Ultimate FPV Shopping Guide
I am constantly updating this list with products that I suggest you get in addition to the products that I have in store. I will not have them in store because there are already plenty of shops either in Switzerland with fast shipping or abroad for lower prices I can't compete with. Thus, PremiAir FPV is not offering them because I as a small FPV drone shop in Switzerland cannot compete on those products with the big retailers.
Disclaimer: Some product links refer to my Swiss competitors. They are also doing a great job so consider buying from them to support a local business. Other links are affiliate links, e.g. to Banggood.com. If you click on them and make a purchase, I get a small commission without costing you anything. This encourages me to continue updating this list and keeping this online store alive.
1. Essentials
Besides a drone, goggles and a remote, you will also need additional FPV gear. Under this essentials title, I only list products that you absolutely need for flying FPV. You may opt for another product, but you will need products of a similar kind.
1.1 Charger: The ultimate Hota D6 Pro
This is likely the best and most used charger for FPV on the market right now. It allows you to charge up to two batteries simultaneously. It also has a solid discharge rate (a mostly overlooked spec) to be able to put your lipo batteries to storage voltage at a reasonable speed should you need to because the weather was so bad you were not able to fly.
Buy it here:
1.2 Battery Checker: ISDT BC-8S
This is not the cheapest battery checker but it surely one of the best. You may find cheaper alternatives like this simple lipo battery checker that I am using for years already and continue to use.
Buy it here:
1.3 Soldering Iron
Even if you purchase PremiAir FPV's bind-and-fly (BNF) drones, you will crash. Eventually, a motor rips apart or an ESC burns out. This is when you will absolutely need a soldering iron. There are two options you should consider, one for at home and maybe a second portable one for your travels.
I started off with a cheap one. Don't make the same mistake as I did. I was never able to solder the battery leads and burned my ESC because I just heated everything up but the iron was not powerful enough to maintain the temperature at which the solder melts. So don't buy a 40W iron but rather one with at least 60-70W. Buying a soldering iron with too little power makes your skills look worse than they actually are, so get a proper one.
Weller Erem WE 1010 Soldering Set
I currently have the Weller Erem soldering iron with 70W. Finally, I am able to solder the XT60 battery connectors and leads. The iron is broadly available and the soldering tips are cheap. Eventually, you will have to replace them. You can get a whole set of soldering tips here at Conrad.ch or get the one that I mainly use, the Weller ET B tip with a 2,4 mm head form ELV.
Buy it here:
- Digitec.ch
- Brack.ch
- ELV
- You can also check for prices for the WE-1010 on Toppreise
TS100 Portable Soldering Iron
If you are really into the hobby, then you want to be able to take your drones on trips and vacations. And also on vacation, you will crash eventually. This is when a good travel soldering iron comes in handy. The TS100 is likely to mostly used soldering iron in the FPV community. The replacement soldering tips are cheap and widely available. This makes it my portable soldering iron of choice, although there is a newer and cheaper alternative available, the Pine64 Pinecil but it can only take up to 5S batteries as input and most FPV pilots these days fly 6S. Also, the Pinecil is very difficult to get hold of and shipped to Switzerland.
Buy the TS100 here:
- Buy TS100 Digital Portable Soldering Iron on PremiAir FPV
Solder
You will also need solder. I recommend solder with 63% tin and 37% lead with about 2% flux and a 0.8mm diameter like this 63/37 solder from TBS. If you also use flux in addition to the fluxed solder, it makes your soldering skills look much more professional.
If you are an FPV pilot and need to solder, you absolutely must watch this soldering tutorial. It helped me a lot to get my first good results.
1.4 Landing Pad: Caruba small 55cm
I know, a landing pad looks a geeky. But starting in tall grass is simply impossible sometimes. Thus, it is important to keep a small landing pad in your FPV backpack. You don't need a big one. A 55cm one is sufficient even for our large 7.5inch Chimera7 Pro.
Buy it here:
- I opted for this inexpensive small Caruba landing pad from Digitec.ch. It is sturdy enough but relatively small when collapsed.
2. For Advanced Pilots
Now that you have acquired some basic flying skills you will need further equipment to enjoy flying FPV. In this section, I list products that will make your hobby much more enjoyable.
2.1 Parallel Charging Board: STRIX Ultimate Joshua Bardwell Parallel Charging Board 2-6S (JB)
If you own a Hota D6 Pro, you are able to charge two batteries simultaneously. By now, you may have realised that two batteries per quad are not going to cut it. You likely have much more LiPos than that. You may either purchase another charger or one that allows you to charge 4 batteries at a time. If you go that route, you will still have to unplug and swap the batteries all the time. This is were a parallel charging board like the STRIX Ultimate Joshua Bardwell Parallel Charging Board 2-6S (JB) comes in handy. This is not an affiliate link and I will not benefit from you purchasing this board but I think this is a very good product and I own two of them. If you do charge your LiPos in parallel, you need to know what you are doing because it can be dangerous if you do it wrong. I recommend you watching this video on how to safely parallel charge your batteries.
Buy it here: