Does anybody know if prop guards plays a role in either causing or preventing the Notorious stress fractures
Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots mobile app
I agree with you about stress cracks, as do most (all?) of the forum staff.After reading lots of threads and opinions and also after fixing a few cracked shells myself (for friends, mine never cracked and my oldest P3 has almost 400 flights and even a few nicks on the tips from rough landings but no cracks), my opinion is that it makes no difference at all. Won't prevent nor cause cracks, because I have a firm belief that it's related to the plastic mix and/or curing process, thus a QC related issue. It's a lottery indeed, but I suspect only a small part of P3s suffer cracks.
...
What I hear most about prop guards are that they change aerodynamics too much, and people seem to often find a way to use the wrong sized screws when installing them and damage their motors.
My Phantom 3 Pro was one of the first to be delivered in the UK, and I immediately fitted a set of Bestem Aerial removable prop guards before ever flying. I thought they would help in avoiding stress cracks, but after 11 months cracks were visible around two of the motors. DJI replaced the shell under warranty, and I have subsequently fitted these:
Extended Guard Mounting Base for DJI Phantom 3 (All models)
Bestem claim that these extended mounting bases will help prevent stress cracks, but only time will tell.