESC burned, please put FC and ESC betaflight compatible to test how it feels to fly :)

[@MachuPichuu]

This! I would be very interested.

[@flo-ridafpv5713]

Spoiler ...flies great, ive got 2 on dji

[@dividingbyzerofpv6748]

FPV truism applies at @16:00 folks. The "you dont know what you dont know" saying applies with regard to the secret sauce moments worth paying attention to. This something worth paying attention to given Bardwell does SO MUCH tuning inside of Betaflight. He is comparing the Steele build to his own builds and tuning experience. This is the kind of thing I wish I could see/experience within the FPV realm is getting to fly the various different drones of all the Unicorn/Diety tier FPV pilots. To see what I am missing in terms of tune and finding out if the limits is in the gear/tune or within myself.

[@elmattbo2540]

Having flown a few different quads of other pilots, I think what's sets them apart is the rates. Once you get a decent tune you probably won't find much difference, but the rates make it.

[@dividingbyzerofpv6748]

@@elmattbo2540 true enough. I have all my builds tuned down to around 650 and running .2 expo. One of these days I think I will try playing with my rates a bit more.

[@LazerLord10]

I need to watch this video as I'm building up my new build. No shame in taking some design ques from good designs!

[@vojtechplzensky2472]

Those ceramic capacitors fail short circuit when cracked. Usually happens when the PCB is bent or stressed, so it might be very well possible that it had something to do with the way its mounted, also there are always some capacitors that go out of factory underperforming and eventually develop a short circuit.

[@centurionmcjk4391]

Worst FPV accident: Joshua shreds a chicken

[@centurionmcjk4391]

@Seiishu lol np man

[@wearemany73]

Sounds like a very honest review, from whom I expect absolutely nothing less. Great work J Bardwell. 🙂

[@wrjeffers1]

THE MOST Excellent, Professional discourse I've had the pleasure and privilege to have come to watch your production!!! Outstanding Delivery! REFRESHING to hear, see, understand , from such clear communication skills. A pleasure to watch/listen. I am a fan

[@f270]

Bardwell is a class act

[@pixelcomet]

your kiss flight indeed looks nicer. you can see the higher trust, you have there. Joshua unleashed. I'm on Fettec (Kiss FW) now and can feel the difference to betaflight also. I immediately started to crawl through trees where I have not been before. Doing things I didn't do before. Kiss feels more direct, faster and calmer at the same time. Big, filed holes in the 4in1- check, big extra capacitor - check, spike absober diodes - check^^

[@RuderalisFPV]

Fanboys be like...

[@DawnHub666]

Seeing how it comes. Ive changed my mind about it being worth 900. Flys amazing. Best thing ive ever seen u fly. But too many loose ends out the box for 900 tag.. Cheers for this.

[@SuitCaseFPV]

Yesterday I decided to throw out all kiss stuff due to their quality management and one day later, you test a Kiss Quad and the ESC blows up. Made my day 😂 Will never put any hand on a Kiss Quad again.

[@llickmogan]

Matek fcs and spedix escs bro

[@100100freak]

it flies just so much better but i get you. flying 4s fettec does help

[@squeaks3814]

I’ve had my kiss gear on the same quad for almost three years and no issue

[@mhoovair89]

arrow fpv same. Some people just don’t know what they’re doing

[@SuitCaseFPV]

@@mhoovair89 I run over 20 Betaflight Quads with no issues. If so as you say, Kiss is at least not super simple 😅 My last kiss issue was a desync after several Lipos out of nowhere.

[@rickc7151]

Holy crap the kiss esc popped! Lol. Awesome that you got it on video. I’m sure you being a well know KZbin guy can get it replaced no problem but getting KIss replacements is like trying to win lotto. I have a stock pile of dead Kiss electronics and I finally stopped adding to the pile.

[@kandredfpv]

Like others I'm also keen to know what makes the Steele quad feel more responsive. Surely you could swap out components and retest in the name of science! 🤔

[@wrstew1272]

Really enjoy your skillful choice of wording to describe the comparison of the two. Great job JB. I want one of each!

