As a drone fanatic, I used to be intrigued to find EXO Drones, a U.S.-based, client drone firm. Although the corporate has had shut ties to Chinese language drone maker Hubsan it was not too long ago acquired by American firm OpenStore.
With its OpenStore tie, EXO is selling itself as a substitute for Chinese language drones like DJI (extra on whether or not it’s honest to name it an American drone firm later) OpenStore paid $2.9 million in an all-cash supply in August 2022.
The concept of a U.S.-based client drone firm is actually compelling given the lengthy checklist of nice causes to buy an American-made drone. However the actuality is that the perfect digital camera drones will not be made within the U.S., largely because of components like weak manufacturing infrastructure and excessive price of labor. Realizing all that, my curiosity was piqued once I not too long ago had the possibility to fly EXO drone’s newest launch, the Blackhawk 3 Professional.
So, will the Blackhawk 3 Professional make the checklist of the perfect digital camera drones made within the USA? Properly, not but. Whereas EXO drones (owned by Miami-based OpenStore) designs and handles the achievement of the drones, they’re nonetheless manufactured outdoors the U.S.
An EXO spokesperson stated the corporate is actively exploring avenues to do much more manufacturing within the U.S., possible capitalizing on the heavy curiosity in American-made drones. Nonetheless, I made a decision to check out the Blackhawk 3 Professional from EXO Drones.
The Blackhawk 3 Professional begins at $1,249 however is presently on sale for $949 on their web site and solely $849 on Amazon. Given the lower cost tag, plus different potential advantages of buying on Amazon like ultra-fast delivery, an extra 5% again with the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Card, and straightforward returns, buying on Amazon is a no brainer.
Order the Blackhawk 3 Professional on Amazon for $849
The No. 1 cause why the Blackhawk 3 Professional stands out is its spectacular 53 minutes of flight time. This is likely one of the longest flight occasions you may obtain on any client drone. Amongst different highlights of the Blackhawk 3 Professional:
- 200 Mbps HDR 4K video high quality
- 9+ mile vary
- 1/1.3 inch CMOS Sensor
Study extra concerning the latest drone from the American-based drone firm, EXO drones, and extra of those options in my overview of the Blackhawk 3 Professional right here:
Am spectacular 53-minute flight time (virtually)
After I initially opened up the Blackhawk Professional 3, I used to be shocked to see just one battery included within the equipment. Nonetheless, after studying by way of the specs, I noticed, you don’t want spare batteries.
The Blackhawk 3 Professional has a 53-minute battery life, one thing you don’t see day by day within the drone market. For example, DJI’s newest client drone launch, the DJI Mini 4 Professional has 34 minutes (or 45 minutes once you buy an extra clever battery).
After I took the Blackhawk 3 Professional out to fly, I used to be out flying, the drone obtained very near reaching that 53 minutes of flight time. I used to be notified of a low battery after round 47 minutes, and personally, I by no means danger flying as soon as I get that notification.
Nonetheless, it’s price noting, that the controller nonetheless had loads of battery left when the drone was low battery. By buying an additional battery (for an extra $150), you possibly can fly the Blackhawk 3 Professional for hours.
The prolonged flight time is kind of spectacular, however there are some particular trade-offs, specifically the battery measurement and weight.
It’s virtually double the dimensions and weight of the DJI Mini 4 Professional’s battery. With the battery, the drone itself weighs 600g at take-off, in comparison with the Mini 4 Professional at 249 g.
The burden of the drone is essential not solely as a result of it makes it simpler to move however for authorized causes. Drones underneath 250 grams don’t should be registered with the FAA for leisure operations.
Blackhawk 3 Professional digital camera and clever options
To fly the Blackhawk 3 Professional, you’ll have to obtain the EXO app and join your telephone to the controller. The app and controller are each user-friendly. The drone additionally has an prolonged exploration function permitting you to fly with a 9+ mile vary on a single cost.
