Why use prop guards?

Joined
Apr 4, 2013
Messages
480
Reaction score
4
Do prop guards protect against tangling the props in tree branches and bushes? I live surrounded by heavy vegetation and have often soft-crashed the Phantom by brushing against trees and bushes. There is also a lot of open water here, ponds and creeks, so my concern is the risk of hitting a branch and then dropping the Phantom into the drink!
 
GearLoose said:
Do prop guards protect against tangling the props in tree branches and bushes? I live surrounded by heavy vegetation and have often soft-crashed the Phantom by brushing against trees and bushes. There is also a lot of open water here, ponds and creeks, so my concern is the risk of hitting a branch and then dropping the Phantom into the drink!

A couple of reasons, the biggest being safety. The prop will slice open skin like a hot knife through butter.

They also will help if you bump the Phantom off another surface. They probably will not however help you at all if you hit a tree branch as the leaves / branch will entangle the prop and then gravity takes over.
 
Alex said:
A couple of reasons, the biggest being safety. The prop will slice open skin like a hot knife through butter.

Actually more like a butter knife through a watermelon, how do I know? have had the stock props hit me quite a few times already and at most barely breaking the skin. Believe me I know the difference, since about 3 months ago, I nearly put a steak knife all the way through my right hand. Didn't hurt much until the next day when I tried to move my fingers.

Oh BTW love this video, especially when he claims to almost chopping off his fingers! then you finally see a small nick on the tip of one of them, that left me ROFLMFAO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Tpzz54xaIY
 
Thanks for the comments. If the prop guards won't offer much protection from branches, I'll continue to fly without them. I'm trying to maintain a weight loss program as I await the arrival of a Tarot gimbal.

I like to hand catch the Phantom, very cautiously, and I try never to fly around people, mainly because they are too distracting. I've also quit giving demo flights to amaze and amuse my friends, who are inevitably quite amused when I perform a major crash before their admiring eyes!
 
The stock plastic props are relatively safe compared to the carbon fiber props which are known to have sliced and diced a number of flyers.
making the prop guards somewhat popular for those who use carbon fiber props, (also because CF props are easily damaged, and at $10 a pop a pain to replace).

Just keep in mind that the prop guards add about 75g of weight, reducing flight time by a minute or so I imagine.
 
Believe me I know the difference, since about 3 months ago, I nearly put a steak knife all the way through my right hand.

Dang !!!!!! you don't even share between hands..... :shock: That must have been one prime piece of beef.
The wife and kids must have been like... : :shock: :eek: :eek:
 
Audaciter said:
Believe me I know the difference, since about 3 months ago, I nearly put a steak knife all the way through my right hand.

Dang !!!!!! you don't even share between hands..... :shock: That must have been one prime piece of beef.
The wife and kids must have been like... : :shock: :eek: :eek:


Not married any longer, probably the best thing I ever did..... love being single too much. Was too lazy one night and grabbed the first knife I found to separate some frozen hamburger patties. Needless to say I did a really stupid move and ended up skewering myself. Quickly closed the wound and grabbed my bottle of super glue to seal it shut. Yea I keep a bottle around for just that purpose since I'm on blood thinners that if I get the smallest nick bleeds like crazy. Measured the width of the wound, then down the width of the blade and determined it was less than a 1/8" from coming out the other side.
 
Yea I keep a bottle around for just that purpose since I'm on blood thinners that if I get the smallest nick bleeds like crazy. Measured the width of the wound, then down the width of the blade and determined it was less than a 1/8" from coming out the other side.

Oh man....that doesn't sound like a good time at all. Did you have a blood clot previously ?
 
As a newbie I was all set to buy the prop guards but the thought slipped my mind.

20+ crashes later I had to replace my first prop and the thought came up again I simply dismissed it as to me the guards are not worth the weight and cost.
 
There seem to be more reasons to avoid the prop guards than reasons to install them. I've crashed my Phantom many many times but hadn't broken a prop until yesterday, when I noticed that one was bent. This actually may have happened due to careless handling, or perhaps the cat was messing about, but I easily replaced it (with a previously battered but well balanced prop).
 
When I practice, I usually remove my gimbal and put my stock props back on. Haven't broken one yet, but have bunches of scrapes and nicks. Took delivery the other day and had a stack of empty boxes. Couldn't resist removed all the gear including the camera and stacked them to create a tunnel. Had several inches of clearance side to side with about a foot high. Now that was a PITA to go though. Smacked the sides many times.......was too much fun though.

prop guards would have been cheating...hehe
 
GearLoose said:
Do prop guards protect against tangling the props in tree branches and bushes? I live surrounded by heavy vegetation and have often soft-crashed the Phantom by brushing against trees and bushes. There is also a lot of open water here, ponds and creeks, so my concern is the risk of hitting a branch and then dropping the Phantom into the drink!

I swear by the prop guards- but then, I use my Phantom mainly in treed and bushy wilderness areas. I usually launch and retrieve from my hand, but if I do launch from the ground, the prop guards help protect the blades if you tip over before lifting off.
 
I like the theory of additional protection on the blades, since I'm not taking off and landing on the smoothest ground.

Typically I'm flying in a park where there's the possibility that IF it went nuts it COULD hit someone. While I fly well away from people, it's impossible to stop people coming into the park. To me it's an extra risk mitigator.
 
Wouldn't a prop guard increase the likelihood of staying in a tree? Now you have a loop to stick a branch through in addition to the landing skid. Those stick landing legs are probably the best for avoiding hangups in branches.
 
I started using the prop guards. Found the Phantom a little more difficult to control. I think the wind pushes it around a bit more. I have bounced the machine off the house and roof a few times (didn't say I was a great pilot) and it kept flying. It has saved me a few props.
 
The current prop guards are designed for the Phantom 1. The blades on the Phantom 2 extend approximately 1/4 inch beyond the guard. Recommend waiting for a prop guard specifically designed for the Phantom 2. You are wasting your money since the current design does not fully protect the blades on a Phantom 2.
 
Prop guards are available from China on EBay, got a set myself fit well as they are obviously not a complicated design. I only put them on when people are around as an added precaution. If I'm in the middle of no where I don't bother to put them on as it does add weight and they are affected more as the wind increases, just handy to have in my flight case as and when required. :D
 
Had them ever since I got my Phantom. Didn't use them. Bashed into a wall when I got disoriented with front and back (as the quad was coming towards me). Mangled a pair of really nice carbon fiber props. Put them on and got more practice. Now I don't use them anymore, mostly because my new carbon props are 9" so it the guards are useless. I will most likely put them on with my 8" CF props if I happen to be flying in a place with people...but I try to avoid that setting as much as possible.
 
I love them ... i always fly with them ,, they will not save you when hiting branches as branches will find a way to get trough and over , but will save your flight if they hit flat sarfaces like walls or even tree logs ... also they will save your blades when landing violently or on rough ground ,, i hit so many things with and without during my first flights so trust me ... live them on... my 2 cents of advice .. :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Blizky

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
143,066
Messages
1,467,356
Members
104,934
Latest member
jody.paugh@fullerandsons.