Top positive review
24 people found this helpful
A challenge well worth it! Extras make a great value.
By Brettski on Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2020
As a preface, I already own a MJX Bugs3 which is basically what this is. I am not a pro. I bought this because DROCON was backordered and I wanted another one, like, NOW. For a little more money ForceOne offered the same drone with an extra battery, 2 extra top skins and an HD CAMERA!!! Best offer out there IMHO. These drones are awesome, very fast, very durable but you will need to learn to actually fly it. There are no automatic features on this drone, except for the flips and level, but once you learn it, look out! Herein lies the CHALLENGE! AND TONS of FUN!! First, ditch the blade guards as they will do more damage to your props than the soft grass. Buy a couple sets of extra blades, you'll need them. Just watch your fingers!!! If you take off from a perfectly level surface the drone will remember this and you will not need to use so much trim once airborne. I usually trim just a bit for breezes but that all changes once you get up above the trees. The Drone is very responsive and the controls are a little touchy as other reviewers have noted. I suggest the slower (1beep ) speed when starting out. The yaw control is robotic and very precise which is cool for those 360 degree panoramic vids at extreme heights!! The remote will beep slowly when the batt is at 20% and the trick feature will be disabled. This means "fly me home!" It will beep rapidly if you lose communication (out of range) or if the drone is dangerously low on power I started out just getting the thing to hover in front of me at about eye level. Swooping back and forth and side to side and throwing in a flip here & there got me pretty familiar with the sensitivity of the controls. Then I started walking it around the yard, through the trees and other obstacles at about head height and with the drone facing away from me. (There is no "headless" mode. . . . more on that later) The throttle stays where you put it and you'll find the 'hover button' position where the drone stays at a pretty steady altitude. Once I got that down I started flying it higher and higher and learning how it behaved. There are 2 speed settings and it is pretty squirrelly on the higher speed so choose the one you are most comfortable with at first. The biggest challenge for me was flying "dyslexic" as I call it. When the drone is facing away from you it responds to the stick commands exactly like any video game. When it is facing you (headlight) you have to remember that 'left is right, forward is backward" and control it like any R/C car, helo, or plane. This is where I start crashing into stuff. I'm 63 so New stuff is hard to learn sometimes. What I did learn early on is that these drones are nearly bullet-proof. During one dyslexic flight, I lost control and the drone came down like a stone and crashed into my high pitched roof, sliding down and landing props down on my deck. I leveled the props and checked it out. No damage. With the tall landing gear attached the tips of the props should be about 5-1/4 inches high off a level surface. this is important I found out to keep proper balance between the props/motors and for stable low noise flights. My ADHD is getting better since I have to pay attention every second while I'm flying. The camera is VERY cool also. I can't afford a "GoPro" so the camera I already have is an AKASO 4K ultraHD. A budget cam for sure but durable and works at least as well as the more expensive ones. The included camera is not quite as richly featured as the AKASO, but it works well and is a bit lighter in weight. Even with the extra load of the camera on board, it takes off like a rocket when you pork the throttle!! Careful! It will soar like an eagle and nearly disappear in a quick second! Overall I give this thing 5 stars b/c it is a great value for the money and is easy to maintain and an absolute joy to fly. Several friends have the more expensive stuff and yeah it's cool but they can't fly this one w/o a good deal of practice. The only one who could was a smarty 11yo who I believe was born with a video game controller surgically attached to his hands. Flight time is about 15 min without the cam and about 12min with. Always rest the battery 10 min before you recharge and NEVER leave it on the charger unattended. Unplug from charger as soon as indicator iight shows fully charged. Hints: (1) A few tiny droplets of a good clock oil on the bearings of the motors and some slow hand rotations of the props will make for longer lasting motor. The brushless 1800kv DC motors are smooth and very powerful. (2) Never store your batteries fully charged. After charging, place the battery in the drone and initialize it. Run the props at idle for a bit. Number the batteries so you can keep track of them, and take notes as to the amount of flight time you get from each battery. Not good to let batteries fall too far below 20% (Shortens their life) (3) With tall landing gear attached, level the props by measuring from the tips to a flat level surface. 5-1/4 inches is correct. Bend gently near the hub to adjust. Replace the props when they get tore up as the motor has to work harder to spin a boffed up propeller. Minor damage can be repaired by smoothing tips with a knife edge and/or dressing with a nail file. Finally, SERVICE. . .The good people at Force1 are ready to help. I have exchanged emails with them and they are always polite and informative. Spare parts are in stock and reasonably priced which is nice to know when you are just getting started flying your Force1 actioncam/sport drone. Enjoy!!! Brettski
