where to buy a drone (1 Viewer)

ronidog1

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I am looking for a DJI Mavic air or pro any suggestions to the best place to buy from?

Has any one got one they don't want?:D

Thanks

Dave
 

Hellski

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I am looking for a DJI Mavic air or pro any suggestions to the best place to buy from?

Has any one got one they don't want?:D

Thanks

Dave

I’m in the process of listing my Mavic Pro on the bay;)

In excellent condition and only flown a few times. Comes complete with 3 batteries, 64gb micro sd, mains charger with adapter to charge all 3 batteries in sequence, 12v charger, DJI holder and all original packaging.

Looking at the ones selling on the bay, I’m listing for £850. However, for a fellow funster I will let it go for £800.

Let me know if interested as I would like to get it up on the bay before tomorrow evening to take advantage of a £3 selling fee promotion.
 
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ronidog1

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Thanks for all your help Christian. I am still considering my options if ant one else would like to add to the discussion please add away....:)

Dave
 

RogerThat

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If you're after a new one, buy from somewhere you can easily return / exchange if faulty. Argos, Currys, Heliguy, Hobbymounts, etc. Don't ever buy from somewhere online that has prices too good to be true!

If buying second hand then insist on a demo flight. Check the gimbal is steady during the test flights as 99% of crashed Mavic Pros will have a damaged gimbal, which might not be visible just by looking at it on the outside (y)

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irnbru

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I would second John Lewis . I bought mine there and they sent me wrong one. I was able to swap in store.

I would also recommend you take out the DJI aftercare once you get it.

The Mavic is fabulous. I love it.

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Steve and Gill

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You could try MPB.com, a 2nd hand photography site but they often have good quality drones and have a good reputation. I have bought several pieces of photo kit from them over the past few years and found their descriptions to be very accurate/honest. The drones are usually in the action camera section.

https://www.mpb.com/en-uk/used-equipment/used-photo-and-video/used-action-cameras/

hope that helps
sdg.
 
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ronidog1

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thanks for your help everyone.

A few questions

What is DJI aftercare and how useful is it
Which way would you go - a used Mavic Pro combo from someone like MBM or a new Mavic Air combo? The prices are similar.
Is it worth buying an introductory traing session in order to protect the investment?

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Hellski

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DJI aftercare is available to purchase direct through DJI for £99 regardless where you purchased your drone from. However, to my knowledge this is only available on new drones and not s/h purchases.

You can save yourself £300 buying mine:whistle: Personally, if I knew who I was buying from I’d have purchased 2nd hand but as this was not available to me at the time, I bought new. Another way of looking at it, is if you’re not too sure, if purchased s/h you’d be able to sell at either the same price or with minimal loss unlike if you purchased a new one.

They are extremely easy to fly with auto take off and landing functions. You can even plot a flight and watch itself take off, fly the route and then land itself(y) They are extremely stable in most conditions and will warn you if wind speeds are too high. Basically, you’ve got to be taking risks by either flying too close or low to get yourself in trouble.

Shame you’re not closer Dave as I would be more than happy to have given you a demo.
 

SuperMike

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Apparently, with a model such as the DJ Mavic Pro, if you fly above 150m or out of site then you need a CAA licence. Have any Funsters got such a licence and how much of a faff was it to obtain. I know it requires going on some sort of course because I have examined their website.

http://www.caa.co.uk/Consumers/Unmanned-aircraft-and-drones/

Also, £899 in Argos. :gum:
 
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Southdowners

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We have a DJ Mavic Pro. We bought it from our local Jessops.

You don’t need a licence... yet!

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SuperMike

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We have a DJ Mavic Pro. We bought it from our local Jessops.

You don’t need a licence... yet!

I sure I don’t, to begin with, but just thinking about the future when I get wizzy at this. Certainly some video shown by Funsters was filmed above 150m. :)
 

Hellski

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120m (400ft in old money) is the limit without a licence and must have clear line of sight; the Mavic will prevent you from going above this height anyway; unless you foolishly disable this setting and to be honest I can't see the point in taking it any higher.

