Syma X5SC explorers 2 Review

With the mad Christmas rush reaching fever point you may find yourself stuck finding that perfect gift for someone. Look no further than red5.com for some fantastic gift ideas. Whether or not a Quad copter is on your child’s or your own Christmas wish list they are fast becoming the must have fun item for this Christmas and new year.  You can spend hundreds of pounds on a drone however if like me you are a complete novice you can start with a low budget quad copter like the Syma X5sc explorer for £58.95 available in black or white.

This was my first time test driving a quad copter so when I unpacked the Syma X5sc explorers 2 I was surprised at how light it was. My main concern was would this break easily?

When my kids saw the drone they were thrilled and could not wait to have a turn, however I had to make sure that I was able to show them how to fly it, so after a few hours they lost interest waiting for their turn as I needed another go, just to be sure.

Out of the box it took 15 minutes to attach the legs, blade safeguards, camera and battery.

With the remote control taking 4 AA batteries I was ready to fly.  I like most men had a quick glance at the instructions and figured i would instantly know how to fly the drone. I was proven wrong. I suggest you have a long read at the instruction booklet as the controls are quite tricky to get use to.

My first test flight was indoors as storm Desmond was still attacking the UK.  The controls were tricky to begin with as i was restricted to the flight paths available. But i must say it was incredibly fun, dodging doors and christmas decorations. The blade safeguards proved to be extremely useful as they prevented any damage that may have been caused on my first few turbulence filled flights. 

On my second attempt i took the drone outside with my son as my navigator we went were no drone had been before.  With a full battery charge we managed six minutes of flying. To recharge the battery it took just over one hour and thirty minutes before the quad copter was ready to fly again.  I have been told by colleagues that this wait time for a battery charge was incredibly fast.

The controls outside were easy to handle as I was not restricted by the inside obstacles. The quad copter took off and I was able to control very carefully around my back garden, however there were a few epic crashes.  The Quadcopters light frame was very durable as there were a number of times the it fell from great heights and seemingly like a cat bounced into an upright position ready to fly again.  On testing my seven year old son and I did not manage to damage the Quadcopter or blades. There are however four extra blades included in the box but I am sure these are only there as after extensive use they will eventually need replaced.

In my videos I have included a couple of the crash landings the copter experienced.

The quality of the video is fine for a 2 megapixel camera. Understandably if you wanted a better recording device you would have to spend more money on a better on board camera. For there most part there is a small amount of fragmentation in the recorded image and some might be unhappy with it, however for the money it is considerably better than the competition.

Product features

• Super Stable quadcopter
• Built in HD camera
• 2.4 GHz frequency
• 6 axis gyroscope
• 720p video recording
• Take in flight videos and photos
• Headless flying fuction – easier in flight control
• Bigger improved optional blade protectors
• Raised landing skids optimize camera viewing angle
• 2 fly modes – beginners and advance
• 360^ flips and tricks
• 4GB micro SD card and card reader included
• Colourful LED lights indicate front of quadcopter
• USB charging
• Measures approx. 32cm x 32cm x 11cm

The Syma X5sc explorers 2 has 360 flight which you can do many stunts with as with time I am sure I could master.  For a budget under £60 I feel you cannot go wrong purchasing this Quadcopter. As a learning experience before moving onto a bigger, more expensive device, or perhaps just for curiosity, I have never purchased one before however I will consider purchasing this one for my son’s birthday as he thoroughly enjoyed test flying it.  The camera recording may not be as fantastic as you would want but for a 2 megapixel camera the recordings are adequate.

The best place to get the Syma X5SC quadcopter is from Red5.