Top critical review
8 people found this helpful
Huge disappointment .. flew off ... gone forever
By Mike Goddard on Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2020
Whenever someone claimed their drone "flew away on its own", I used to think, "operator error". Well, not anymore! I spent more time assembling this thing than I did flying it. I've been flying drones for a few years, so I'm not exactly a newbie. It had a hard time syncing with the controller, so that should have been my first clue there were problems. When it did respond, there seemed to be a delay between the controller and the drone, and it moved in quick bursts, not fluidly, making it difficult to maneuver. If this were my first drone experience, I'd be discouraged from trying again. It went up, I was able to move it around for a few minutes, then it shot straight up, no longer responding to my controls. It was almost out of view, then started to come back down momentarily. I had it coming back towards me at one point, but then it took off again. It went over the horizon, never to return. If you are a beginner, avoid this drone and get one with GPS. I cannot recommend this model, unfortunately.
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A challenge well worth it! Extras make a great value.
By Brettski - Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2020
Verified Amazon Purchase
As a preface, I already own a MJX Bugs3 which is basically what this is. I am not a pro. I bought this because DROCON was backordered and I wanted another one, like, NOW. For a little more money ForceOne offered the same drone with an extra battery, 2 extra top skins and an HD CAMERA!!! Best offer out there IMHO. These drones are awesome, very fast, very durable but you will need to learn to actually fly it. There are no automatic features on this drone, except for the flips and level, but once you learn it, look out! Herein lies the CHALLENGE! AND TONS of FUN!! First, ditch the blade guards as they will do more damage to your props than the soft grass. Buy a couple sets of extra blades, you'll need them. Just watch your fingers!!! If you take off from a perfectly level surface the drone will remember this and you will not need to use so much trim once airborne. I usually trim just a bit for breezes but that all changes once you get up above the trees. The Drone is very responsive and the controls are a little touchy as other reviewers have noted. I suggest the slower (1beep ) speed when starting out. The yaw control is robotic and very precise which is cool for those 360 degree panoramic vids at extreme heights!! The remote will beep slowly when the batt is at 20% and the trick feature will be disabled. This means "fly me home!" It will beep rapidly if you lose communication (out of range) or if the drone is dangerously low on power I started out just getting the thing to hover in front of me at about eye level. Swooping back and forth and side to side and throwing in a flip here & there got me pretty familiar with the sensitivity of the controls. Then I started walking it around the yard, through the trees and other obstacles at about head height and with the drone facing away from me. (There is no "headless" mode. . . . more on that later) The throttle stays where you put it and you'll find the 'hover button' position where the drone stays at a pretty steady altitude. Once I got that down I started flying it higher and higher and learning how it behaved. There are 2 speed settings and it is pretty squirrelly on the higher speed so choose the one you are most comfortable with at first. The biggest challenge for me was flying "dyslexic" as I call it. When the drone is facing away from you it responds to the stick commands exactly like any video game. When it is facing you (headlight) you have to remember that 'left is right, forward is backward" and control it like any R/C car, helo, or plane. This is where I start crashing into stuff. I'm 63 so New stuff is hard to learn sometimes. What I did learn early on is that these drones are nearly bullet-proof. During one dyslexic flight, I lost control and the drone came down like a stone and crashed into my high pitched roof, sliding down and landing props down on my deck. I leveled the props and checked it out. No damage. With the tall landing gear attached the tips of the props should be about 5-1/4 inches high off a level surface. this is important I found out to keep proper balance between the props/motors and for stable low noise flights. My ADHD is getting better since I have to pay attention every second while I'm flying. The camera is VERY cool also. I can't afford a "GoPro" so the camera I already have is an