[@Cheatercool]

Hey Joshua, if you ever get around to it I would be interested if your feeling changes if you swap the cameras or do a CCD vs CMOS comparison. Also, is there big differences in the available CMOS cameras or are they all similar in latency?

[@gautamkrishna7421]

Check out drone mesh or gal kremer. I’m pretty sure they’ve tested like all the new cmos cameras between them.

[@ho-xo8my]

The predator have a 4ms latency I don't think any ccd camera can compare

[@VIKFPV]

You have to file the KISS ESC holes because it is I believe 29.5 X 29.5 and the mounting on the Apex is 30 X 30. You stretch the ESC if you don’t file it down and even more so as the frame naturally flexes it will damage the esc. I have seen this only happen to people that did not file it down and installed gummies. 👊🏽

[@JoshuaBardwell]

I can't say as to what happened. I'm sure Steele is following up with GetFPV to be sure it's being done to his specifications.

[@DronePlayground]

Ok, so pay 900$ bnf, and than repair it by your self? Getfpv charge that 300$, where id the warranty for their work. Apex holes are 30,5 x 30,5, all BF esc and FC is 30,5 x 30,5 so it's good, but only kiss stuff is 30 x 30, I know that, everybody who build quads know that, getfpv doesn't know that. That is disgracefully for getfpv and for 300$ paying for bulid.

[@jamesburton1805]

so would you say the iFlight is a good learning drone, as opposed to spending $900 right away?

[@oncrei]

Hey! Abrasion resistance of TPU is usually higher than that of other more rigid polymers as ABS, PS, etc

[@flo-ridafpv5713]

Diego Pedro and absorbs shock shittonz better

[@flyinghigh5031]

MR. STEELE!!! couldn't be more appropriate of a name! 900 dollars and the esc smokes! He files the holes ....for 900 dollars it better come filed. Hence RTF, 300 dollar part mark up off retail! Which they dont pay! If your trying to constantly push it, hit gaps and new spots your gonna crash (all the time) .....you can build like 4 solid rigs with awesome components for 900, that's insane. I've been flying for 6 years now, my builds get cheaper and cheaper. Tbs source one v2 frame, is in my opinion the best frame for freestyle. Dollar for gram! Great video Josh.

[@cumminapart77]

That's what I'm saying! 4 quads plus repair costs will get a lot more longevity for someone who isn't a "pro" and can't even tell the difference on flight from one to the next.

[@3eggerfpv397]

I agree, @$900 dollars, WTF, you could build one for $350, and tune it to fly as good or better. And yes, if you're going to smash it, why would you buy a $900 dollar quad? I don't get it, but I don't need to! If you can afford it, you're happy with it, great, but it isn't going to make you a better pilot in the end. I would suggest, take your current build, and buy a better VTX, FPV Camera, and antenna!

[@duncanpope2899]

Hahaha

[@cafub2650]

Yah right

[@killuminaty187]

Hey i just wanted to THANK YOU, for all the great Betaflight and drone tutorials you've done and your professional explanations. You can't imagine, how much this helps me, to understand the FPV drone world. I'm a total noob and i managed to solder reciever ,flash QX7 Access transmitter, R-XSR reciever, bind, put the newest firmware on both and also restore my saved data from Betaflight into my drone and also setup failsafe and some other stuff. All this on my first day and the drone is still working properly :-) Thank You.

[@painintherc7771]

Who else is here in the comments section looking for Steele 🤣

[@highlandcrawler]

Doubtful. He doesn't even reply to comments or questions on his own videos.

[@painintherc7771]

@@highlandcrawler you know what they say, it's lonely at the top 🤣👍

[@highlandcrawler]

I think rarely would gave been better wording. I'm just talking comparatively. He usually has 100-400 comments or so and usually 10 or less will be from him. And I dont fault the guy one bit for it. He is a very motivated and bust person and you can only be some many places in a day doing things. I'm thankful he gives us the cool videos he does and will always look up to his flying ability.

