The most important part of your FPV drone. Testing SO MANY 5" Props!

[@DrMacca]

Wife: "What are you watching?" Me: "This guy I watch is playing around with his thrust stand." Wife: "[silently backs out of the room]"

[@ChrisRosser]

But....but...thrust stand testing is fun for the whole family!

[@DrMacca]

@@ChrisRosser 🤣

[@ChrisRosser]

Just a quick note on how I picked the props for testing. I bought one of every 5" prop UnmannedTech and YourFPV had in stock in the UK. If they didn't have the prop in stock it didn't get tested. I'll see if I can find a supplier of GF props in the UK for a follow up video. EDIT: Follow up confirmed with MOAR PROPS incl. Gemfan!

[@J2_P]

This video need a second episode :). You can maybe buy props from other countries. We really need some gemfan. And also cyclone 5143.5 and 5146.5. to compare exact same prop with different pitch. As usual this video is a top one! It start like other props test but when advance ratio slide appears it is the Chris touch! You rocks 👏

[@slinkyfpv]

That would be awesome! I mostly use GF. Mainly 5.1X433, 51.x466, 51x477, and 52x36.

[@TinkeringDad]

51433 here as well, Please do a followup with Gemfan props, looking forward to it!

[@IDriveAnAudi]

I had a couple packs of Nazguls I hadn’t tried yet, so I put some on my new Sonicare with FPVCycle 25mm motors a couple hours ago and flew it. Man, those things are excellent! Now I’ll have to try them on my AOS 5 V2! They are also surprisingly quiet.

[@UnmannedSky]

If you do a test on the lumenier gatebreakers pls let us know. I've struggled a little bit with the gatebreakers and am wondering if they are high on the vibration scale.

[@suzysheer66]

It was interesting to see how the props i fly got rated. Thanks for the deep dive.

[@jlarson42]

Very interesting and informative video. No Gemfan, in particular Hurricanes? Shame.

[@KwongKan]

Just skimming through......... no Gemfan?

[@CiottiFPV]

The Nazgûl F5 is a copy of the Gemfan 51433 but made cheaper so Gemfans would have dominated this testing I’ll bet

[@J2_P]

@@CiottiFPV really? I'm about to buy some nazgul but I have a ton of 433 already XD.

[@CiottiFPV]

@@J2_P don’t support cloners man, fuck Nazgûl for ripping Gemfan off

[@BuZZarDFPV]

Would love to see stats on the Ethix P3 prop. Probably one of the most flown props.

[@wewerewildlife]

I was looking for that, too.

[@Quick-Flash]

You really need a wind tunnel. Static thrust won't tell you enough to say if its a "good" freestyle/racing prop. Theres more to the story.

[@BeastlyKings]

Good stuff! I'd love to see a test comparing 3 blade to 2 blade, also I never realized how inefficient my cyclones were. But they're so resilient though!

[@ChrisRosser]

Durability is certainly important as well!

[@RindosRides]

You should throw in a couple 2 blade props. Everyone keeps saying 2 blade is more efficient than 3, but I get a lot more battery life (and speed and handling) on the 3 blade sl5130 and sl5125 than the dual blade lr5126.

[@Guenounovitch]

cuz u're expecting 2 blades to be as fast as 3 so you push the throttle in consequence

[@dihler55]

Very very interesting data for sure especially considering that I loved how the Azure 5140 fly. But there is one important metric you need to look at for props as well: durability. If you go out there with a prop that cant take anything then the overall experiene with that prop is not gonna be as great no matter how good it flies.

[@bloatedgoatfpv]

True. I was super happy that my go-to prop was included (HQ DP 5.1x3.6x3) and they are pretty durable. I've flown GF hurricanes and they look great but fall apart at the first turtle mode.

[@JevinW]

Interesting how pitch doesn't necessarily correlate with efficiency or max thrust. Although for a lot of pilots, I think a key factor on what makes a good freestyle prop is the durability. Yet I understand that can be complicated to test.

