Blade 180 CFX - do I need another heli?

[hedge]

Great advice, but joining a club is not an option for me in the next couple of years due to family commitments. So anything larger than a 450 would never get flown at all, which is definitely not good value. Hence why I'm all over the micros now, which I can fly daily with the kids in tow. I will get a larger heli eventually and hopefully my experience with micros will stand me in good stead. Cost is not really a big issue for me, but time certainly is.

OK cool, well from what I have read you have the top dog micro there in the OXY good luck with the maiden

[Peteski]

I tell you what I would do, save your money and wait until you get the Oxy3. Then if you find you like the Oxy3, and it's a good size for you to practice on, pick up a second. I'm saving for my second Gaui X3 now. Once you have two of a model those crash nerves disappear as you've got spares on hand.

But also, you might want something bigger and pick up that X3 anyway. And once you have that, the Oxy3 will feel that bit smaller, and I pretty much guarantee any nerves you have about practising on that will disappear. I wouldn't buy anything more now though until you have that Oxy maidened. Once you have that under your belt you can make an informed decision on what you want to do. After you fly it there are several ways you might want to go:

- You might decide it's ideal as the biggest model you have, and go for the 180CFX anyway as practice
- You might like it so much you buy a second and use them as your training model
- It might feel a bit too small, and you buy an X3

This is a good plan for sure and a Gaui X3 is definitely on my radar to go with the OXY 3 next year. I did think about a second OXY, but I think I'd prefer the variety of having something different to fly and I really do like the X3 - again it has the wow factor for me. But I'm thinking my maiden with the OXY 3 would be more confident after putting some mileage on a 180 CFX. I'm feeling the need for an intermediate step, just for confidence building.

In the meantime I've just been whizzing my mCPX around the garden in quite a high wind. Nearly lost it a couple of times with big gusts, but came back in one piece. It is a great learning tool for sure, but I'd like something a bit bigger to practice on too. The Red Bull 130X has been doing that job so far, but I'm not sure it's the right tool. I wouldn't have flown it today for fear of crashing and several more hours on the repair bench.

[tomatwalden]

FWIW, I love flying my 180CFX - it's a real low-stress machine and from my experience crashes OK. Whilst I don't have an OXY3, I do have a 300CFX which is the same size as the Oxy (pretty much).

Personally, I don't think the 180cfx and oxy3 will compete for your attention - more likely IMO that the 180cfx will compete with your mcpx.

[crash-test-tomo]

180cfx is an awesome little heli, the power just doesnt compare to that of an mcpx or a 130x, power to weight I dont think theres much between the 180 and my 550!
In honesty I could only justify buying the 180cfx if you are going to sell your few small helis to do so.. If you can fly the mcpx well you will fly anything so personally I would save your cash for something bigger, intimidating as they are the first time you spool up a bigger heli infront of you, its like flying a micro in slow motion! But with more power, more stability and more room to get in there and work on the thing when it does go tits up lol

[crash-test-tomo]

Personally, I don't think the 180cfx and oxy3 will compete for your attention - more likely IMO that the 180cfx will compete with your mcpx.

Since I got my 180CFX, I had a 2 week old 130x... Havnt flown it (for sale) I bought an mcpx bl a few weeks ago, flew 2 lipos, dont like it.. (For sale) and I fixed my 450x, flies better than it ever has done... Dont fly it (for sale) lmao
180cfx is my little basher and 550dfc are the only ones that leave the house, have started a new job today (wooooo, finally) so im back in the market for a 700 lol

[Peteski]

FWIW, I love flying my 180CFX - it's a real low-stress machine and from my experience crashes OK. Whilst I don't have an OXY3, I do have a 300CFX which is the same size as the Oxy (pretty much).

Personally, I don't think the 180cfx and oxy3 will compete for your attention - more likely IMO that the 180cfx will compete with your mcpx.

Good info, thanks Tom. Yes I wouldn't expect it to compete directly with my OXY 3, was thinking more of a step up from the mCPX & 130X. Something a bit less special than the OXY to mess around with.

[Peteski]

In honesty I could only justify buying the 180cfx if you are going to sell your few small helis to do so.. If you can fly the mcpx well you will fly anything so personally I would save your cash for something bigger

Well the OXY 3 is going to be as big as it gets for now. Not intending to sell any of my current micros as they all have a place. mCPX will continue in the house/garden and the Red Bull 130X is fun to fly in the field and looks cool in the air. I think I just need another small workhorse to work on my skills that isn't so precious as the OXY 3. I thought the 180CFX would fit that bill nicely. A standard 130X would probably work for me too, but for the small price difference, the 180 looks a much better proposition.