The few times that I have flown mine, I always used an App called 'Drone Assist'; this is connected to NATS and will advise those in the air of your presence and I can confirm it works after witnessing a military cargo plane flying around the zone I had setup.

Unfortunately, like anything there are a few that will go above and beyond the law and take risks in flying in exclusion zones or seeing how far they can fly it away from them. As the user you are responsible and any sensible person will always fly with the duty and care required.

Incidentally, the Argos price quoted above is for the basic kit, the fly more combo via Argos is £1,099.00;)
 
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ronidog1

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I would really like to try one out.....but no one seems to offer this facility near me.:(

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irnbru

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You need to ask yourself how important the remaining warranty is on a 2nd handed drone v the £200 or so savings.

They are fabulous drones so buying a 2nd handed one from someone on here should be ok. Having said that, that’s how I bought my last drone. I opted this time to splash the cash and buy a new mavic. It’s great, whatever route you choose to go down the drone is excellent for beginners as well as the more advanced.
 

RogerThat

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Articles 94 of the ANO states that the 120m / 400ft height limit only applies to recreational flights with craft over 7KG so that probably doesn't apply here. Common sense should still apply though :)

But that's all about to change... (the law part, not the common sense part)

An amendment is going through parliament today to cap all drones to maximum altitude of 120m/400ft and to apply a 1km protected radius around aerodromes in the UK. These two changes will come in to force on 30th July 2018. Exclusions can be applied for (mainly some commercial operations).

Later in life, 30th November 2019, additional amendments will see all drones over 250g needing to be registered and all operators (recreational or otherwise) will be required to pass a basic Q&A knowledge test.
 
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ronidog1

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Well on balance I am nearly ready to go for the Mavic Air combo from Phantom Flight School. Its a standard price. However, They offer a 1 hour training session in the price which is done 5 mins from me. Also included is free technical advice for life. Now I need to count the pennies, sell off a digital slr and convince myself I am going to use a drone. It seems that lots of people buy one and then hardly use it once purchased.

Thanks for all your help. Further advice and comments always appreciated.

Dave

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irnbru

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Don't fly near seagulls. At least 20 of them just tried to attack mine. TIP: In the event of a bird coming to attack fly straight up as a bird can't.
 

Hellski

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Well on balance I am nearly ready to go for the Mavic Air combo from Phantom Flight School. Its a standard price. However, They offer a 1 hour training session in the price which is done 5 mins from me. Also included is free technical advice for life. Now I need to count the pennies, sell off a digital slr and convince myself I am going to use a drone. It seems that lots of people buy one and then hardly use it once purchased.

Thanks for all your help. Further advice and comments always appreciated.

Dave

Excellent Dave, I’m pleased to hear you’re almost sorted(y)

As mentioned, keep us posted on how you get on.

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Go Humberto!

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If I were you I'd buy Helski's (but I do a lot of Photography and Video stuff).
2 Batteries are a minimum in my opinion and Helski's has 3.

I bought mine from DJI with their "insurance" (which has now expired). I suppose it's very useful if you prang it into a tree (It used to get you a replacement for £75).

Edit. Your comment about people not using them is very valid. I'd be tempted to go the cheaper "Spark" route unless you were really sure.
 
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ronidog1

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Thanks Humberto. I'm still working through this. The idea of a 'spark' is good. I see that that they are holding their price well when sold used on ebay, so buying new might be a good move. Used would be difficult as I do not know what to look for when using the drone for the first time if that makes sense!
 

Hellski

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Dave, I’ll be honest with you, I asked myself the very same questions before purchasing my Mavic last year and had thought I would get much use out of it and convinced myself to part with my hard earned money.

In reality, this was not the case and had only flown mine for a total of 4:45hrs in 27 flights. Yes, i was amazed at its capabilities when first flying it and capturing my home and surrounding areas as I’d never seen them before but once I’d done this, its uses for me were limited. I either didn’t have it with me or was unsure whether it would be safe to fly! Now that I’ve sold mine via eBay, those 27 flights cost me £18 per flight..............

I’ve always admire those that use them to there full extent and will continue to. For me, I will stick with my iPhone, capturing images from the ground.

If you’re still adamant that a drone is for, I agree with @Go Humberto! and go for the spark(y)

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