[@lorinwingtips5290]

This would be awesome, except no Gemfan? That would be like comparing Digital FPV systems and excluding DJI. I love the work you do, and have great respect for your attention to detail to get accurate, repeatable, and verifiable results. that's why the exclusion of one of the two top prop manufacturers is kinda weird.

[@DoctorrMetal]

He explained it in the top comment

[@jondoe6618]

WOW! Glad to know my nazgul props are that good! I have loads of em!! All I fly.

[@ChrisRosser]

I was surprised how well they perfromed as well. Good Job iFlight!

[@dingbatfpv]

All these props and not a single Gemfan tested!? Great informative video though, just sad my props weren't in it :)

[@achimberend9310]

Hello Chris! Thank you for your work! Did you test the Props for consistency? I would think at least the balance of a prop and therefore the vibration might be different in different batches.

[@christophergran8313]

I’m very happy with my HQ P4 on a 740g quad. Tried the P3 it feels a bit under power and I can see the props bends so much under load compare to P4 (running 6S, 1950kv motors). The P4 in my opinion the perfect all around prop. You can freestyle well and chase fast FPV fixed-wings.

[@spindlershots1957]

Is there a problem with Gemfan props?

[@seewell8168]

Interested to see GemFan included as they are widely regarded as the best engineered props.

[@willpowerfpv3246]

Yeah, I'm stunned they're not included. Kinda muddy's the comparison in my opinion.

[@cleptoXx]

^^ i'm sure he's joking us... or he makes an Gemfan only Vid.

[@LongboardersMD]

Hi Chris, Thanks for your afford to test alle 5" the props. It would be great to to this with 7" inch as well. Thanks in advance Sebastian

[@MChila]

Hey Chris, in the website says that the Nazgul F5 Prop is 5.1 inch, that change some calculations right?

[@jwc4520]

Dang so many things I had not thought of, makes selecting a prop, a tad more difficult. Then I don't race, just build flying things. From quads to dragons it all fun. Current task an old DC-3, to celebrate having survived a trans Texas f,ight 55 years ago....

[@jefffpv2759]

ethix s5, hq 5x4.3x3 and nazgul. i like the hq's best. the s5's and nazguls feel about the same. theyre also nice.

[@mopatop3921]

Chris - please can you test biblade props and compare them to these props? It would be good to finally have the biblade vs. triblade argument put to bed.

[@captainkook9371]

Gemfan 51466 works fine for me better than the HQ 5" 4.3mm

[@aviphysics]

I am hoping you will do 3.5" props. A little surprising how little correlation there is between rated pitch and performance.

[@willpowerfpv3246]

That'll be a pretty short list. There's only a handful of 3.5 in props on the market that I'm aware of.

[@Brian-S]

Love me some HQ j37 and j40s just found interesting results here form them however

[@hapsti]

yep literally just ordered a set (luckily only one) of them and now im like...

[@FrenzyIncarnate]

I wonder why there is any gemfan props in this testing. I use theirs a lot

[@ChrisRosser]

UnmannedTech and YourFPV didn't have any GFs in stock. I bought one of everything they had though.

[@punga2875]

Hey @Chris Rosser ! Can you make a video comparing the resonance caracteristics of the brand new GEPRC Mark 5 Frame and the old king Apex frame? I love both and i've purchase the GEPRC Mark 5 frame and have some issue to tunning it and i didn't have your knoledge of frame resonance! Sorry for my bad English i'm French! Thank you for your content, it help me and the FPV community so much !

[@punga2875]

If you can't, what's your thaught on the GEPRC Mark 5 frame?

[@ChrisRosser]

I don't think it'll have quite as good resonance as the Apex due to it's thinner arms. The metal front end looks very durable but also quite heavy. Maybe a good bando slaying frame?

[@CiottiFPV]

Wow, the shittily made copy of the Gemfan 51433 (Nazgûl F5) did so well that I guess if there were Gemfan props in the test they would have done so well that the credibility of the testing would be in question?

