Quadcopter Props Main

Characteristics & Best

Picks
Most hobby grade aircraft use them, but did you know the size,
pitch, design and weight can vastly impact the way your aircraft ys?
p g g y p yy y
Power, grip, e ciency, speed, maneuverability, durability, etc.. are all

descriptions we give to di erent quadcopter props to describe how

they help us in the air. Let’s talk about how we can tell the di erence
between props and pick the best one to suit your needs.

Quick Navigation

Reading the Prop Numbers Propeller Direction

Drone propeller Characteristics Prop Size Recommendations
Propeller Size Indoors
Prop Pitch Small Playground
Number of blades Large playground
Material Racing

How do you pair a prop with a particular Freestyle

motor and quad? Long Range

Installing Props Wings

When should you change your props?
Conclusion

TOP BRANDS AND MODELS

First let’s get familiar with some of the big names in the industry and
their agship models, and what they are known for.

Name Prop Length Pitch Blades Weight Rate

5" 4.5" 3 4g
Dal
Cyclone
T5045C
Name Prop Length Pitch Blades Weight Rate

5" 4.3" 3 3.79g

HQ V1S

5.1" 4.3" 3 3.8g

T-Motor
T5143

5.1" 4" 3 4.5g

Azure
Power
5140

5" 4.5" 3 5.2g

Dal
Cyclone
T5050C

Dal – Cyclone series – Dal is a long time favorite of many free

stylers and racers. The most famous are the very responsive and
powerful Cyclone 5045 and 5046. The higher pitched 5046 is known
for speed and durability and its close relative the 5045 is known as
the slightly more e cient version with a little more speed vs control.

HQ – V1S Series – One of the most popular props today for

freestylers and racers a like. The most popular sizes have been the
HQ 5x4.3x3 v1s
T-Motor – Makers of the outstanding motors ventured into the prop
game. They made a very light 5149 prop that was all the rage last
summer.

Azure Power – Perhaps the most unique prop design of the bunch,
the boomerang style of the Azure Power is very unique and those
who y them are constantly extolling the virtues of these unique
props.

Gemfan – Flash Series – A very powerful prop, my personal favorite

for 2.5” or 3” props are the Gemfan ash series. They are also the
maker of the popular 5152 series. A super powerful and smooth
prop, that sometimes su ered from durability issues, but Gemfan
went back and made a newer version of this prop with increased
durability.

Lumenier – A staple in FPV made by GetFPV, Lumenier makes the

Butter Cutter series of props.

Emax – Makers of the Avan series. They now have props in the
whoop class size, all the way up to 5”. Noted for their extreme power
and smoothness, but have historically been known to draw a lot of
amps.

READING THE PROP NUMBERS

You may notice when looking at props that you commonly see a
series of numbers associated with each one. Now di erent
companies may structure the name of their props di erent leading
 p y p p g

to some di culty interpreting but let’s break down how to read

these numbers.

Manufacturers use 2 types of format:

L x P x B or LLPP x B

L- length, P – pitch, B – number of blades

We will use HQ V1s series as as an example. One popular model

that I use is the HQ 5 x 4.5.x3 v1s. Here we see 3 numbers. The rst
5 indicates the size of the prop, in this case 5 means 5”. The second
number 4.5 refers to the pitch of the prop. And the last number 3
refers to the number of blades on the prop. V1s is the props
designation or model. 

DRONE PROPELLER CHARACTERISTICS

Propeller Size

Props range from Tiny Whoop class 31mm variety, to 6”+ long rage
size, to even bigger for commercial or Prosumer applications like DJI
Inspire or Phantom.
Prop Pitch

Think of prop pitch like using a paddle in a canoe. If you push

straight back with your paddle parallel in the water to you, you will
have the max force and each push will go slower. If you push at a
high angle, you can cut through the water faster, but it will push you
ahead with less force.

A lower pitch will always move faster, but push you ahead with less
thrust.

A higher pitch will mean more thrust per revolution, for greater
speed but less ne control.

Higher pitch will also be providing higher thrust, but in combination

with more amp draw That extra work will demand more from your
with more amp draw. That extra work will demand more from your

battery.

Number of blades
The number of blades a ect both ight and e ciency. Fewer blades
= more speed, and less amp draw or more e ciency. More blades =
more control, but lower e ciency and lower speed.

The compromise often is to run a 3 blade prop for most 3-7”

quadcopters. But for high speed runs you will often see 2 blades,
and for indoor crafts where you want the most control possible vs
speed you will often see 4 blades.

MATERIAL

Props today are most often made of polycarbonate. Di erent

combinations of materials, colors and ingredients can make for a
sti er or more exible prop. A more rigid prop can allow very fast
speeds, but can also break more easily on impact.

HOW DO YOU PAIR A PROP WITH A PARTICULAR MOTOR AND

QUAD?

You will also want to match a prop to a motor. A smaller motor like a
2205, will not be able to push a high pitch prop like an HQ 5x4.8 v1s
without draining a lot of battery. It would do much better with the
lower pitch 5x4.3 v1s.

A heavier motor like a 2207, will have more power, and ability to
push that larger prop to allow you the maximum straight line
performance. But as mentioned earlier, this will demand a lot from
your batteries.
When testing a new prop, always make sure to land, check motor
temperatures, and keep a close eye on your voltage readout on your
On Screen Display to ensure you do not over discharge your battery.

