im curious as to suggesttions and advise on buying carbon fiber props for my mavic pro.  i am too afroad to buy any right now because i dont want to risk potentially unbalanced load from knock off props or something.  does anyone have any suggestions for carbon fiber props as in brand, and type and where to buy?


i know people mentioned risks are that little heavier then included props and cause other issues including shattering on inpact.. the shattering part im not too worried about, i havent struck anything yet..  reason i want carbon fiber is mostly for potential effeciency trade off because they less likely to flex so maybe able to move more air, maybe quiet, etc etc

I tried them.  Tossed 'em in the trash after a quick flight.  Mavic behaves weird and the bolts come loose.  You also can't effectively fold the props on those CF ones.  I found no benefit to them in any way.  They even looked a bit too 'flashy.'

DRONE-flies-YOU Posted at 2017-8-24 12:48
I tried them.  Tossed 'em in the trash after a quick flight.  Mavic behaves weird and the bolts come loose.  You also can't effectively fold the props on those CF ones.  I found no benefit to them in any way.  They even looked a bit too 'flashy.'

ya, i dont know, looking for something slight edge in efficiency and quietness.  i was chatting with someone today at a diner and he said solid prop even if its same plastic would be more efficient and produce more lift and move more air within same RPM, didnt say anything about it being quieter though.  he said ideally i would want metal/carbon fiber solid prop for max efficiency since less flex at higher tighter RPM changes.

so i noticed most of the carbon fiber ones fold, and mixed reviews on them, ideally looking for solid props but any suggestion are where to look will be good.  until then ill just buy myself a spare set of DJI's official plastic folding mavic pro props as emergency backup.

ImHereToCrash Posted at 2017-8-24 13:36
ya, i dont know, looking for something slight edge in efficiency and quietness.  i was chatting with someone today at a diner and he said solid prop even if its same plastic would be more efficient and produce more lift and move more air within same RPM, didnt say anything about it being quieter though.  he said ideally i would want metal/carbon fiber solid prop for max efficiency since less flex at higher tighter RPM changes.

so i noticed most of the carbon fiber ones fold, and mixed reviews on them, ideally looking for solid props but any suggestion are where to look will be good.  until then ill just buy myself a spare set of DJI's official plastic folding mavic pro props as emergency backup.

Have a look at YouTube, there are several guys who tested the carbon fiber propellers for the Mavic.
If they are heavier than the original DJI plastic propellers, they will be less efficient.

I hear lots of problems with them.... Less efficient, break in flight, screws come loose... I'm keeping the stockers..... Don't chance it buddy

thanks guys.  ill still keep an eye out for some alternative solution possibilities, if anyone has any alternative recommendations would be good to hear, until then ill just stick with plastic ones DJi sells for it.. also, has anyone had a cracked prop without hitting anything, i just noticed one of my props is cracked right at halfway area on a blade, i swapped it out.. but i haven't crashed it yet or hit anything with my props yet at least that i have seen..   

Thats weird checking mine now...be sure to check those 3 little nubs on underside too

$gambino$ Posted at 2017-8-24 14:04
Thats weird checking mine now...be sure to check those 3 little nubs on underside too

just checked the locking nubs, all 3 on each corner are there.  and the edges of each blade is sharp still on all 4 corners and not a single scuff on them,  which to my mind says i haven't hit anything, if i did i should have some little nicks in the very edges or scuffs

ill still keep an eye out for some alternative solution possibilities

To provide a solution, you need a problem.  What is the problem?  You're looking for an answer to a non-problem.

AG0N-Gary Posted at 2017-8-24 14:12
ill still keep an eye out for some alternative solution possibilities

To provide a solution, you need a problem.  What is the problem?  You're looking for an answer to a non-problem.

problem:  loud, potentially fragile, potentially inefficient.  boredom, etc

i think what i want to say is, maybe dji has the best compromise for props for the mavic pro right now, that's fine.. but if there are better props that cure the small inefficiencies i would like to know.  you picking you what im putting down here?  ....  the issue is DJi made compromises with the props for portability and ease of use, nothing absolutely wrong with them..  just a compromise for sake of packaging it as it is.  and solid prop defeats this.   but i dont mind spending another $50-$100 on a set of slightly better props at a loss of portability and ease of use, if they actually work..

ImHereToCrash Posted at 2017-8-24 13:58
thanks guys.  ill still keep an eye out for some alternative solution possibilities, if anyone has any alternative recommendations would be good to hear, until then ill just stick with plastic ones DJi sells for it.. also, has anyone had a cracked prop without hitting anything, i just noticed one of my props is cracked right at halfway area on a blade, i swapped it out.. but i haven't crashed it yet or hit anything with my props yet at least that i have seen..

Yes, some spare props I ordered from dji.com came cracked (1 of them).  Pretty lame.