[@rickc7151]

Pain in the RC I look for Steele as bout as much as I look to catch covid)

[@mhoovair89]

Erin Mc Loud he’s replied to me beforr

[@TheConstitutionState]

Did your kit come with the little arm protectors?

[@mattf4858]

I would love to see a video where you swap components one-by-one between the quads and find where the biggest gains are in the Steele machine. Just turn the Steele into a Cidora one piece at a time and let us know what you felt....maybe swap those parts into the Cidora and fly them too for confirmation....thanks for all the great work!

[@slothFPV]

Matt F pthis

[@radiokicks]

That would be dope and super interesting

[@Luna-fp5nk]

Matt F Amazing idea

[@PKB94]

I have both and they fly just as well. Apex is a bit shorter and has less room for components, but the package seals together like hand-in-glove. lightness of the Cidora is a definite plus but arm strength leaves much to be desired (while the Apex is nearly smash proof). Really two great frames.

[@pekespoelstra3078]

Can you please do a new “perfect quad build”?🚁👍👍

[@TRexHeliPilot]

Nice honest review. I have both. After flying them I agree with your assessment 100%. However, I believe that only pilots with more experience would appreciate the differences between the two. Yes the Cidora is that good. For the new Pilot, buy yourself a Cidora, swap in a Cadix Vista and buy yourself the DJI goggles. You will still have enough left over for a spare CIdora when you smash your first one....Which you will do. Just my opinion.

[@CgitEinsteins]

done, buy cidora with your link.

[@rizwan6393]

ternyata berawal dari sini 😂

[@AlEx-xu6jf]

When ever I'm not sure about something drone related there is only two places I go here and uavfutures All of my drones have been built around these channels... Thank you for your content and your love of the sport and hobbie. 5/10 fpv freestyle is my go to when I'm feeling down and out Just gets me away from reality, makes me feel free Pulled my old drone out like two days ago after about eight months of storage, honestly I was scared to fly her again. But feels good to be back in the air and now I've got several months of videos to watch and go through. Thank you from Australia 🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺

[@Guffy686]

Steele camera have really low latency for CCD(14ms and usually they have 33ms), but there a lot of CMOS cameras with less latency, as I remember predator 4 have min latency 4ms. So latency of this camera is just average.

[@CesiumSalami]

yeah ... this latency things confuses me ... there are definitely CMOS cams with high latency, but plenty that are quite a bit lower than CCD and that seems to be a big part of the reason racers like Foxeer Predators or Runcam Racers. All the Runcam Swifts add like 10ms to the Predator's latency. Where are you finding the latency on the Ethix cam. I can't find the min/max/average anywhere.

[@Guffy686]

@@CesiumSalami gal kremer tested it on KZbin. kzbin.info/www/bejne/i6WvgaBtmJiDjtU

[@mike216ism]

My catalysts machine works raging droner or slam nasty with t motor indestructible esc and motors can be built for almost half the price. I'm sure it's amazing but definitely aimed at newcomers. I love betaflight. Excellent video JB

[@mrpickles2170]

"lets talk about motors, i feel like i'am going to piss someone off" "Better to be pissed off then pissed on" \m/ X_x \m/

[@ct6858]

JB, 10:15, tapered arms don't necessarily mean that they are stronger. In the topic of strength of materials, overall cross section, width, and height would matter more than the geometry (taper/straight). Assuming the carbon fiber material itself and fiber directions are the same.

[@JoshuaBardwell]

Tapering from 4mm to 8mm will be stronger than staying at 4mm though.

[@ct6858]

@@JoshuaBardwell Fair, that's definitely better. I didn't have the dimensions of the arms. Cheers.

[@DerkJohn23]

An extra $700 gets you a zip tie on your xt60

[@Nunez021]

Thank You Joshua for your super honest and informative feedback!!!

[@chrisfpv5706]

the iflight would be my choice

[@gmivisualsjason3729]

What a brilliant video...... You've clearly put loads of work into this.

