Noob APC prop note

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waterhouse75

Member
I'd read somewhere that APC props are 'brittle when cold' but I'm not sure where I saw it.

Swapped out the stock 1045 props for a set of APC 10x4.7 today to try and track down a vibration.

I think they flew better and maybe solved some of the vibration issue, but upon a bumpy landing one of them sheared off in a flash.

They're cheap and I've got spares - just figured it might help someone else out.
 

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helloman1976

Ziptie Relocation Expert
I use the Hobbyking knock off APC props and they have never sheered or broken ever except in a crash and usually they survive with scaring. You may have gotten a bad batch or something as they are pretty thin and I doubt that the quality control department really cares. I wish APC actually made the counter rotating 10x5 so I could get real APC props. Graupners are so expensive and the APC props seem to do just fine.
 

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waterhouse75

Member
helloman1976 said:
I use the Hobbyking knock off APC props and they have never sheered or broken ever except in a crash and usually they survive with scaring. You may have gotten a bad batch or something as they are pretty thin and I doubt that the quality control department really cares. I wish APC actually made the counter rotating 10x5 so I could get real APC props. Graupners are so expensive and the APC props seem to do just fine.
Click to expand...


I think next up I'll try the 'Gemfan' Nylon / Carbon mixed ones made for DJI motor shafts.

Seems like they should be similar to my gray APCs, but with the keyed shaft hole.
 

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helloman1976

Ziptie Relocation Expert
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helloman1976

Ziptie Relocation Expert
Ok I see what the problem probably is. You are using the slo-fly props which are total garbage unless they are used on very small multicopter. If you have something like a DJI 450 or bigger you'll want to use real propellers. When I said I use APC knock offs I meant similar to real APC propellers and not the slow-fly versions which again will cause you all kinds of issues. Here's what I use, try these but make sure to balance them. They are right up there with the very expensive Graupners when balanced correctly. The only real advantage I hear about the Graupners is they come precision balanced from the factory but are 10 times more expensive lol. If you are having vibration issues then get these and stop using the slo-fly immediately, they are designed for low speed motors only and will come apart at high speeds or under stress. Check out my YouTube videos so you can see what stresses I put on these cheap APC props and they NEVER come apart under any load. I've pulled 1280 watts on my hexacopter before and never lost a prop. My average in sport flying is around 980 watts or something like 60 amps at 15.5V.

Left hand APC
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=22428

Right Hand APC
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=22967
 

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Dewster

Member
I used Slowfly APC props on my Flat Hexa without issue. The props were noisy, but my craft flew like a charm. Solid position hold, nice climb outs. Descents were only shaky while flying through it's own rotor wash etc. I decided to "upgrade" my props to Genfan full carbon fiber proprs. Control was crisp and immediate, unfortunately my flying time with those props lasted a total of five minutes. One of the carbon fiber props snapped causing my flat hexa (before DJI's loss of a rotor/motor firmware upgrade) to spas out and crash. I lost a gimbal, FPV camera 2 out of 4 motors and 1 ESC. My DJI WKM was protected from all the little sharp pieces because I protected the wires with cable wrap.

Anyway.. I regretted "upgrading" my props. Carbon fiber props are brittle. They can crack and their weakest point is the at the hub (as I'm sure many are). That's where my prop snapped from. Some say it was a hairline fracture, other's say I may have tightened the props too much. I didn't have that problem with my APCs. They are cheap. I've seen them take a beating, and plus they flex in flight vs. self destructing which results in smoother transitions for video.

In building a new craft, I decided on (hoping for...) redundant features in the event of another unforeseen event such as motor loss, ESC failure, or prop loss (most crashes are caused by this...). I built a Y6, I have those expensive Graupners (which are like night and day and worth the price). I also keep my battle tested APCs of which I trust. Reliability of a prop cannot be determined by the selling price. Read the testimonies of others before jumping ship. :) Those props are probably the cheapest thing on your craft, but will cause you a fortune if one comes apart/loose in flight. For me... It's APC or Graupner.
 

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