AKASO 4K ultraHD. A budget cam for sure but durable and works at least as well as the more expensive ones. The included camera is not quite as richly featured as the AKASO, but it works well and is a bit lighter in weight. Even with the extra load of the camera on board, it takes off like a rocket when you pork the throttle!! Careful! It will soar like an eagle and nearly disappear in a quick second! Overall I give this thing 5 stars b/c it is a great value for the money and is easy to maintain and an absolute joy to fly. Several friends have the more expensive stuff and yeah it's cool but they can't fly this one w/o a good deal of practice. The only one who could was a smarty 11yo who I believe was born with a video game controller surgically attached to his hands. Flight time is about 15 min without the cam and about 12min with. Always rest the battery 10 min before you recharge and NEVER leave it on the charger unattended. Unplug from charger as soon as indicator iight shows fully charged. Hints: (1) A few tiny droplets of a good clock oil on the bearings of the motors and some slow hand rotations of the props will make for longer lasting motor. The brushless 1800kv DC motors are smooth and very powerful. (2) Never store your batteries fully charged. After charging, place the battery in the drone and initialize it. Run the props at idle for a bit. Number the batteries so you can keep track of them, and take notes as to the amount of flight time you get from each battery. Not good to let batteries fall too far below 20% (Shortens their life) (3) With tall landing gear attached, level the props by measuring from the tips to a flat level surface. 5-1/4 inches is correct. Bend gently near the hub to adjust. Replace the props when they get tore up as the motor has to work harder to spin a boffed up propeller. Minor damage can be repaired by smoothing tips with a knife edge and/or dressing with a nail file. Finally, SERVICE. . .The good people at Force1 are ready to help. I have exchanged emails with them and they are always polite and informative. Spare parts are in stock and reasonably priced which is nice to know when you are just getting started flying your Force1 actioncam/sport drone. Enjoy!!! Brettski
Great for the price. Had some issues with the accessories, but the drone itself is great.
By Peter - Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2020
Verified Amazon Purchase
Short review: Great drone 10/10. Impossible to break (yet, lol). No other $80 drone has the power and awesomeness the F100 ghost has. I recommend you buy an actual LiPo charger (I use the Prophet Sport Mini 50W AC Balance charger). The perfect drone for a kid who knows how to use a drone, and wants something that is powerful and won't break. The charger included in the box blew up. The only reason I lost a star on the beginner's rating is that it is hard to get the hang of at first, and the manual is hard to read. Long review First of all, going into this, I had low expectations. It is an $80 product, while the on-brand equivalents were usually $100-$500. But, I do believe this drone was made to be an off-brand knock off of a really expensive drone. And it is a very good knock off. I have a Dromida Ominus that cost $95 when I got it, and it lasted for maybe a few weeks before I had to get many replacement parts, including the electronics. Meanwhile, the F100GP Drone has fallen from 500+ feet, onto solid concrete, and bounced off and continued flying, the only damage being to the replaceable plastic shell, which they send you 3 of. The drone will not break (again, it has not broken YET, and I am very rough with my drones). Although the propeller guards tend to bend and chew up the propellers, that is ok, as the drone has more than enough power to compensate for damaged propellers. I have modified my drone with a 3d printed carrying mechanism, powered by the external LEDs of the drone, and the drone can carry up to 450g reliably, (although I can push it to 500g as long as the battery is fully charged) including the 120g mechanism itself; so this drone has more than enough power to do what you need. Although, there were some problems right off the bat: 1. The charger uses a 12v AC adapter, which never worked. I took it apart and tested it with a voltmeter, and it seems the transformer windings are not good. That is fine, as I have a desktop power supply, which was able to output 12v, and powered the charger. But after charging for 12 hours, getting the battery very hot, (and according to my LiPo tester, it only got to 35%) a capacitor inside the charger blew. Big sparks, almost lit the battery on fire. But, I had a smart LiPo charger for another airplane, and it works fine. So make sure you have a backup charging system ready. 2. The product listing implies you can control the camera while in the air. You cannot. Although there was a three-pin port on the drone's mainboard labeled "FPV", and I assume it is for a camera, there was no port on the camera for it, and no cable was provided for it. And the remote has a camera button, which changes the signal going through those pins. According to the box, you can get an FPV wifi camera or a 360° camera upgrade, but I have yet to find these products anywhere, including the manufacturer's website. 