DRONE-flies-YOU Posted at 2017-8-24 21:57
Yes, some spare props I ordered from dji.com came cracked (1 of them).  Pretty lame.

wow, shipped and arrived cracked?!? that's worrying!   mine seemed to cracked with use, have not struck anything i know of i just noticed when i was hovering a completely different tone change.. grounded her, and took her in checked props out and saw it was cracked, all edges are sharp and smooth not a scuff or scratch on any blades, just that one crack..

i hope the props i get from DJi's official amazon store are not cracked on arrival and last a good while..

Never use unofficial props! I don't know how many times it has to be said...

Official props are cheap (less than 10€ a pair, cmon!) and are desgined to be optimal for your drone. If you buy aftermarket props the geometry and weight of the props will not be the one the on board computer was designed to use, and therefore unexpected behaviour might happen. I.e. the descent speeds are designed to keep your mavic (with its standard props) away from Vortex Ring State stalls; if you use a different set of props, the VTS might occur at different conditions over the protections the drone implements, so you might find your drone falling down from the skies.

Furthermore if you choose carbon fiber props  the risks of seriously injuring somebody or yourself in the event of a crash are much higher, as they don't bend as the plastic ones. Also if you have a minor crash (i.e. tree branches) you'll see there are tons of videos where the mavic can recover, with carbon fiber props they would be destroyed as carbon fiber gets easily destroyed when hitting something harder.

Use original props! They are cheap, they're safer and cmon... let's be honest, almost nobody really needs to improve mavic's performance. It's a flying camera, not a racing drone!

ImHereToCrash Posted at 2017-8-24 13:58
thanks guys.  ill still keep an eye out for some alternative solution possibilities, if anyone has any alternative recommendations would be good to hear, until then ill just stick with plastic ones DJi sells for it.. also, has anyone had a cracked prop without hitting anything, i just noticed one of my props is cracked right at halfway area on a blade, i swapped it out.. but i haven't crashed it yet or hit anything with my props yet at least that i have seen..

Rule number one: If it ain't broke, don't fix it.   

CuaC Posted at 2017-8-24 23:15
Never use unofficial props! I don't know how many times it has to be said...

Official props are cheap (less than 10€ a pair, cmon!) and are desgined to be optimal for your drone. If you buy aftermarket props the geometry and weight of the props will not be the one the on board computer was designed to use, and therefore unexpected behaviour might happen. I.e. the descent speeds are designed to keep your mavic (with its standard props) away from Vortex Ring State stalls; if you use a different set of props, the VTS might occur at different conditions over the protections the drone implements, so you might find your drone falling down from the skies.

again, i dont mind spending good money on good alternatives.  i had a cracked blade from zero crashes so far with my mavic pro, the plastic half way down on a single blade cracked and enough air catches on it that it makes a different sound hovering...  so there is a flaw in design, and DJi picked folding plastic design as a compromise for traveling and ease of use.   im mostly seeking alternatives that cure the inherent losses of such design compromises.  if thats CF fixed blades or poly fixed blades that's fine.  

problem isnt carbon fiber in nature with it breaking on hitting smaller stuff, the issue is with cheap/low quality carbon fiber..  unless that impact was happening with extreme force, blades spinning at 15K rpm and weighing a few grams each hitting wood shouldn't break unless poor quality.   

biggest issue im worried about is losing 5 minutes or runtime with heavier blades or them shattering on impact.. biggest concern is balance...unbalanced = more vibrations = more wear and tear..  that's why i asked about any alternative.. including poly fixed blades or CF..   

MARSAN Posted at 2017-8-24 23:38
Rule number one: If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

well i had a cracked blade with no impact, just flying .. all blade still sharp, scuff and scratch free, but one of them cracked at halfway point on it and i had to replace it..

besides that literal example of broken, DJi's folding design is inherently a compromise.. for sake of portability and ease of use..    i totally respect and understand the whole concept of using DJi's mavic pro blades only, however im hoping someone has had good experience using alternatives.. fixed or folding blades.. poly or CF

ImHereToCrash Posted at 2017-8-25 01:50
well i had a cracked blade with no impact, just flying .. all blade still sharp, scuff and scratch free, but one of them cracked at halfway point on it and i had to replace it..

besides that literal example of broken, DJi's folding design is inherently a compromise.. for sake of portability and ease of use..    i totally respect and understand the whole concept of using DJi's mavic pro blades only, however im hoping someone has had good experience using alternatives.. fixed or folding blades.. poly or CF

In my opinion, as long as alternative propellers are heavier than the DJI propellers, I'll stick to the original propellers.
When an object is spinning, it should be as light as possible to use energy efficiently.
A good example is the wheel of a bicycle. No race bicycle will be fitted with a mountain bike wheel.

MARSAN Posted at 2017-8-25 02:04
In my opinion, as long as alternative propellers are heavier than the DJI propellers, I'll stick to the original propellers.
When an object is spinning, it should be as light as possible to use energy efficiently.
A good example is the wheel of a bicycle. No race bicycle will be fitted with a mountain bike wheel.

certain trade offs for certain applications.  like with bike racing example, sure maybe true on street race with bikes but how about BMX bike racing?  

ImHereToCrash Posted at 2017-8-25 02:08
certain trade offs for certain applications.  like with bike racing example, sure maybe true on street race with bikes but how about BMX bike racing?