[@JFG_01]

Maybe they charge you an extra 300 because of the time they spent putting the screws in the bottom ? :D

[@pkvillager]

Finished watching... good video! Seriously put a FETtec stack on the Cidora and you will get it to perform almost the same as the Steele build. Stout motors: there is just something about the whole package, they are strangely efficient and the control is ridiculous. But any good motor will perform similar. KISS: The control is out of this world and you hit the nail on the head for some reason with KISS I am more confident, I think it simply has less latency than BF. Apex: Expensive but molded parts are expensive and they are very durable. The frame is very rigid and durable. Stack screws never need to be accessed unless you crack your rear plate. KISS HW: I have no experience personally but I see them blow the magic smoke on video all the time. Go FETtec.

[@jonathanp639]

I guess Mr Steel won’t be your friend anymore 🤣

[@mahmoudjumah4928]

U know man, you are the reason i got into fpv. I appreciate ur work and knowledge. Btw I built my first Cidora quad and am super happy with it it worth the money and effort. Cheers!

[@potjnkye86]

Tried a Mr Steele kiss v1. Flew great but not worth the cost imo. To sorta closed source feeling compared to beta

[@Kettenhund75]

That confidence with Stelle's quad was KISS. I had the exact same experience with my first KISS quad.

[@supermendi0078]

Not gonna lie, yeah I was impressed...by the lack of quality of Steele’s 900$ quads, they’re just not really up-to-date and completely overpriced. Even my basic 250€ quads are better and far more robust, the only thing it does best is keeping that weight down, which is pretty cool, but it ain’t worth that much. Also can’t believe Steele’s quad failed with such a basic thing as electronics at 24:00 ; that’s why I always put capacitors on the ESC. Doesn’t matter if it flies well out of the box, as it gets some bumps and motors get damaged, voltage spikes become more frequent and u better have some capacitors installed to better absorb them. If it were a 300$ quad, It’d be a fine quad as long as we don’t take the electronic failure into account, but being so overpriced...for me It’s been quite a disappointment :/

[@nicolobalestrino]

but can you get the same handling on one of your quad for that? i mean if yes share it please

[@supermendi0078]

BlueJay Yes, all you need is great acceleration, decent ESCs and motors with enough torque to handle those rapid changes in prop rpm. The acceleration is key if you want to make your kwad “floaty” such as mr Steele’s ones, the key for it isn’t to have super powerful motors, but instead to reduce the quad’s weight. That gives you less inertia, which makes those rapid changes in speed and orientation both less energy costly, and less hard on your battery as well, which also increases your flight time (that’s why Steele can do so many tricks in a row and still get like 5 min of flight time). Also PID tuning and Betaflight filters are key to making your quad as smooth as possible in flight. That is one great example of something I still don’t fully understand and that I’m still learning about, mainly because they are extremely specific for each quad, which is where Steele has his experience to allow him to tune his quads to perfection, whereas I’d still have to test mine and fly them a lot more to match his level of tuning. I’m currently working on a KZbin channel to explain these sort of things, but it’ll take some time to be ready since it implies a ton of work, experimenting and it also requires of lots of money to be invested in this hobby (and also the 3D printing hobby, which will be another significant part of it). Bringing interesting content to the table ain’t cheap, and I also feel like I still need to learn a lot of stuff before trying to teach other people, it’s just that, in my current experience, I know you can build 3 awesome kwads, just as good as Steele’s or perhaps even better with those ~900$

[@robertredzich7292]

One of your better vids. Entertaining and informative. Great flying.

[@VincentFischer]

Small history trivia: 3d printing is around for over 40 years. It was like 10years ago that the patents expired.

[@samuelyoung2671]

I remember the first one i built 8 years ago... lots changed since then😂😂😂

[@chasegoodall7536]

My first quad was a Diatone GTM530 for about $210. Flew great with little prop wash, and I was able to tune that out. Super durable too with a beefy cage and super thick arms. For the price I paid I couldn’t be happier for a first quad. Getting ready to build a dedicated freestyle from a remix V2 or BangGod.

