The XK 251 is one of the fastest and most fun quadcopters I've owned. I recently picked up courtesy of Gearbest, and it's been a blast to fly. It's incredibly just how powerful and yet how affordable this < $100 quadcopter is! Read on for my full review of the XK 251 drone!
Features:
The XK 251 is a brushless quadcopter, meaning it's motors do not need little brushed gears that tend to wear out rather quickly. It's also much quieter, making it much less intrusive during a hike. Range is roughly 300m from some reports I've seen online; I've pushed it far but not that far yet. It has an enormous transmitter/controller, with a host of options. Some reports indicate the latest versions of the controller have disabled the "Acro" mode, thus forcing it fly more conservatively. I think mine is similar to these, unfortunately, but it's incredibly fast and maneuverable. The controller requires 6 AA batteries, and the quad uses a 950mAH battery with a JST connector. The battery rack doesn't fit "normal" Tarantula X6 batteries, but a little modifying could probably work to get them in without a problem. There's also a set of spares props included with the XK 251, a welcome addition in the box.
Performance:
I flew the XK 251 both in the foothills and the mountains, with little wind, and moderate wind. It performed well in both situations, nimble, fast, and exceptionally powerful. There's a slight recovery time in between switching directions while flying, but this isn't unusual with the speeds such a quad travels at. I didn't have any signal losses, even while doing a few rough distance tests-this small quad will be out of your site most likely before you exceed controller range.
As an avid outdoorsman, I am always on the lookout for a quadcopter that I can carry in my backpack and will carry an action camera to film my adventures. Early reports of the XK 251 indicated it might be able to carry a GoPro.
I placed a credit card mount onto the bottom of the XK 251, strapped it in place with velcro, and secured a GitUp 2 action camera onto it. It needed a little more throttle to get it going, but otherwise flew like a champ. I was able to get some fantastic footage with it; take a look before:
Now, keep in mind it's not designed to be a camera quad, and putting too much weight on it will likely stress the motors prematurely. However, it still does a good job of carrying my action cameras, and I'll definitely be using this on future trips. It fits into my smaller hiking backpack without a problem, yet it still has enough power to carry the cameras-awesome!
Conclusion
I've flown many different quadcopters and hexacopters; including models from Hubsan, JJRC, Yizhan and more to name a few. This XK 251 is a true winner: it's a very affordable brushless quadcopter, with high quality performance. I don't feel the company scarified design or performance in their quest to keep it an affordable quadcopter. It's a little too powerful for someone brand new to flying drones; however if you have only been flying brushed quads and would like to upgrade to the next step with a brushless quadcopter, take a look at XK 251--it's a winner! Check it out here: http://bit.ly/2olpHQl
Questions about the XK 251? Post 'em here, on my YouTube channel, or take a look at this excellent RCGroups forum threat: https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2630741
