Which Propellers Should You Fit on Your Drone?

A choice that raises many uncertainties

With the advance of dronotics (the science concerned with making these incredible vehicles fly) and of the drone market, the propeller market has also taken off. On the market you can find every kind of propeller: 10x4.5, 10x5, 9x4.7, etc. These are not randomly chosen codes: the first number indicates the propeller's diameter in inches, the second the pitch, that is, the propeller's ability to advance through the air.

Moreover, propellers on the market come in different materials, from wood to fiberglass, from carbon to plastic… in short, there is no shortage of variety, and the market doesn't help us simplify our lives.

What happens when you have a poor-quality propeller?

Fitting a low-quality propeller thinking it is the same as a professional propeller is like driving with a bald tire on our car. There are many risks, for you and your drone. Here are just a few:

• A plastic propeller runs up to 10 times the risk of breaking in flight compared to a carbon propeller
• An unbalanced propeller leads to motor overheating and therefore to its rapid deterioration
• A plastic propeller is much less rigid than a carbon one, with a clear reduction in the drone's performance
  
  

Which propellers should you fit on your drone?

As we said before, a good propeller is like a good tire for our car. In particular, when fitting a propeller, you need to check:

• That the size is right and suitable for our drone (in upcoming articles we will talk about this aspect in more detail)
• That the propellers are as well balanced as possible right out of the factory. For example, carbon propellers and in particular HqProp are propellers that require very little maintenance and minimal correction for balancing.
• Make sure the installed propellers have the right stiffness to operate safely. Carbon fibre propellers, for example, are the best choice for operating in any environment.
• Make sure the propeller fits snugly on the motor hub. Only some propellers come with special adapters, while others are sold without any… leaving the pilot to figure it out...
• Make sure the propeller is securely attached to the motor with suitable fastenings. At aerialclick we like screw-and-bolt fastenings… the ideal solution to prevent a hub from slipping off and losing our beloved drone.
  
  

And you? Which propellers do you fit on your drone? Tell us about it and let's see who wins between plastic and carbon!

See you at the next click!