3. The instructions are very hard to read, due to broken English, and a few things that were mentioned were invalid. But the drone was pretty much plug-and-play. 4. It comes with a "Text to get parts" card, but I have yet to get a response. Although, I understand given the current world situation (COVID). Although I encountered some problems, the drone is still very good. It is fast, lightweight, and very durable. The auto-flip function is amazing. I've learned if I drop the throttle just as the drone has almost completed a flip, it will continue flipping like crazy as it falls. I have always been able to immediately increase throttle again and keep it from crashing. Even so, it does not seem to mind crashes. Although I can only get 10-15 minutes of battery life, that is balanced out by them including 2 batteries, letting me get around 30 minutes of flight time. Overall; yes, I'm 100% sure better drones are out there, but you're not going to find one that has the power, durability, speed, and ease of use as this one has while also staying under $100. Yes, the charger blew up, and the camera is not great, but I'm pretty sure almost all $80 of your purchase goes into the drone, not the accessories. Great drone Force1. Amazing product. I will definitely buy from Force1 again.
Huge disappointment .. flew off ... gone forever
By Mike Goddard - Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2020
Verified Amazon Purchase
Whenever someone claimed their drone "flew away on its own", I used to think, "operator error". Well, not anymore! I spent more time assembling this thing than I did flying it. I've been flying drones for a few years, so I'm not exactly a newbie. It had a hard time syncing with the controller, so that should have been my first clue there were problems. When it did respond, there seemed to be a delay between the controller and the drone, and it moved in quick bursts, not fluidly, making it difficult to maneuver. If this were my first drone experience, I'd be discouraged from trying again. It went up, I was able to move it around for a few minutes, then it shot straight up, no longer responding to my controls. It was almost out of view, then started to come back down momentarily. I had it coming back towards me at one point, but then it took off again. It went over the horizon, never to return. If you are a beginner, avoid this drone and get one with GPS. I cannot recommend this model, unfortunately.
Drocon Ghost hilariously fun but difficult to fly
By S. Short - Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2024
Verified Amazon Purchase
I wasn't sure i'd like this Ghost drone but for the money it's unbeatable. If it had Wifi Gps capability it'd be perfect but triple the cost. This thing is super powerful. Mine did come with a decent action style camera and at the price of around $90, cant beat it. Power to weight ratio is great. It's a FPV style racing drone. It takes off fast, and can fall to the ground full speed and just b4 it crashes, go full throttle up and watch how it save itself. Like a movie where a helicopter stalls out but recovers just in the nick of time! so fun!
Customer Service was non-existent.
By anthony g. dew - Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2020
Verified Amazon Purchase
I'm an experienced RCer and drone flyer. Have prosumer and hobby grade drones with GPS and Anti mode and find then very boring to fly (but great for photography). Having flown many helicopters I wanted something that flew more like them. Read great reviews about MJX Bug 2 and the rebranded Force1 F100. Decided on F00 because of extra battery and added camera for little more. First hover flight was fine with normal landing in grass. The next attempt saw motors turning up to just below half throttle and the drone legs began to shake and motors would not advance any more. many more attempts and same results. After tightening every screw, balancing props on balancer and running motors up without props to check balance as best as possible, motors still went to one half throttle, drone legs began to shake and motors were unable to turn higher. This is when I emailed Force1 as they instruct in brochure. Never got a response. Thanks goodness for Amazon and their 30 day warranty! I returned the drone in the original packaging for a full refund and am now awaiting a new Force 1 to arrive. I still feel the drone is a nice one for my flying purposes. Reviews are very solid in favor of it. Just don't expect any service or help[ from Force 1. UPDATE ABOUT FORCE 1 SERVICE The day after I wrote the above about Force 1 service I did in fact get an email from them saying that they had been trying to get in touch with me about my issue. I just never received the first 2 emails, which, by the way, were VERY prompt and courteous. They somehow got lost in cyberspace! They DID try to help me and asked for some more information to focus on the issue. Bottom line is that I turned around and purchased another F100 from Force 1, As I feel they had the best package and that they have demonstrated they do, in fact, have first rate customer service!