[@ChrisRosser]

I'll try and get hold of some Gemfans and test them. There were none in stock when I bought the props for this testing.

[@FailsafeFPV]

@@ChrisRosser I've messaged you in your discord :)

[@saturn_fpv]

With those curvy/bumpy lines I don't think you can just pick a random point for comparison?

[@ChrisRosser]

Great point. I did averaging around the 1000gF point to mitigate the effect of the bumps.

[@Bannisterpost]

Did Gemfan not hold up to these or were they not tested? I love the F4S props and the 5236, 5536 props so much.

[@kenb6565]

I agree on the f4s and the 5236. I had really bad vibes in both blackbox and gopro jello on the 5536. Loved the feel of the 5536 but spent almost a month trying to get rid of the vibes, never did.

[@Bannisterpost]

@@kenb6565 what motors? I'm spinning the 5236 and 5536 on the fpvcycle 25mm without issue

[@kenb6565]

@@Bannisterpost i have both 2208.5 hyperlights and the 25mm imperials, 2 builds each. Same frame and electrinics on all 4. Apex HD with 5.5" and 6" arms. Love the gemfan 6030 for longer range and 5235 for close in. 🤔

[@Bannisterpost]

@@kenb6565 interesting, the only difference on my Apex 5.5" when using the 5536 is it flies up in the air like it weighs nothing. The props do take a little more time to spin up and down but overall good. Maybe it's our arm length or pids. Anyways I still prefer the 5236 it's such a good prop

[@kenb6565]

@@Bannisterpost they flew great, rpm filtering handled it no problem. I even printed all new gopro mount variations (sesson5), jello in the hd recording. Raw gyro data also showed high vibes. I swapped arms between 5.5 and 6. Wish i could expain it. Its possible I go two seprate bad batches. I worked really hard to figure it out. Never did.

[@Blockbuster2033]

great testing, may I ask why you haven't tested their ability to spin up (and/or down)? For example: you could have them running at 5% throttle and then increase the throttle to 100% in an instant and see which prop increases thrust quickest. That way you should have a metric for how well a quad responds if it has that specific prop installed. Edit: It's also interesting to see the 5043 v1s so far at the top, I think it was the prop that properly replaced the old 5040 glass fiber prop from HQ and the point where Steele finally switched to poly carbonate props if I remember correctly. I've always thought it is a great prop and just stuck with it. Also I'd be interested in seeing a test of these old 5040 glass fiber props and how they compare to all these new props.

[@ChrisRosser]

Spin up spin down is a lot of work. Too much to undertake for 24 sets of props. The weight should be a useful comparsion factor for spin up and spin down.

[@pav2k]

not a single GF prop! WOW!

[@ChrisRosser]

UnmannedTech and YourFPV didn't have any in stock. I bought one of everything they had though.

[@dennismatovich8411]

Great job! Please do the 7" props next.

[@13FPV]

I'm flying the HQ 5x4.3x3 V1S since they came out years ago (thanks to our Aussie friend Chad Nowak (FinalGlideAus) and never felt the need for a different prop. Now I know why! Thanks Chris!

[@RCRitterFPV]

wonder how much variance in vibration each prop has. if you tested 10 of those props, how consistent they would be.

[@ChrisRosser]

I'll be sure to look at that in the follow up, thanks!

[@BNIRc]

I need the best for the day DJI FPV, right now I am running the Akion adapters with a 5.2x2.6x3 and it seems really nice and smooth but obviously other things change. Awesome video love the information, is there any way you can make a chart that would coincide with the weight of the quadcopter

[@rakr9334]

Great Work. I just missed bei Peanut Butter Jellys

[@DriftaholiC]

Now that my quad is all tuned up I've been plotting step response across the many props I've accumulated. The results are not exactly as expected. Might be a test you wanna try.

[@hulpe]

+1 for in depth step response testing :)

[@janvogt454]

Thanks for the dedicated work, enjoyed watching! Would wish for error bars (but understand the day has only so many hours)

[@ClintChapman]

Great to see the nazgul f5 ranking high. I fly them all the time and love them but I don't hear anybody talking about them.

