Quadcopter Garage
  • Home
  • About

DJI Flame Wheel F450 Review

DJI Flame Wheel F450 Review

After a lot of trial and error with DIY quadcopter builds and trying my hand at a few DIY quadcopter frames, including my favorite - the Lunchbox Copter, I wanted to build a quad around a frame that would be stable in flight and strong enough to withstand the occasional hard landing. Now that I’ve gotten a fair amount of flying experience under my belt, I want to have a sturdy quad on hand that I can fly consistently for a long time and use as a platform for FPV or GoPro aerial video. I also wanted to use a frame that is widely available in case I need spare parts. I decided to give the DJI Flame Wheel F450 a try.

What’s in the box

DJI-Flame-Wheel-F450-Parts

Center plates, four arms, hardware for assembly, velcro and strap for battery, and wires for the power distribution board

Pros

The Flame Wheel is one of the most popular frames out there for a number of good reasons:

  1. It’s relatively inexpensive at around $40
  2. It is famously durable (check out this hilarious video of a DJI employee trying unsuccessfully to smash a Flame Wheel).
  3. The center plate doubles as a power distribution board which tidies things up quite a bit and allowed me to get rid of my ugly DIY wiring harness.
  4. The design is really well thought out – it’s a compact frame but I never felt cramped for space. Plenty of room for receiver, control board, ESCs, and battery, with mounting options and room to spare for a GoPro or other camera setup.
  5. As one of the most popular quadcopter frames on the market, there is a wide variety of spare parts and accessories to choose from such as landing gears, gimbals, etc.

Cons

My one complaint about the Flame Wheel F450 is that I wish it had longer legs. Each leg is only a couple of inches long which means the propellers are close to the ground on take off and landing. I fly on grass frequently so takeoffs and landings can be a little turbulent with the props so low.

Clones

Like most good products in the hobby quadcopter market, cheap clones of the Flame Wheel F450 appeared almost instantly. You can now get a near identical copy for a fraction of the cost of a name brand frame. Here’s one available on Amazon with Prime shipping and includes a built in power distribution board if you’re in the market for a budget option.

Conclusion

Overall I must say that I am very happy with the F450. The combination of price, durability, and intelligent configuration more than make up for its shortcomings. It’s lightweight and flies well, allowing me to focus on other things like aerial video instead of worrying about my frame falling apart.

Related Posts

  • Quadcopter Parts List | What You Need to Build a DIY Quadcopter
    Quadcopter Parts List | What You Need to Build a DIY QuadcopterAugust 1, 2014
  • Pixhawk Quadcopter + Brushless Gimbal
    Pixhawk Quadcopter + Brushless GimbalMarch 12, 2014
  • Upgrading My Quadcopter from KK2.0 to APM 2.5
    Upgrading My Quadcopter from KK2.0 to APM 2.5September 7, 2013

Popular Posts

  • DIY Quadcopter Build | Part One: Planning & Parts List
    DIY Quadcopter Build | Part One: Planning & Parts ListMarch 17, 2013
  • DIY Quadcopter Frames
    DIY Quadcopter FramesApril 6, 2013
  • DJI Flame Wheel F450 Review
    DJI Flame Wheel F450 ReviewJune 15, 2013

3 Responses to DJI Flame Wheel F450 Review

  • DIY Quadcopter Build | Part One: Planning & Parts List Quadcopter Garage July 5, 2013

    [...] I recently rebuilt this quadcopter on a DJI Flame Wheel F450. Read my Flame Wheel F450 review. [...]

    Reply
  • FPV Quadcopter Quadcopter Garage July 9, 2013

    [...] the FPV gear to the existing quad is pretty straightforward. The DJI Flame Wheel F450 frame (or a clone) has a great design that allows for easily adding payloads such as a camera and video [...]

    Reply
  • Quadcopter Parts List | What You Need to Build a DIY Quadcopter - Quadcopter Garage September 24, 2013

    [...] We recommend the DJI FlameWheel F450 or one of the many clones. These are great quadcopter frames. Check out our review of the FlameWheel F450 here. They’re strong, light, and have a sensible configuration including a built-in power [...]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Newsletter Signup

Subscribe to our mailing list

* indicates required
Join our email list and be the first to hear about new posts, product launches, and drone related news!

Recent Blog Posts

  • Quadcopter Parts List | What You Need to Build a DIY Quadcopter
  • Pixhawk Quadcopter + Brushless Gimbal
  • Upgrading My Quadcopter from KK2.0 to APM 2.5
  • FPV Quadcopter
  • DJI Flame Wheel F450 Review

Latest Tweets

Copyright © 2013 QuadcopterGarage.com. All rights reserved.