Not Balanced Properly And It's Hard To Fly
By AmazonProductReview - Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2024
Verified Amazon Purchase
It's not holding the altitude properly and the battery position is messing with the center of gravity which makes it really hard to fly. If you want very precise control this drone is not for you. The included camera was also defective and it was not able to format the memory card.
Awesome Drone
By Ronald - Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2024
Verified Amazon Purchase
In My Opinion, This I'd Hands Down The Best Drone That You Can Buy For Under A $100. I Don't Know Of Any RTF (Ready To Fly) Drone That Is As Good As This One At Any Price. If You Are A Camera Drone Type Of Guy, Disregard What I Have Said. There Are Better Camera Drones Out There. But If You Are Into Just Flying, This Drone For Under A $100, Will Not Disappoint. If Anybody Knows Of A Better Drone In That Price Range, Post It. For A Drone To Qualify, It Has To Fall From The Sky When You Cut The Throttle. Any Drone That Doesn't Do That Is Boring.
Great for the Price
By R. Latreille - Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2024
Verified Amazon Purchase
I own a lot of drones and each has its own niche in the drone market. This drone, when I purchased it about 2 years ago, was very competitively priced. It works well, and performs as good or better than other drones in this price range. I like the fact that it does not have to be registered with the FAA to fly it. Of course, the drone is designed to be flown in open fields and not sent-off to the other side of a large lake or tall mountain, like the $3,000 drones currently being used in Afghanistan!!!
good solid drone for this very good price
By SC Meteor - Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2021
Verified Amazon Purchase
This is not a flimsy snap-together product; it is solid and will withstand many too-hard landings. Also, customer service has been great. I had a problem and they responded (email). Some tips: Check out the users' manual ONLINE; there is a page there, "Quick Start" that is not in the printed manual. The instructions for Quick Start are simpler, clearer, than the printed manual. And they work. Another thing, you don't need the camera to fly of course, but the added weight of the camera helps make the drone easier to control. Without the camera it is really easy to take off upwards really fast, and if you are a beginner, like me, there is a tendency to overreact and bring it back down, too fast. Fly in a BIG field with no trees, until you are confident in your handling. A soccer field is great. My first attempt was in my back yard, and I have trees and shrubs. I learned quickly that it takes practice to get intuitive enough to have good control. You don't need obstacles as a newbie! Great fun, it was my toy for Christmas from my wife, we are 70 but a good toy is always appreciated! The camera is not wifi, so you can only watch your videos afterwards, not real-time, so inspecting your chimney while flying is not possible. AND, get the microSD card for the camera!
Basic drone with very few features
By davel - Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2022
Verified Amazon Purchase
This is my first drone -- so I opted to not spend a lot of money. That might not have been a good idea. My front and back yard are bordered by tall trees which limits my flying area. This is a very FAST drone with sensitive controls that takes some practice. My first flights often resulted in over-reacting up/down excursions and crashes while attempting to hover. There was never any damage (5 stars). Video capture was bright but not sharp as there is no vibration damping or stabilization. This drone would be a good "2nd" drone with a ball-field size flying area after some basic skills are mastered on a drone with GPS, auto-return, auto-hover and stabilization... I like the support by Force and 3rd parties (after-market camera fit right in)...
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