BMX bikes are not used for mainly speed.

The propellers of a Mavic spin at several hundreds of RPM, if they are heavy, there will be more strain on the motors and the battery will run down faster.
If heavier propellers offer no advantages, then why use them?

MARSAN Posted at 2017-8-25 02:23
BMX bikes are not used for mainly speed.

The propellers of a Mavic spin at several hundreds of RPM, if they are heavy, there will be more strain on the motors and the battery will run down faster.

BMX racing is still racing, outright speed or not..  just an example of thinking out of the box and not being narrow sighted.  plus, when did i ever ask for outright speed?  

the poly folding blades weight a lot themselves because they are folding and a compromised design for sake of portability. i'm sure DJi if they really wanted to could make non folding poly blades that weigh slightly less and are more efficient but that would defeat the design purpose of the mavic pro that's why they haven't, not because they cant or its worse.. .  im sure alot of alternative options are heavier because they are built to a price and design philosophy constraint... not a spared no expense design and creation..  


if i understood more about aerodynamics and fluid dynamics i wouldnt asked a single question about it here, i would be spending day in and day out creating my own.  i have a CNC machine and 3D printers and various materials from titanium to tungsten to aluminium, plob a bucket full of other ingots of great metals.   as well as various carbon fiber kits including aircraft grade carbon fiber (if that even exists, i dont know)


back on topic here, if anyone knows of any alterntitives that they used and had decent results and wish to share, carbonfiber or not.. please share.

Does using after market equipment on Mavic void warranty?

Rol Posted at 2017-8-25 11:50
Does using after market equipment on Mavic void warranty?

Only if the aftermarket equipment is deemed to be the cause of the accident.

no aftermarket stuff will not void your warranty unless that aftermarket stuff was the cause of failure..   personally for me, im never going to use the warranty, i plan on using my insurance

ImHereToCrash Posted at 2017-8-25 11:47
BMX racing is still racing, outright speed or not..  just an example of thinking out of the box and not being narrow sighted.  plus, when did i ever ask for outright speed?  

the poly folding blades weight a lot themselves because they are folding and a compromised design for sake of portability. i'm sure DJi if they really wanted to could make non folding poly blades that weigh slightly less and are more efficient but that would defeat the design purpose of the mavic pro that's why they haven't, not because they cant or its worse.. .  im sure alot of alternative options are heavier because they are built to a price and design philosophy constraint... not a spared no expense design and creation..  

My point is that spinning objects must be as light as possible, if high efficiency is of the essence.
BMX bikes do not belong in that category.

BTW, most FPV pilots build their own drones.
There is nothing to stop you from building your own drones, the parts are readily available and come mostly from China.

MARSAN Posted at 2017-8-25 11:59
My point is that spinning objects must be as light as possible, if high efficiency is of the essence.
BMX bikes do not belong in that category.

i know, project for another day, probably next year actually, i would like to use a drone for my farming!  im still working out what and where and how im going to implement it, but... its in the plans!  as of right now my mavic pro is my hobby and my test machine... .

ImHereToCrash Posted at 2017-8-25 12:05
i know, project for another day, probably next year actually, i would like to use a drone for my farming!  im still working out what and where and how im going to implement it, but... its in the plans!  as of right now my mavic pro is my hobby and my test machine... .

Only one example, to make your mouth water:
https://www.buildyourowndrone.co.uk/

MARSAN Posted at 2017-8-25 12:16
Only one example, to make your mouth water:
https://www.buildyourowndrone.co.uk/

ya true, pretty sexy examples i have seen elsewhere too.    but that's going to be pricey and tedious as all hell and im going to wait till numbing winter here where it be single digits out and half meter of snow out an not much to do here to work on it while i wait for next snow fall.  or at least plan for it see what is practical..i plan on doing a few trips around to see use cases of drones and farming and drones and development planning, i got a couple contacts to work with...

ImHereToCrash Posted at 2017-8-25 12:20
ya true, pretty sexy examples i have seen elsewhere too.    but that's going to be pricey and tedious as all hell and im going to wait till numbing winter here where it be single digits out and half meter of snow out an not much to do here to work on it while i wait for next snow fall.  or at least plan for it see what is practical..i plan on doing a few trips around to see use cases of drones and farming and drones and development planning, i got a couple contacts to work with...

You must know a couple of things about DIY and how to handle a soldering iron.

MARSAN Posted at 2017-8-25 12:27
You must know a couple of things about DIY and how to handle a soldering iron.

im not terribly bothered by that.. if it gets too finely detailed and i do have an issue, i know few friends who can help me out in exchange for treating them to nice dinner on my expense..

ImHereToCrash Posted at 2017-8-25 12:37
im not terribly bothered by that.. if it gets too finely detailed and i do have an issue, i know few friends who can help me out in exchange for treating them to nice dinner on my expense..

That's cool, somehow one propeller spinning the other...

DJI Joe Posted at 2017-8-25 11:55
Only if the aftermarket equipment is deemed to be the cause of the accident.

Thanks