[@audiogek]

I knew I wasn't crazy...been rocking the HQ 5x4.3 for ages, tried many others, but always came back to the HQ 5x4.3. Thanks! Awesome job you did here!

[@astromancer]

Please please please, do the same for 7" props!

[@leonie9248]

Nazgul evoque props are 5.1x3.5 (not 5.0x3.5) - are they going to perform very different from what you measured for the 5.0 Nazgul props?

[@PkwyDrive13]

I been using the axis Blackbird props for 6 months now exclusively... I have enjoyed them. I don't have time to watch it all right now or look over the sheet.. So I don't know if I'm using bad props yet 😂

[@TheMadmacs]

agh, funny the dal prop with least efficiency also had the least vibration, i know our props deflect but could it be a much bigger factor in performance than we think. also, gutted you didnt test the iflight 5.1x40, i'm trying to find the most similar prop to these because they seem to be out of stock everywhere, especially the red ones.

[@k4x4map46]

interesting analysis...I have the HQ 5x4.3x3 V1S for a bit and they definitely perform (Chameleon Ti, Velox 2306, 2400Kv))

[@MichaelRogersJesusrules]

Awesome thank you for sharing.

[@ChrisRosser]

Thanks for watching!

[@rcarindom]

No Gemfan... thry have excellent 51477 and 51466 props.. they are light nimble and generates hell lot of thrust with high efficiency

[@achimberend9310]

Fantastic content! Thank you! How do biplade and quadblade props ? I am missing the popular Gemfan options here. Will you do something similar with 3.5 inch and 7 and 7.5 inch props?

[@TheStrangeSky]

Hello there, I love your videos. I have a few questions in relation to this video. 1, how do props with the same diameter but with 2 blades preform?. 2, how do props with the same diameter but with 4,5,6,8 blades preform?. and last question. how do different blades for ducted quads preform?. The reason why I'm asking is because I recently picked up some HQ props that have 4,6 and 8 blades, PS Thank You for your the great videos, I always look forward to them.

[@pmantix]

Nice video and data collection Chris. One comment - I was able to see more of the expected correlation between pitch and efficiency / thrust / torque / etc by comparing measurements at a fixed RPM, rather than a fixed thrust. It’s a weaker trend in your dataset but it is observable. Also something to consider - I believe there is a bug in the old rcbenchmark scripts that reports the torque as 1/2 the true value. Many of the older results (2019 or earlier) in the tyro robotics database still have this discrepancy. Your data appears to be using the older scripts that has this bug too. I would be very interested to see a torque measurement sanity check on your test rig with a known moment. If your measurements come out to 1/2 the expected value, then this would corroborate my findings. Cheers!

[@hapsti]

just ordered a pack of them 5.1x2.5x3's, sounds promissing

[@myco6978]

The tests are interesting but pretty meaningless. You essentially figured out what's the best prop for this one particular motor. If you change the motor you'll get very different results (-> stator size matters). Also for many pilots the spin-up/down time is most important, not the overall thrust/speed. You really don't care if a prop is 10 times faster than any other, if it takes 10 minutes to get to the top speed (overexaggerated). Also the spin-up/down time tells you how fast you can accelerate and make course corrections.

[@REDhlg]

Here's a vote for 6" props next;-) including Ethix K2 Bi-blades.

[@antigravity8247]

Missing Gemfan WinDancer 5042 or 5043 Prop, my favorite Prop.

[@andreabucciotti]

Well I thought tmotor would do much better than this, considering the great build quality. I run the tmotor5146s not included here, but I guess I'll look elsewhere in the future

[@bwcritch]

Chris, your work is amazing! I think you need to keep adding to this database by including several other props. I am personally willing to purchase/donate to the cause.