[Peteski]

Since I got my 180CFX, I had a 2 week old 130x... Havnt flown it (for sale) I bought an mcpx bl a few weeks ago, flew 2 lipos, dont like it.. (For sale) and I fixed my 450x, flies better than it ever has done... Dont fly it (for sale) lmao
180cfx is my little basher and 550dfc are the only ones that leave the house, have started a new job today (wooooo, finally) so im back in the market for a 700 lol

That says a lot for the 180CFX!

[hedge]

That says a lot for the 180CFX!

It is a powerhouse, of course that comes with a price and that's 3:30-4 min flights. Also it needs the power as it is heavy with that 3s battery. Its a micro with no strings it can do the lot and then some. Don't expect to walk away unscathed from crashes here it my personal opinion/experience on crash survivability

1) MCPX Brushless 2 crashes in 10 require parts (not owned one just general reading)
2) 130x 4 crashes in 10 require parts
3) 180 7 crashes in 10 require parts

If you've only spooled up your current fleet you may want to take a few steps back when fly the 180

Last point and these are must haves in my opinion

1) Servo saver mod - free.
2) TT ver2 mod - needs fuel tubing but other than that free
3) Get a mat to take off and land if flying over grass


Look forward to hearing more.

[Peteski]

It is a powerhouse, of course that comes with a price and that's 3:30-4 min flights. Also it needs the power as it is heavy with that 3s battery. Its a micro with no strings it can do the lot and then some. Don't expect to walk away unscathed from crashes here it my personal opinion/experience on crash survivability

I'm used to short flight times, so not an issue for me. It does sound a bit feisty, but that's kind of what I want in preparation for the OXY. I hear what you say on the crashability. I guess high head speed and relatively heavy weight count against it compared to the 130X. But then again my 130X has needed parts & labour every time a blade of grass has struck the tail. I've stripped gears twice now without even crashing it properly - just tipped over on landing a couple of times. I've just put in some metal tail gears this time just to move the failure point for a bit of variety
A landing mat is a great idea and I do use one, I just need to remember to actually land on it!

Think I will go for the 180 CFX while I'm building the OXY up. It's going to take me a while as I can only work on it for the odd hour here and there and it's my first kit build so want to do it right.

[tomatwalden]

FWIW, my impression is that whilst the 130x survived crashes better - due to being lighter, linear servos and having a lower head speed ... it just went wrong on it's own too often. The tail gears never worked well, the linear servos got dirt in them and became jittery. etc. etc. I loved mine, but it frustrated me in equal measure due to unreliability.

The 180cfx fixes all that. No, it doesn't crash as well as the 130x, but it's reliable in normal operations. For that fact alone, it's 100% better than the 130x IMHO

[myxiplx]

Sounds to me like you don't need another heli, but you sure want a 180CFX :-D

I'm going to second the comment on the servo saver mod, it's a must on any micro with rotary servos. And on the tail, a slipper clutch is a great idea. You can make your own, but Lynx have one out now. And yes, it makes me look a bit biased since Lynx have put me as a team pilot, but damnit, I still love this:
LX1570 - 180CFX - Vibe Killer Clutch Torque Shaft - Std Length

[Peteski]

Sounds to me like you don't need another heli, but you sure want a 180CFX :-D

Spot on! So I just did it

I think this will give me the final confidence I need before attempting to fly the OXY 3, which I haven't had chance to build yet anyway. The power should be a big step up from my 130X, while being a lot easier to work on. Will look into the server saver mod and slipper clutch too. I did watch a DIY video for the slipper clutch and almost fell asleep in the middle - so will definitely buy the Lynx one when available in the UK. Do you know when FL etc will be stocking it? Or is it feasible to order stuff directly from the Lynx site?

At long last I feel that my micro fleet is now complete

[cjcj1949]

The crash damage seems to be more about how you crash and where you crash. Smaller helis around 130-x size and lower with flexible blades seem to survive well if crashed into long grass with the power cut. As you progress and fly in idle up crashes tend to be more dramatic and often with power on. These crashes tend to do lots of damage with all heli sizes. I started on a 450 and had much more damage when learning than with a 130-x. The 130-x also seems to fly like a flybarred 450 to me, as far as wind is concerned. I haven't flown my 450 since getting a 130-x. I've replaced it with the 180-cfx as it was getting old. The 180 seems a lot better so far.

[hedge]

At long last I feel that my micro fleet is now complete

I see a small spot for a Trex 150 and an errm 250

Nano -> mCPX -> 130 -> _____ -> 180 -> ______ -> Oxy

Yup definitely two gaps

Cmon if your going to do it DO IT properly