Gaui x5 advice please

[njl1968]

Hi
Thinking of buying an x5 formula, how does this compare with the FES or the new v2?
if I go with the formula what's the recommendations on electronics, servos , esc , motor , flybarless(with or without recovery), also blades. I am coming from flying 450 size limited aerobatics and a lot of fixed wing, but aspire to some 3D. I am thinking vbar for the flybarless does it need to be mini? I think looking to mid range equipment, all advice greatfully recieved.


thanks

njl

[pug907]

I have the FES that has all the formula mods on it. It flies brilliantly for my limited capabilities. I have a kontronik ESC, rewound scorpion motor, align 610 cyclics, BLS251 tail and Vbar Neo with rescue(when I remember it's there) on a Vcontrol.
I don't think you can go too far wrong, but bear in mind the limited spares outlets !!! I took the formula canopy off mine and moved the canopy posts to take the original canopy. I'd suggest you do the same unless you can afford £90ish for a new one after every prang??
A friend of mine is learning to fly on an X5 and he likes it so much he's just bought the V2, in anticipation of his progress.

I know they're a bit like marmite, but have you thought about a Logo 500/550?? Easiest, smoothest transition heli ever IMO.
Cheers.

[French Paul]

The x5 formula is a good little heli, the v2 has a nicer canopy and better adjustment of lipos for centre of gravity, both will be fine with the gaui 910kv motor but in my personal experience I wouldn't buy another, the goblin 500 sport is far superior, twice the quality and you'll receive customer service if something was wrong with your kit.
im probably one of gaui's biggest fans in the Uk but Sab has the 500mm class well and truly sorted for not much extra, it's excellent.

As for the flybarless system, a mini vbar will fly almost anything fine but you'll have to pay extra to use the governor, if you want rescue then vbar neo can do it but again, it's extra along with the governor and whatever else they offer.

Some beastx units have rescue too but I heard you have to pay extra, not sure but if it's true the Germans are all just greedy!

The msh brain comes with all features included which is why I use it and it's the easiest setup and best value.

Flybarless systems are more personal preference but all 3 above work well.

Servos-align ds615 cyclic and ds655 tail work well, good value and have a warranty.
esc- castle talon 90 is good value, easy to setup and has a good Bec and governor
hobbywing 100lv is excellent value, I set mine up with my tx fine, haven't used the governor.
Motor- gaui gm-601 910kv for the x5 or most other manufacturers list motor options in the manuals so you can check online.

you could easily spend more on "better" electronics but it's really not needed.

Paul

[bigpops]

I have to disagree about the X5 Vs SAB Goblin 500. The Sport option is a better choice than the original 500, I'll give you that, but I'd still take the X5.
SAB parts certainly aren't twice the quality of Gaui parts, or even Align parts either for that matter. There isn't much difference these days.

I had the original Goblin 500 and I didn't get on with it at all. It needed expensive mini servos (minis with full size motors like the BKs) if you wanted to fly it hard (fixed on the Sport). Most annoyingly, my belt always needed re-tensioning every session, which means adjusting the tail rod too as the servo is in the frame not on the boom. Even though I cranked down as hard as I could on the tail case screws. The stock blades suck. It flies so much better on 520 with a proper chord width rather than elongated 425mms, but not enough to save it. I sold it after just 9 flights. It wasn't for me.

My X5 runs the Hobbywing 100A V3, mini Vbar, KDS 4020 1100KV motor with I believe the 14T pinion (I had it spare from my Agile 5.5), Align DS610 cyclics, MKS DS760 tail servo. 4500mah packs.
Mine is the last version that was out before the Formula. It has the Formula canopy, but not the lower head that they then got rid of with the V2.

Whether I'd buy an X5 right now, I'm not sure. I got mine brand new on ebay for £220, so it was a bargain. I'd probably go for a Logo 550 instead. In fact, I do plan on getting one in addition to the X5 when funds allow it.

[Grumpy]

Strange that you would have to adjust the belt every outing. I dont have the G500 but i have a G630 and G770 and the overall design is similar and belt material the same. I've not had to touch the belt on either in 6 months.

[French Paul]

Yh that's a strange one, something wasn't right with your g500, did you miss the maintenance page in the manual where it says to check these bolts regularly.i check mine before each outing and rarely need to re tighten, but it is part of the design and stated in the manual.

Also a fullsize servo canopy was available for the g500 which came with servo mounts and a longer motor belt but the sport comes with 3 sets of servo mounts and the canopy takes both mini and standard size including jr/Kst.

as for quality, the aligns for me flew good but higher maintenance through wear, Same as gaui's, bearings need changing more and there's more of them.
goblins are like jr's IMO , very little maintenance and wear.
That to me is where the quality shines, I could pick up a goblin or forza, do a preflight check and fly with peace of mind.
i know nothing of logos but people who fly them love them and they need antistatic kits.