[@bigfuzzyarchon2007]

Catalyst Machineworks will build pretty much any 5 inch quad for $150 in labor. I would rather pay them $150 to build it for me over $300 to GetFPV.

[@surf1punk]

I think you're forgetting the royalty to Mr. Steele in there...

[@peterzingler6221]

150 bucks? I'll do it for 30

[@icecorebaby]

I have a lot of custom quads from catalyst. Love their race and freestyle quads.

[@hawaiirealmedia5610]

Nice to watch someone who clearly knows what he is talking about. Nice job! As far as the $300, It's not that unreasonable. You said if you know what you're doing it would take a bit over 2 hours. Call it 3 hours, cause you have to deal with it, set it up, test it, etc. That's $100/hr for labor. What does your car mechanic charge you for 3 hours labor?

[@Aw4yed]

The cheapest one xD I cant even put the 200$ actually lol

[@JonathanKainzner]

Your are not the only one☺️

[@ramongarciano569]

ur not the only two

[@TheHeadShotBoom]

Awesome review! I’d love to see something exactly like this but for the DJI compatible RTF kits that are available. GetFpv has a Lumineer and a Xilo, RotorRiot has their Skyliner. Love to see some direct comparisons.

[@elxero2189]

I'd pick the one I build myself for $150...steel stuff is too hot way to hot sorry

[@user-mb8nb8dj8y]

So I randomly stumbled on your videos one day, I have a Mavic 2 zoom and that’s fine for what it is. I now want to shelf it and get a fpv quad.. great videos I watch hundreds of hours of multi rotor stuff and so far your top 2.

[@KernsJW]

If you have 900, buy a 200 quad and dji fpv system.

[@pkvillager]

Seriously THIS

[@bushcrafter6416]

Fourth or fifth time visiting, lots of good info, Don't let Mr steel make you jealious

[@johncitizen3361]

Neither, get the new T-Motor FT5 BNF with T-motor frame, stack and motors, Caddx Ratel, RushTank VTX then chuck the running gear in an Apex frame.

[@OscarTRob]

How's the drop top? lol

[@levicook8488]

Rushtank = Trashtank

[@johncitizen3361]

Levi Cook Have you had a bad experience with the Rushtank? I run mostly TBS and a couple Tramps but put a Rushtank into a freestyle build powered directly from 6S and it’s been rock solid for 6 months, I was going to buy more I hope they don’t have QC issues.

[@SuperSigma69]

@@johncitizen3361 I heard there were some batches that had very bad issues. I also saw other people complaining about it.

[@johncitizen3361]

SuperSigma ahh that sucks, quality control is a problem with a lot of the cheaper stuff.

[@justanotherfpv]

Your freestyle is so much fun to watch! Your got some style Bardwell

[@vhfgamer]

I would totally buy a 900 dollar quad if I KNEW it would never blow up or fry a motor. ... But then here we are, and the 900 dollar quad blows up just the same as the 200 dollar quads we all fly. So why should I ever get a 900 dollar drone?

[@O.L.D_RC]

Thanx chief! I actually have a build on the iflight frame. Different electronics and motors. Cam setup is a ratel hybrid with dvr. A bit more cost but will see shortly how she handles. I looked at the steele quad when intro'd and to get his setup and accessories was much higher still. Would I at 9 bills? Mayhaps. More quickly I would build 2 really awesome quads, or buy 4 of the iflights and take them to dinner before xxxxing 3 of them to pieces doing sketchy things I normally wouldn't risk and using what I learned to perfect it before using #4.

[@jaybomb5022]

No smart audio for 1000$ you gotta be kidding me!! Entry level 150$ eachine and arris have it standard wow.

[@typeOhh]

Why don't you try putting Steele's pids on the Cidora and see bow that feels?

[@f270]

I have no issue with the Steele drone costing $900. If someone with $$ wants to just buy one ready to fly let them. If you want to save $$ and build your own that's cool too. That's the great part of Capitalism endless choices.