INSTALLING PROPS

Installing props on your quadcopter? What tools do you need? Any

8mm wrench or socket wrench will do. But I always recommend a
dedicated prop tool such as the Piro ip branded one.

Also, pro tip, keep more than 1 prop tool with you. I generally have
2. The reason is, sometimes we end up keeping one in your pocket
and forgetting to put it back. Nothing like being out at a nice place to
y, and having to go home because you could not get your broken
prop o .

So don’t let this ground you, and make sure you have the right tools.
For smaller T prop sizes, you will want a 1.5mm hex driver.

PROPELLER DIRECTION

There are 2 propeller direction options. The traditional beta ight

setup which is props all turning in. And the Reverse which is props
turning out.

The both should feel the same in the air, but props turning out can
help to push you away from objects, where as traditional props in
will pull you in. The downside, is that props out will throw any cut
grass, dirt or grime you land into directly into your center stack.
So be warned. It is a great option for some, especially if you y near
a lot of trees, but I personally do the traditional way. There are many
ways to remember your prop orientation but I use this method. (for
traditional mounting).

If I look at a prop straight on, the blade should point down on the
left side, this goes to the top left. If I look at it the same way and the
blade points down on the right side, it should go to the top right.
Your rear props are the same across the diagonal.

PROP SIZE RECOMMENDATIONS

Indoors

31mm or 40mm are the whoop class sizes. These will typically run
with Whoop style ducts and be safe to bounce around inside your
house with. There are 2-4 blade varieties and new o erings by HQ,
Team Black Sheep and Gemfan.

Small Playground

My favorite for this is the 2.5” size. When on 4S with a target weight
of 80-100grams dry weight you have enough speed to have fun but
still a fairly light craft. This is best for an empty playground to play
around.

If populated whoop class is best, because of the 25-35gram weight

and the ducted guards that protect if an impact is made. My favorite
in this size is the Gemfan 2.5” 2540 Flash series prop. Many also
prefer the very attractive HQ.

Large playground

Or small eld, parking lot – 3” – There are 2 main types of 3” props,

the traditional size prop nut where the Gemfan 3052 Flash prop is
king. Or the T style Mounting prop, where the HQ 3” T style prop is
an excellent choice.

Gemfan recently released a Wind dancer version that come with a

set of adapters that allow you to run both regular size props or T
style mounting props to accommodate a wide range of motors.

Racing

For racing, the 5” prop is the standard. You can play with the pitch
and pairing of your motor to nd the right mix for you.

Freestyle

Like racing the 5” is the standard, but often di erent pitches can be
popular for additional response preferred over top end speed.

Long Range

This is where you get to 6” and 7” props. These will pull more power,
but long range experts have found that pairing with a large battery
and the proper mid KV can allow you to achieve impressively long
ight times.

For 6", HQ 6x4 and Dal 6x4 are some preferred options. Note that in
6” ( Dal y smooth but do not have the same durability as the 5”
options).
For 7" HQ 7x3.5 y well at high throttle ranges, but for a good all
around option the Dal 7x.56 are regarded as the best.

Long range community has let me know that one thing to look for
when you go 7” or larger, is that you want thicker blades.

Wings

For wings, while many do run Quadcopter props, APC makes a range
of purpose built props speci cally for wings. These involve a lot of
variation based on your needs, size of wing, weight, specs and
purpose. So before you dive in, consult your local Wing Commander
for more advice.

WHEN SHOULD YOU CHANGE YOUR PROPS?

If you crash and a prop is bent, often times you can bend it back and
it will y ne. Some prop models will bend back to original shape
and stay there and will y ne. Some may keep a crease where the
bend was.

Creases, cuts, nicks, or chunks missing will all cause poor ight
performance. The newest beta ight software with dynamic lters
can lter much of this out, but keep in mind you may be putting
additional stress on your electronics in these scenarios.

If you are absolutely low on props you can keep ying but always
check your motor temperatures when landing to make sure that
bad prop is not warm.
The last thing you want to do is risk burning a pricey motor or
electronic speed controller over a fairly inexpensive prop. Rule of
thumb? When in doubt? Change it out. Keep in mind, that newer
props y better, smoother and many times faster. And when you are
learning you do not want your muscle memory to build up on bad
props, so keep those in mind and change them at your discretion.

If I am doing light free style, a set of props can last a long while. But if
I am racing, I may change props 2-5 times in a single day to make
sure I am getting maximum performance, and when doing hard
throttle, on a bend or banged up prop is when you are the most in
danger of putting electronics at risk.

How many sets should you keep in your personal stache? Nothing
can keep you grounded faster than not having a few $2-3 sets of
props. So when the sales hit, stock up, buy big and take advantage
of the prop discounts at the large retailers like www.piro ip.com and
www.rdq.com.

CONCLUSION

It’s a good idea for every FPV pilot to both select a favorite
quadcopter props and stock up, but also try new o erings always
searching for more control, more speed, more durability and a
better cost. To have a prop that allows you to y to your full
potential is a constant quest to become better at FPV.

I personally take advantage of the prop bulk pricing discounts and

usually order 20 40 sets at a time and keep a large stock This allows
usually order 20-40 sets at a time and keep a large stock. This allows

the best bang for the buck, and allows you enough stock that you
can combine these bulk discounts with seasonal sales and stock up
for the lowest price possible.

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