The primary few flights had been easy with a pointy 4K video high quality. The 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensor permits for wealthy coloring and pure lighting transitions. The video high quality on the Blackhawk 3 Professional holds as much as the perfect client digital camera drones available in the market. The Blackhawk 3 Professional additionally has a permitting for low-light captures. However whereas the digital camera high quality is nice, the flying high quality? Not a lot.
The Blackhawk 3 Professional promotes a variety of Clever Flight Modes, like ‘Observe Me’, “Return to Dwelling’ and GPS Routing. However whereas some options like return to dwelling, labored tremendous, others didn’t work in any respect. After I put the drone into Observe Me mode the drone appeared to malfunction and crashed into the grass.
I attempted this mode just a few extra occasions, however I used to be unable to get Observe Me mode to work. I continued flying with out utilizing the clever options, nevertheless, I rapidly confronted one other impediment once I obtained an error alert relating to my gimbal.
The error notification repeated again and again with a loud beeping noise. Fixing and recalibrating the gimbal was easy. Nonetheless, it takes a while and the beeping and error message repeats loudly till the error is fastened.
I attempted to discover a setting to show off voice notifications or the quantity, however I couldn’t. Total, the footage captured was clear and top quality, however the total flying expertise was rocky.
When it comes to value, the Blackhawk 3 Professional’s closest DJI drone competitor is the DJI Mini 4 Professional. The DJI Mini 4 Professional begins at $759. The DJI Mini 4 Professional is $90 cheaper than the Blackhawk 3 Professional.
Under is a side-by-side comparability of the specs of the 2 drones:
| Blackhawk 3 Professional | DJI Mini 4 Professional | |
| Worth | $949 | $759 |
| Takeoff Weight | 600g | < 259 g |
| Dimensions (folded)(L×W×H) | 118.7 x 172.5 x 67.6mm | 148×90×62 mm |
| Max Flight Time | 53 minutes | 34 minutes |
| Max Wind Pace | Stage 8 | 10.7 m/s |
| Impediment Sensors | Downward | Omnidirectional |
| Picture Sensor | 1/1.3-inch CMOS | 1/1.3-inch CMOS |
| Max Video Res | 4K/30fps | 4K/100fps |
The Blackhawk 3 Professional’s most spectacular function stays the battery life, together with the utmost wind pace. Each drones have comparable digital camera options. The Mini 4 Professional has barely higher video decision.
In virtually each means, the DJI Mini 4 Professional wins.
The DJI Mini 4 Professional additionally has omnidirectional impediment avoidance, whereas the Blackhawk 3 Professional has downward avoidance. This makes the DJI Mini 4 Professional a significantly extra protected drone than the Blackhawk 3 Professional. The Blackhawk 3 Professional has impediment sensors situated on the underside of the drone. On the flip aspect, the Mini 4 has them in each path.
With the Mini 4 Professional, you’ll get monetary savings and have a safer drone. So, this begs the query, who’s the Blackhawk 3 Professional for?
If American corporations are a precedence for you, then actually think about buying this drone. With out outright naming DJI, EXO’s advertising and marketing ways have leaned into the group of anti-DJI pilots.
“For greater than a decade, there was little technical competitors in digital camera drones,” based on an announcement on EXO’s web page. “One model with no competitors means they’ll do no matter they want- and so they do. Excessive costs, non-existent help, and promoting your non-public knowledge to China.”
That’s all a transparent jab at DJI, which has been met with issues (notably from authorities companies) about knowledge privateness. It’s gotten so brutal for DJI, that the corporate is on a authorities blacklist.
However EXO isn’t precisely made in America, provided that manufacturing happens abroad. Nonetheless, with EXO you’ll expertise lots of the perks of shopping for American, like supporting the native financial system and having extra dependable customer support.
And whereas the flying expertise is probably not as easy as DJI and different China-made opponents like Autel, you’ll hardly discover the distinction in post-production by way of video and picture high quality.
Buy the Blackhawk 3 Professional drone on Amazon as we speak for $849