Drones have become extremely popular over the last 5 years, and are being used in a number of ways. There are thousands of drones available on the market today, so picking the right one will depend on your needs and the depth of your pocket. You can go out and spend $1,200 on DJI Phantom 2 Vision+ Quadcopter with FPV HD Video Camera and 3-Axis GimbalDJI Phantom 2, or $30 on Haktoys®%20HAK903 2.4GHz 4CH RC Nano Quadcopter, 6 Axis Gyroscope, Rechargeable, Ready To Fly, Micro Quadcopter – Colors May varyHaktoys HAK903.
If you’re looking for joy of flight at a low cost for the everyday consumer, you may want to check out the Dromida by Kodo. Hopefully, this review will help you make the right decision when deciding on your drone.
Design and Durability
The Dromida Kodo is not the slickest or sleekest mini quadcopter available. Honestly, when looking at different quadcopters on the market, I would place the Dromida Kodo in the bottom tier in terms of overall design. I am not quite sure what Dromida was shooting for when they drew up the design of the Kodo. At first glance the Kodo looks like some type of large bug connected to a circuit board, and when asking others what it looked like, I often got the response that it looks like some sort of spider or beetle. The wings that hold the body to the propellers make the Kodo look somewhat cheap and flimsy. Most mini quadcopters on the market are made out of some sort of plastic, which add a little more flare to the design compared to the Kodo.
Although the design of the Kodo is below par, the quadcopter is more durable that I expected. The first time I ran the Kodo into the wall, I thought the crash would snap an arm off. To my surprise, the Kodo took the hit and came out without a scratch. You also have the ability to attach propeller guards (which I would highly recommend, especially if you are a beginner). I noticed that if you do not put the propeller guards on low enough–or if your propellers are put on too low–then they will cut into the prop guard (which I found out after 5 minutes of flying). With that said, after countless crashes, and numerous death spirals, I have yet to replace my props or break a wing, quite the feat in durability.
Flight, Agility, and Performance
When I first flew the Kodo, I was surprised by how easy it was to fly. While the remote might seem a little daunting when first reading the instructions, if you are used to flying simple helicopters (like the Air Hog), it’s easier to fly than you would think. After an hour or two of flying I felt like a pro, and found myself pushing the boundaries far too many times.
From a flight performance perspective the Kodo is reasonably responsive. However, compared to other quadcopters, the Kodo is nowhere near the most agile or responsive. Comparatively, I felt that the Kodo was somewhat slow leaving a desire for more agility. For example, while flying the Kodo next to the Hubsan%20H107D FPV X4 Mini RTF QuadcopterHubsan X4 H107D I quickly saw how much slower the Kodo was. The Kodo could not change direction nearly as quickly or fly as fast as the Hubsan X4 H107D. Although the Kodo is slower and less responsive than the Hubsan X4, I did feel that it was easier to fly since I had more time to react and less drastic movement.
I was not that impressed with the range of the Kodo. After about 50-60 meters the Kodo would stop responding to some of my adjustments. After about 70 meters the Kodo will completely lose connection and fall from the sky (which can be extremely scary).
Also, I found that I needed to trim the Kodo each flight, and often again after 10 minutes of flight time. It can be annoying having to constantly trim throughout flight, and at times I felt that the constant trim battle negatively affected my overall flying experience. It’s worth noting that the Kodo does not have a hover mode. However. you can hover somewhat by simply keeping the throttle stick in place. The throttle will stay without you having to keep you finger on it. However, if you do this you will have to continually trim the quadcopter, which really defeats the purpose of hovering.
The Kodo has about 12-15 minutes of flight time on one charge and takes about 45 minutes to fully charge the battery. I have yet to replace the batteries in the remote after 2 months of use.
Camera and Video
The Kodo comes equipped with a camera that allows you to not only take pictures, but shoot video. While the video is not HD, I was impressed with the overall video quality. I expected it to be blurry and pixilated, but that was not the case as you can see in the video below.
I did find it quite difficult to take pictures while flying. While pressing the capture button was relatively easy to do, I have yet to take a picture that is not blurry, even when I am maintaining a steady hover. I am not sure if this is due to the drone vibrating while flying, or if the camera on the Kodo is simply poor in quality. I am assuming that it is due to the Kodo constantly moving, since I am able to capture good quality videos.
The drone comes with a 2 GB micro SD card which you place into the back of the Kodo. 2 GB might appear to be small, but you are able to store more pictures and videos than you would expect. This is mainly due to the fact that the camera shoots lower quality pictures and videos which take up less space. Along with the micro SD card, in the box you receive a micro SD card reader which plugs directly into a USB port on your computer. This nifty gadget allows you to quickly and easily transfer your videos and photos to the computer.
The file format that the videos are stored in are AVI, so you will need to make sure you have a video player that can play AVI files. I would suggest using VLC media player if you do not have a supported AVI player (windows media player will not play AVI files).
Overall
Overall, I have been pleasantly surprised with the Dromida Kodo given the price tag. Finding a durable and easy to use quadcopter under $60 is hard to come by. While you might not be blown away by the design of the Kodo, the Kodo is an excellent choice for any beginner that isn’t overly picky on design. Currently, you can get the Kodo for $55.47 on Dromida%20Kodo UAV Quadcopter RTF with CameraAmazon with free shipping. You can also buy extra batteries, propellers, and propeller guards online which I would highly recomend you do. It is annoying having to wait 45 minutes for a 12-15 minute flight.
If you currently own a Dromida Kodo, let us know what you think. Have you been happy with the purchase? Share you opinion in the comment section below