[@colinmetzger6755]

In terms of instant responsiveness, I have a video on my channel from my own personal design with the Xing motors (2207) where I caught myself basically instantly. It's the video that's 43 seconds long. I'm still very new to the hobby, but as an engineer, I think that matching the right prop to the right motor is more important.

[@airmanfpv964]

900 for an fpv quad is a rip off

[@dronedoutrc5970]

A lot of people in this hobby seem to have more money that they do brains. Any one who pays 900 for a quad deserves to get ripped off.

[@flo-ridafpv5713]

Steeles personally built omes are $1700

[@RCinginSC]

But you get $300 worth of magic smoke.

[@TestECull]

@@flo-ridafpv5713 yeah no for $1700 I could get a 30CC warbird with a Saito 3-cylinder on the nose.

[@airmanfpv964]

@@porroco well you could buy 3 different quads that are pretty good for that price. Even 900$ its gonna break at some point

[@jtyokomo]

Very informational video as always! Although I don't see too many situations where one would need to access the stack screws after the quad is fully built, unless one of the stack screws breaks. Covering the stack screws with the arms actually has an advantage imo, makes it impossible for the stack screw to loosen and back out

[@SimonMain]

Who else loves Mr. Steele?😍

[@abnormallynormal8823]

Diggin the quarantine beard J.B.! quarantine has proved to me that every guy looks better with more facial hair

[@BAJABLAST3D]

Iflight should just stick to motors and frames, their escs aren’t bad but the FCs are really hard to deal with.

[@jofydo]

I flew the same KISS ESC and I had the same problems. I had 2 of them and both burned after I think 15 - 20 flights. I was really sad and switched the FC and ESC. Now I'm flying with Betaflight. Till now I dont have problems with the new combination.

[@staticmotion1628]

all these kiss haters i've been flying kiss for 3 years now never had a kiss product fail on me i think the fails are coming from ppl who dont know how to build KISS products properly

[@mhoovair89]

Exactly.

[@mhoovair89]

Only kiss issues I have had were my own fault, or due to crash

[@seattleitefpv]

@StaticMotion Agreed

[@DeeJayEll]

Cough, cough...24:05!?!? 😂

[@staticmotion1628]

@@DeeJayEll something in ya throat? like i said built by someone who doesn't know how to build KISS properly you don't know how this was built was the 4in1 filed out? doesn't look like it no caps, gummies, who knows i wasn't there but what i do know for me personally kiss has never failed me so idc what ppl say or whatever we all have our own opinions and this was mine

[@seattleitefpv]

Yeah... you have experienced KISS. It really does feel different and flies exceptionally well when properly built. The ESC fire was strange, must be a 6S issue in the absence of a capacitor. You should have listened to those who warned you :). I have been flying KISS for 5 years and I haven't had a single ESC fire.

[@scottburgess8002]

Seattleite FPV really that good? Have you flown radix?

[@owlmuso]

Tbh, it might sound weird, but I did notice that I preferred the actual flying on the steele quad. Hard to put my finger on it but the refined hardware did seem to translate into refined flying. But the cidora is nothing to sneeze at either

[@CarbonGlassMan]

A friend said he bought insurance for his Mavic drone from State Farm because it was cheaper than the DJI insurance. I assume you can also insure this $900 drone that is probably carrying a $400 gopro for about $6-$7 a month.

[@jarodfpv1099]

Really enjoyed this video Joshua. The apex seems to be a point and shoot quad. There's a noticeable difference in flight videos. Seems to be a perfect combination of hardware and software. Unfortunately the price is way too high for your average hobbyist. If fpv is what you do for a living then definitely get the apex. The ROI will speak for itself.

[@EvenTheDogAgrees]

Lol, that ending. For a minute there I felt like I was in a 90's stoner movie as the stereotypical "guy on the couch". Except, in the fridge... :')

[@mkunakoff]

I own the sl5-e and I love it, my only gripe, and maybe mine was the exception, but the factory tune was absolute trash. It oscillated like crazy all through the throttle range. I ended up going back to stock betaflight tune and tweaking from there. But its is truly a great quad for the price. Thanks for your insight Joshua!

