Well, today in fact, I lost view of my phantom for a few seconds and flew into some trees. The guards helped bounce the Phantom off the branches and keep her in the air.  This allowed me to slowly fly out of the patch safely. No prop guard would have been disastrous. Funny that I even considered removing them today. It maybe a "newbish" thing to do, but the safety outweighs the juvenile insults anyday.  

I always used prop guards. It saved my P3A from several close-calls and saved my hand more than a few times.

I brought them but never used them. My flight paths are pretty clear so not had the need to think about them. But they are there for when i might need them.

I have the snap on ones as well.
I use them all the time. Only flew one time without them.

I have snap ons and I will put them on if needed which I have not used in a while.

Just bought them, a snap on model. Because of weather I haven’t tested them yet.

On a daily basis no but if I film indoors or in a forest/tight space I will put them on.

I purchased the originals but never used because:
1) I'm afraid the shell will crack
2) The guards appear a lot in the film/photo

No need. The p3 is so stable and I am an experienced flyer in all orientations and upside down ;) ha ha

I had a big issue with prop guards; I bought the summitlink snap-on guards (orange black ones) and installed them.  The first thing I noticed was that when I was hovering the drone kept drifting quite a bit even though I was in full P-GPS mode (the wind that day was maybe 10mph?).  The summitlink guards are so thick the wind was just dragging my drone even thought it wasnt even a stiff wind; so that by itself really unsettled me as a stable hover is important to me.  The bigger issue though was when I was flying; I like to fly fast and would do sudden stops and with no guards the drone performs this really well; with the guards  on this became very dangerous, the problem was when you stop suddenly the drone rears back and acts like an air brake, with the guards on the drone would rear back MUCH further and almost flip over.  This was with no wind at all, if I tried that with any wind  at all it would almost surely flip over.  Needless to say the guards are gone and I am trying to find a better solution, if anyone knows of a set of guards that are very thin and very lightweight let me know pls as I would like to have a guard on my props but with the hazards introduced by using the summitlink ones.

A few of the answers on here have got me thinking.

I bought and use the official screw on ones which look good and are a nice product. However the failing is I have the large Pelican case for all my equipment and have to remove the guards to put it in.... I end up not doing this unless I am traveling a long way to fly as it will fatigue the items and motors and also the time and effort is a pain.

I looked at the clip on ones but they seem to broaden the arms also so that will require some modification of the foam as well which is doable but I would need to really spend some time to ensure it looks a nice neat factory cut as I can't stand things looking scrappy.

As for flying I have not had them save any crashes but it could be the next flight that it tips on landing and takes out a prop or worse so I really don't want to fly with out them. As for degraded performance I don't have enough flight time to comment but I am getting a lot of warnings that the motor output has been reduced to save the battery. I never got this without the guards on but that might just be a coincidence? It mainly does this when I start really climbing and accelerating hard. Normal soft flight its fine. I am sure the battery temps are ok so it just a bit of a bug bear at the moment for me.

They do appear in the videos quite easy if doing high speed videoing which is a little annoying but as I am only shooting for fun and not commercially so its not a big concern and sometimes I like it as it reminds me what a cool bit of kit I have when watching the videos back.

They will stay on for now but I recon long term ill be looking to upgrade to some clip on ones and test it a bit more with and without them on.

I used them all the time.  First, I put the red ones on the front which helps me with the orientation when it's out.  I'm not troubled with an occasional intrusion into the video, and finally, I guess you don't know when you are going to need them until you do and at that point it's a little late.

Chris

I only use it flying inside never outside.

Use the guards when shooting family vids.

I use the removable kind for all the reasons I can't think of.

Since I'm not a spoiled rich kid on daddy's vacation property, I can't afford crashes or risky stunts.  Oh, and I don't feel the need to play fearless macho man.

I have done some testing with and without prop guards.  I measured the time it took to get to the same percentage of battery left while performing the same out and back maneuver.  As best I could tell, I got about 15 seconds less time with them on.  However, I did not notice any change in so called 'performance'.  The P3P appeared to move just as fast, stop just as easily and was as stable in the wind.  Without intentionally trying, I noticed no vortex issues.

$0.02

Prop Guard are Safety and Peace of mind .. cause  in any mishap drone can Injured peoples KIDS and Birds and also Damage

I have removable guards. Use them sometimes.