I'm not trying to put the op off the x5, it's a good heli for sure but not great and there's better out there for similar money imo.
Paul

[bigpops]

[QUOTE=Grumpy;1213275]Strange that you would have to adjust the belt every outing. I dont have the G500 but i have a G630 and G770 and the overall design is similar and belt material the same. I've not had to touch the belt on either in 6 months.[/QUOTE]

I say every outing, but as I sold it after 9 flights, there were only 3, maybe 4 outings. I'd take it to the field, fly it, hear the belt skip a tooth or two, bring it in, mess about, fly it some more. Don't the bigger ones have an auto tensioner? The 500 does not. Not sure about the Sport version.

[bigpops]

[QUOTE=French Paul;1213279]Yh that's a strange one, something wasn't right with your g500, did you miss the maintenance page in the manual where it says to check these bolts regularly.i check mine before each outing and rarely need to re tighten, but it is part of the design and stated in the manual.[/QUOTE]

Maybe, but I litereally couldn't have cranked them harder without using a T or L shaped allen wrench.
[quote]
Also a fullsize servo canopy was available for the g500 which came with servo mounts and a longer motor belt but the sport comes with 3 sets of servo mounts and the canopy takes both mini and standard size including jr/Kst.[/quote]
It wasn't out when I had mine, and it was also about £70 when it did show up. It should have come with that canopy from the beginning.

[quote]as for quality, the aligns for me flew good but higher maintenance through wear, Same as gaui's, bearings need changing more and there's more of them.
goblins are like jr's IMO , very little maintenance and wear.
That to me is where the quality shines, I could pick up a goblin or forza, do a preflight check and fly with peace of mind.
i know nothing of logos but people who fly them love them and they need antistatic kits.[/quote]

You may be right. Not had to touch my 6 year old Trex 500 yet, but I don't really fly it that much. I've put maybe 120-150 flights on it in that time. My helis don't need much in the way of maintenance. I sell them before parts wear out.
Shouldn't there be more bearings in a Goblin than most helicopters? The two stage gearing should see to that.
For fit and finish, I was super impressed with my Trex 700L. It could not have been an easier build.
Any heli with a belt on it needs an anti static kit unless the whole thing is conductive (like a Goblin). My Warp 360 needed one (only after 18 months of flawless behaviour, bizarrely), and so did the 7HV I had.

[quote]I'm not trying to put the op off the x5, it's a good heli for sure but not great and there's better out there for similar money imo.
Paul[/quote] The X5 isn't a perfect heli by any means. But, it's been out as long, or almost as long as I've been flying with only minor upgrades. People keep buying/flying them. I really should fly mine much much more than I do. Well, that's true of all my helis. Pesky quads being so user friendly and flying so damn well!

There isn't really much choice in the 500 size. Goblin, X5, HD Cell 500. I think that's it. Mikado don't make the Logo 500 any more. The Compass EXO is 500 class I think, but not out yet.

[njl1968]

Hi guys,
thanks for your responses, Have to say Goblin speed 500 look great but are faster heavier and crash less well than the x5, mikado have plastic frames that crack. All helps wil be far more capable than I am ever likely to be so in truth it's down to finding a good price / quality compromise, so I do not get to precsious about flying it and expanding my envelope. The new X5 V2 seems even more pricey at £522, does seem strange to lower the head for the formula then up it again. What are the best blades to buy? Is a motor over 950Kv advisable even if your not doing hard core 3D?

Thanks

njl

[bigpops]

[QUOTE=njl1968;1213303]Hi guys,
thanks for your responses, Have to say Goblin speed 500 look great but are faster heavier and crash less well than the x5, mikado have plastic frames that crack. All helps wil be far more capable than I am ever likely to be so in truth it's down to finding a good price / quality compromise, so I do not get to precsious about flying it and expanding my envelope. The new X5 V2 seems even more pricey at £522, does seem strange to lower the head for the formula then up it again. What are the best blades to buy? Is a motor over 950Kv advisable even if your not doing hard core 3D?

Thanks

njl[/QUOTE]

Gaui helicopters have never been cheap in this country, but all helis are over priced at the moment (if they've been re-stocked since June) thanks to the pound being worthless against the dollar. Like I said, I got mine on ebay. A seller kept putting them up for auction, one after the other. They were combo kits with the electronics removed and sold off.
The X5 is a bit of a tank when it comes to crashes, apparently. Thanks to the super narrow frames, it's very rigid.

Blades: I'm running the Align 520mm. If you're on a budget, then RJX 520mm B grades should be available for £30 or so from Hobby Hangar. Rotorstars from Hobbyking are also worth a look. I've got some for my 700s and they're really nicely made. Very similar to the Aligns, and probably made by An Viet Long with the Align and RJX blades.

Other options are the Switch 523mm, Cyclone 515mm and Rail 516mm. Out of those, I'd try the Cyclones first.

You can run whatever motor you like between about 850KV and 1100KV. Any higher than that and you can't get pinions that will keep the head speed sensible. I believe stock is 910KV with the 16T pinion. In the older ones, it was 890KV with the same pinion.
If you get a speed controller with active freewheeling (Kontronik, YGE, YEP, Hobbywing V4), you'll be able to use a wider range of head speeds, as they don't get as hot when running lower throttle as ESCs that don't have it.