[@josefhorstus5851]

Thank you for your honest review. 👍

[@imager09tube]

What does fly better mean? softer/on rails feeling-softer turns - less jumpy control? Thanks.

[@logo8009]

JB did they send a replacement 4 in 1 ESC?

[@logo8009]

JB never answered. Supersizing since that store sells his products you thing he would say they made it right since according to Mr. Steele it was not assembled the way he recommended. The other would be JB just feels his fan base is all about BF and that's mostly how he makes his living, More budget orientated even thought the Kiss build could have been done for well under $899. Thanks for the like but, I would of rather had a reply yes they replaced it or no. Then people would know if they stood behind a $899 quad. A double edge sword and JB can't answer every question but, he does most.

[@davidarq1]

JB got a very polemic topic here. Good job! I honestly think this is why you buy a Mac or a PC. You pay a premium for the name behind it. I honestly wouldn’t buy either. I do however fly impulse RC frames. I think the Reverb is a better frame than the apex. Personal opinion though. I did try kiss during my first time and it did not last very long specifically the ESCs. It could have been user error too.

[@garrykennedy5484]

One of the things I've always loved about you is that you have a logical, accurate way of expressing your experiences. I can always tell that you are being genuine in the way you express yourself. You have a way with words that most people lack. I appreciate that so much and know that I can always trust what you say because of that AND you back it up with proof. You are AWESOME in that aspect. Even in your sarong putting a bucket over a pigs head to calm him. Even though that would normally make me even more nervous. LOL Much Love brother. Keep up the fantastic work that I feel you are sometimes under rated for. I'm so glad you can do this full time and remember the day you broke free to do so. SO proud of you my friend. So proud. I envy you obviously. LOL BUT,, You've more than earned it.

[@Edthegearhead]

Hey JB, correct me if I’m wrong. If you buy the impulse Rc Mr steel kit, then the FC and ESC you looking at a little under 400$ then add the camera of your choice, your well under the 600$ in parts you were talking.

[@JoshuaBardwell]

You can look at the spreadsheet I put on screen in the conclusion. I added up all the parts. It comes to $600.

[@Edthegearhead]

Joshua Bardwell Sorry, spike before I finished the video, takes me a couple day to get through one. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

[@brandonbradford6317]

Could the snappier feeling of the Apex vs the Iflight really come down to the motor size? A lot of the moves you were doing were low throttle snaps which the 2306 steele motors would excel over the xing-e 2207s. Also, the pitch would probably help as well but just a thought that the main difference is the motor size and prop pitch and if they were equal, it seems like they would almost flight the same.

[@RHINOTACTICAL]

Hi Joshua, can the X9 pro lite be bound to the Cidora SL5-E 215mm, I noticed if I went to the regular bang good it gives me one more option but if I use your link (which I want to so you get a commission) it does not give me the option of buying with an xm + receiver...does your link auto know what will be compatible with this? Not sure just have a Taranis x9 lite. Any help would be appreciated as to which to buy and bind through Beta. Love your house and vids BTW bro!

[@martyn5416]

I have been checking far too much for this video to drop, enjoyed every moment. I definitely think you should do you're own KISS build, I'd love to see that.

[@bomberaustychunksbruv4119]

I just got Multirotorverse to send me a frame/esc/fc/motors/vtx/props. I've never built a quad (I can fly a whoop well) I watched Joshuas vids and set it up over 3 nights. It cost me $400 AUD as I had a camera. THANKYOU JB your videos are pure GOLD MATE. As for the Apex. Well you got to be good enough to notice how good it is. Smoking its Esc?, very dissapointing. You could order 2 Cidoras and a load of batts for that coin - by the time you've thrashed killed them you'd be getting good at flying!!!.

[@HarryPotter-kz6kl]

It was easy to hear the difference, you could hear the oscillations on the Betaflight quad. You should do a follow-up after you have tuned it.