I use them when I am going to do close quarters flying like I did about a week ago looking for another lost drone and inspecting tree tops very close up!

took mine off... will not fit in case with brackets attached...

I use quick disconnect prop guards on my P3P but not on my P4 . I just got so used to them being on the P3P I left them on.  LOL

Jbundy63 Posted at 2016-3-28 17:02
I use quick disconnect prop guards on my P3P but not on my P4 . I just got so used to them being on  ...

Prop guards are like wearing a bullet proof vest,  until someone shoots you in the head.  It is better to fly safe then live with the illusion your drone will be protected by prob guards (that will only reduce flight time, increase weight and create turbulence)  

Nink Posted at 2016-3-29 09:46
Prop guards are like wearing a bullet proof vest,  until someone shoots you in the head.  It is bet ...

Answered the OP question! Not for someone to tell me I'm illusional and tell me some kind of BS scenario that has nothing to do with prop guards!

I have only just got my P3S so haven't used any prop guards yet, but was considering buying some.

Does anyone have any recommendations as to which of the removable types are worth buying in among all the cheap Chinese ebay plastic types?

They really don't help much

I use the snap one ones

I purchased my P3 Advanced last fall. I put the guards on as well as the string. My first craft so I wanted to be careful with it and my surroundings. I also found a case that accommodates the guards so I don't have to remove them. HPRC cases makes it and it's a really good case (and backpack)
HPRC Phantom 3 advanced with guards case

20 bucks for my quick release props..well worth the peace of mind knowing my 1200 bucks isnt going to hit anything

I use the quick connects so I can just put them on when flying around lots of trees and windy days. Never know when the Phantom will tip over on landing in the wind.

does anyone use the string that comes with them , I fly with snap on less the string worried if it came lose and tangled in a prop .

jyurkyandsons Posted at 2016-4-28 13:46
does anyone use the string that comes with them , I fly with snap on less the string worried if it c ...

I have snap on prop guards which I use some of the time.  I have not used the string...it seems awfully cumbersome to attach the string, and I'm afraid it would end up tangling in a rotor.  However, if I had used the string it might have saved me from the collision with that tree that was out of control.  I am thinking about trying a thin, stiff wire that would be easier to take on and off with the guards.  If I ever try it, I will report.

how about dynamite wire 18 gauge copper second thought will it enhance signal or mess up compass ?

You should add "sometimes" to the survey ;)
I used mine the first week, and still do if I fly indoors (rarely).
Flying outside, I find that they really get into camera view, unless you are filming significantly down. Definitely any time you are moving, and then decelerate rapidly.
I have heard of people being somewhat saved during crashes, by the guards taking the beating, but then again, they do add weight, affect lift to a degree, and if become lose or get bent, can actually cause an accident.. Honestly not sure what is the better solution - with or without.
I think i may make up my mind more as I fly more... In general I never your guards much on any aircraft previously, but this being the most expensive and quite heavy, I am trying to figure it out a bit better.
Now, that wrote my opinion, let me read what others said, and let's see if I can learn something!
Thx for making this thread!
GT

Swerve Posted at 2015-4-9 17:17
Never used them mainly due to the fear that they may induce VRS (Vortex Ring State) from which a Pha ...

Actually you can recover... Be aware of it just in case - hope you never have to use it, but fly sideways if you experience it, then slowly slow descend. It is not guaranteed to work, but if you get out of the column of the turbulent air, you have a chance of recovery if you got altitude.
I do not know why sideways works better, and I did not see it on DJI, but on the smaller quads I always had better luck with moving sideways to recover, as opposed to forward/back..

I have them but used them one time and took them off. Seemed to have slowed my birds reaction time.

I used to use prop gaurds on my Phantom 3S. I don't anymore with my new P4.

Indoors only

Hi I used prop guards on my P3S No problems.  Different story on P4, they interfere with forward facing sensors and disable the functIon

I used them in the beginning, but took them off after a few days:

1)  The act as sails, making the Phantom extremely sensitive for wind (I almost had a flew-away with them on)
2)  They tend to be visible in the footage (more so than the props)
3)  If you fly into a wall or pole, they might help on initial impact, but will not save the gimbal in the following tumble to the ground
4)  If you fly into a tree, the whole drone may get stuck in a branch high up, like an expensive Christmas ornament
5)  You will be able to avoid a tip-over at landing if you refrain from CSC to stop the motors

//Thomas