Carbon fiber propellers for durability?

[RockerKevin]

I just crashed my P4P for the first time because a propeller broke mid flight.
Should I just throw away and replace the set once a month in the future?
Are carbon fiber propellers better for durability?
I want to try to avoid this in the future. It happened about 50 feet away, about 15 feet above a school roof. It could've been a LOT worse!

 

[N017RW]

CF is cool looking and very beneficial for many applications. But Phantom props is not one of them.

My longevity record thus far is on my P2. Props 3yrs old in mid-May '17.

Any issues or trauma in the broken prop's past?

 

[PunaPhantom]

I fly carbon (composite) props on my 3's have had the same props on them for over a year now. On my P4P I use the standard DJI quick release props... if they were to make a carbon I would use it... don't notice any difference in flight performance... just like the aesthetic of the black props with the yellow stripe.

 

[tml4191]

Did you hit something, or did the props just break mid-flight?

 

[RockerKevin]

It just broke mid flight, after flying for about 45 minutes and on the second battery. I retrieved it from the white rubber roof of the school and there was nothing around. No dead bird or anything. It was strange.

 

[tml4191]

It just broke mid flight, after flying for about 45 minutes and on the second battery. I retrieved it from the white rubber roof of the school and there was nothing around. No dead bird or anything. It was strange.

Ask Dji for a replacement. They might cover faulty props. The stock props are usually the best option since they're the lightest and most tested, but I don't even think they even make DJI carbon fiber props yet. Third party props may also be risky.

 

[With The Birds]

Can you post a pic of the broken prop?

 

[RockerKevin]

Ask Dji for a replacement. They might cover faulty props. The stock props are usually the best option since they're the lightest and most tested, but I don't even think they even make DJI carbon fiber props yet. Third party props may also be risky.

They were some blue props that came with the extras package.

 

[RockerKevin]

Can you post a pic of the broken prop?

 

[RockerKevin]

Ask Dji for a replacement. They might cover faulty props. The stock props are usually the best option since they're the lightest and most tested, but I don't even think they even make DJI carbon fiber props yet. Third party props may also be risky.

 

[N017RW]

Jet.com (maybe others too) offers colored props.
They're not OEM thus sub-standard and cannot be trusted.
Looks like that's what you have.

 

[RockerKevin]

Yep. Lesson learned.

 

[Erised]

I still fly my P4 props, OEM one year and over 4,000,000 feet and they still look and work like new. It is difficult even to see the very very little wear on the mounts and on the clips.

 

[BigAl07]

I've got literally hundreds of flights on the factory DJI props.

Keep in mind if you add CF props (which can be tougher in some instances but are also brittle) you might be migrating energy from a mild impact deeper into the airframe.

 

[RockerKevin]

It occurred to me that maybe the drone somehow failed and that the prop broke after it crashed. Is there someone that can look at my flight data to trouble shoot this angle?
Airdata UAV - Flight Data Analysis for Drones

 

[Mike2A]

Feel for you guy...I once looked at non-OEM props, but the problem with carbon fiber and some other props of unknown quality is the potential for stress weakness being present or developing at critical points such as shown in your photo. These weaknesses can exist as micro fractures that are really hard to see until they fail. Best advice, use OEM props, inspect props thoroughly before every flight and if a OEM prop fails in flight, at least you have a case to push to DJI; I doubt they will cover anything related to aftermarket props.

 

[AyeYo]

Never buy aftermarket props. I think that's the moral of the story. The OEM props will last the life of the aircraft if you don't crash.

 

[impurenergy]

Some very interesting materials here about the pros and cons of Carbon vs Plastic. Helped me a lot to choose what was correct for me. I am one of the few who loves well crafted Carbon fiber props. Most of the people who are against them haven't tried them. They also dont source any actual data....

Carbon Fibre Props or Plastic?

 

[With The Birds]

Some very interesting materials here about the pros and cons of Carbon vs Plastic. Helped me a lot to choose what was correct for me. I am one of the few who loves well crafted Carbon fiber props. Most of the people who are against them haven't tried them. They also dont source any actual data....

Carbon Fibre Props or Plastic?

Those who are most against them (for the phantom AC’s) are likely the large number of people who have had a crashed AC while flying them. If you want to talk about benefits of true CF props on something like a 3D RC heli its a different story. The faux CF rubbish props produced for the phantom AC’s don’t cut it.