[@achimberend9310]

I thought of a practical test in moved air. What about using the same prop and motor right in front of the discards of the thrust stand to get the air moving into the Prop. I would think it is very similar to be flying. I thought it would act like a primitive wind tunnel. I understand the the distance of the prop blowing to the Prop tested will make a difference, also the obstruction by the thrust stand itself. Not sure how to get that right. Would we get the same conclusions like using the formula for advance ratio? Probably to many variables. What do you think?

[@liuroot]

Man this video won my subscription!!! Great work, i wish you had collected audible noise levels too!!

[@skyweaver3199]

I was thinking about it, and I came here to tell you... You should use finite element simulation to figure out the absolute best 3d printed frame design. Just for fun....

[@hoagietime1]

Numbers charts blah blah blah, but what felt the most juicy on the test stand? There wasn't a juice column in the spreadsheet. Thanks for this, super helpful

[@alanrallings9997]

Chris, this is all so helpful .what would the results be for the best 5" ducted fan prop (lift not speed maybe)? As below willing to donate.

[@MysteryD]

Your battery in the first shot probably should be pushed back a bit. Imagine a prop blade flying into it

[@Deserthacker]

I tend to use the props that still have at least some blades left after a few minutes of my "great" flying. Filter heavy AF pid profile with low D term. Flies like nothing you'd ever want and comes with scorching motors. But it will "happily" chug along with just one or two blades left on the prop. At least, it did so when it was winter here...

[@gadgetman404]

Could you do test for best long range props is 5 inch 6 inch 7 inch better cheers Chris interesting video

[@DanielZerem]

I hope you make same analysis but with 3" props. Anyway even this video is awesome as I am about to build my first 5" drone.

[@Rcschim]

Great video, thanks for the work! I have a lot of props, many dalprops. Always wondered how good they are actually. Often vibration is an important measure for me, to rule out jello... greets, Mario

[@Johnny31297]

Awesome test Chris. I was already typing a comment about static performance testing vs prop performance with inflow and how it changes the AOA, efficiency, thrust and top speed, but I see you got that covered! Keep up the amazing work, this is a godsend for data geeks like me! I, as someone who develops rotor blades for RC helicopters, would absolutely love to see you developing an AOS propeller, and what approach you would take to create a virtual model of it to gauge its performance before cutting expensive molds. It has taken me some time and iterating to find my personal workflow for heli blades but the results are amazing, so I'd say if you're up for a challenge, this would be an amazing project for you 😉

[@ShinyVideoStuff]

Haven't tried the Nazgul F5 but the older Nazgul 5140 remain my favourite all-rounder.

[@jejefpv]

Thanks for all that testing. I am in love with Ethix P3, I wish you could have tested them to see how they rank.

[@bloatedgoatfpv]

How many props of each type did you test to get vibration numbers? A single prop may have more inherent vibration than others of the same type, so I'm curious if you tested all 4 props in a pack or just one.

[@ChrisRosser]

Just one for this testing but I'll do a follow up video to look at prop to prop variation.

[@willpowerfpv3246]

Great video, Chris! I absolutely love these tests.. even if they don't necessarily correlate with my experiences, they really do clue me in to other factors that I'd maybe not considered.. Really wish I had seen gemfan represented, but I am a fan of HQ and Ethix props as well. I appreciate your contributions! 🙌

[@secretagb]

Fantastic! Now I want to see this same test run for sub250 builds with 3" size.

[@walkershot92]

No HQ R38? Or Gemfan? But included a 3D prop???

[@FlyZoneFpv]

Another great video thanks Chtis👊🏻👊🏻

[@srmxl]

Great video. Can you please also test 4 blade props in comparison?

[@RCRitterFPV]

What tip speed is most efficient? Max flight time aim for X RPM.... what tip speed is max thrust? motor output limit beyond XYZ RPM...

[@ChrisRosser]

Max efficiency occurs with a lower tip speed (so bigger props are always more efficient for the same thrust). Red line is 0.88-0.92 Mach above which efficiency falls off a cliff due to supersonic flow over parts of the prop.

[@arekfpv3631]

No Gemfan Hurricane 51433😮🤔. Why?

[@mouseFPV]

and not a single gemfan was tested. id say not having gemfan f4s and ethix p3, but including dalprop and folding props was a bit of a miss. Cool data though.

[@ChrisRosser]

They weren't in stock at the stores I bought from initially. I've now found them in stock and have ordered a bunch 👍

[@luis_gbs]

Great video, glad you followed my suggestion for that video 😉 But I think a part 2 with Gemfan props is needed to be a real help. Gemfan has just too many props that are really relevant to me. Please don’t forget the 51433, f3s, f4s, 5226, 5236 and MCK V2. Also a test of the HQ V2S would be interesting as it’s the successor to the V1S. Having the AOS55 in mind maybe the HQ5.5”V1S and GF5536 would be cool. Thx so much for your work, I am happy to be a patreon of your channel. 👍

[@ChrisRosser]

Thanks for the idea! GF weren't in stock at the stores I bought from initially. I've now found them in stock and have ordered a bunch 👍

[@marccretten]

seems the Ethix bi blades made were not mentioned in the Vibration test but were in others any reason for that?

[@alegtFPV]

I didn’t know nazgul f5 were different from previous nazgul props. Anyway you are missing a lot of modern propellers: all gemfan f3 f4 vanny, etc, hq j37 j40. Please do a second video with these props, your content is always good!

[@maryjane136]

Sent him the props.

[@MystikSquash]

I would love it if you tested some 7 inch propellers

[@fitingsthdown]

please do a follow up series with alot more gemfan products. like the 5147,5149, 5040 etc. there are alot of very popular props recommended by many pilots that i would love to see hard data on. well done!

[@ChrisRosser]

New video is up with more data on Gemfans!

[@thiagoamatofpv]

Hey Chris, why dont you test more props. I mean, a lot of gemfans were out of this sample. Its good to have some knowledge on wich props could perform the best with your rig. Awesome work btw!

[@ChrisRosser]

I tested more props! 😎

[@sigterm15]

motor used was Xing2 2207 or 2306?

[@dg9bfc]

If you test it in pusher config then you have also to mount the prop that way.. Not only spin other direction.. Hmm?!?

[@ChrisRosser]

Yeah you have to make sure the prop is mounted correctly and spinning in the right direction otherwise the performance is terrible.

[@califpv]

Can't do FPV prop testing without GemFan in the mix.... Great testing though

[@ChrisRosser]

Follow video confirmed. I found a supplier with some GemFans in stock in the UK.

[@skyweaver3199]

Why didn't you do any gemfan props.... Edit saw your comment :)

[@ChrisRosser]

New video with Gemfan props is up!

[@CptSinep-cu5fp]

another very good video! thx for testing!

[@gus8378]

Are higher pitched props more silent?

[@RCRitterFPV]

is the motor limiting the thrust or the prop? maybe the higher pitch just needs more motor for benefits to occur? or is prop flattening and that's all it's got?

[@ChrisRosser]

You'll always get more thrust with a bigger motor (at worse and worse efficiency) but I don't think we should be using a motor much bigger than 2207 on a 5" prop.

[@RCRitterFPV]

@@ChrisRosser be interesting to see massive power say 2807 curve, next to proper 2207 then under 2204. How those efficiencies/ thrust relate.

[@ghostechvids]

Bravo! Excellent work. I’m a mechanical engineer and value all of your effort behind this video. I know that you are presenting this in the most simplest of ways to help your audience to understand your data. New subscriber. Keep up the good work!

[@VisionAri4]

no GEMFAN props?!?! Why?!

[@VisionAri4]

how many bi blade props here?

[@migueliniguez7354]

Appreciate you Chris 🙏

[@eprohoda]

Good day, interesting video-work,see ya!. Chris! 👽

[@Flexo3D]

Awesome that you included the 3D props! I would love to see a comparison between the hq 3D and gemfan 513D. I would also like to see the reverse thrust numbers.

[@gus8378]

What about Gemfan props