by 283 reviews.
Sky Viper Journey GPS Drone White/Black: A Comprehensive Review
The Sky Viper Journey GPS Drone is a feature-packed drone designed for both beginners and hobbyists. With professional-grade firmware, GPS functionality, and an adjustable wide-angle camera, this drone promises an autonomous flight experience that rivals more expensive models. Priced at around $90, it’s an attractive option for those looking to dip their toes into the world of drones without breaking the bank. But does it live up to the hype? Let’s dive into the pros and cons based on real customer experiences.
Pros and Cons: What Customers Are Saying
1. Flight Stability and GPS Features
One of the standout features of the Sky Viper Journey is its GPS functionality, which includes Position Hold, Return to Home, and Fly Away Prevention. These features are a game-changer for beginners, as they provide a safety net during flight.
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Pros
- Return to Home
One customer shared a hilarious yet impressive story about how the drone returned to its launch point after getting lost over an apartment building. This feature saved their drone from potential disaster. - Position Hold
Many users praised the drone’s ability to hover steadily without drifting, even in light wind conditions. - Fly Away Prevention
The drone automatically returns home if it loses signal or the battery runs low, giving users peace of mind.
- Return to Home
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Cons
- Some users reported that the drone doesn’t always hold position as advertised, drifting in random directions when left unattended.
- A few customers mentioned that the wind resistance is low, making it less suitable for windy conditions.
2. Camera Quality and Recording
The Sky Viper Journey comes equipped with a 100-degree adjustable wide-angle camera capable of recording 720p video at 30 FPS. While it’s not 4K, the camera quality is decent for the price.
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Pros
- Customers were impressed with the video and photo quality, especially for a drone in this price range.
- The ability to stream live video and record directly to a Micro SD card (sold separately) was a big plus for many users.
- Nighttime footage was described as “awesome”, with the drone’s LED lights adding a cool visual effect.
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Cons
- Some users found the camera connectivity to be inconsistent, with occasional lag or disconnection issues.
- A few customers were disappointed that the camera gimbal doesn’t adjust in flight, limiting the ability to change the camera angle mid-air.
3. Durability and Build Quality
The drone is marketed as lightweight yet durable, making it suitable for beginners. However, customer experiences with durability were mixed.
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Pros
- Many users appreciated the solid build and the fact that it comes with extra blade guards and screws for repairs.
- One customer mentioned that the drone survived a tree collision and was still functional after being retrieved.
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Cons
- Several users reported that the drone feels fragile and requires frequent repairs, even after minor crashes.
- One customer complained about receiving a defective unit with a non-functional propeller, which couldn’t be replaced or refunded.
4. Ease of Use and Learning Curve
The Sky Viper Journey is designed with beginners in mind, featuring Auto-Pilot and simple controls. However, some users found it challenging to master.
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Pros
- Beginners praised the Auto-Pilot feature, which handles the basics of flight, allowing users to focus on enjoying the experience.
- The instruction manual was described as clear and helpful, making setup and operation straightforward.
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Cons
- Some users struggled with orientation, especially when the drone was far away and they couldn’t tell which direction it was facing.
- A few customers reported control malfunctions, including unresponsive steering and sudden crashes.
Conclusion: Is the Sky Viper Journey Worth It?
The Sky Viper Journey GPS Drone is a mixed bag. On one hand, it offers impressive features like GPS functionality, a decent camera, and beginner-friendly controls—all at an affordable price. On the other hand, it has some notable drawbacks, including inconsistent camera connectivity, low wind resistance, and occasional durability issues.
Final Verdict
- For Beginners
This drone is a great entry-level option, especially if you’re looking to learn the basics of drone flying without spending a fortune. The GPS features provide a safety net, and the camera quality is decent for casual use. - For Enthusiasts
If you’re looking for a more advanced drone with better wind resistance and camera capabilities, you might want to consider upgrading to a higher-end model.
Overall, the Sky Viper Journey is a solid choice for its price range, but it’s not without its flaws. If you’re willing to overlook some minor issues, it’s a fun and reliable drone that won’t disappoint.
Specification Sky Viper Journey GPS Drone White/Black:
Comments from Amazon:
The package arrived and all the parts were loose in package. When I finally had time to try my new drone, one propeller wouldn't work. I knew it wouldn't be perfect being a reduced item but I thought I'd at least be able to fly it. I could have burned the money I spent for more enjoyment. TERRIBLE transaction and can't get a replacement or refund. Will Amazon make this right?
This drone is perfect for beginners. Buy the camera does not have the best conectivity
This is a good drone especially when you're practicing flying. Had 29 flights including test flights before I retired him and switched to DJI. The problem is the range of control is somewhat short and wind resistance is low. But he is a good drone nonetheless and helped me practice my flying skills and paved the way to a more sophisticated drone.
It works pretty well. My son has a Sky Viper Drone and this is for my daughter who is younger. It took a bit for her to get used to the controls, but now does a great job flying it. It does seem more fragile than other drones we have had. We have had to replace a couple of parts (spares were included) after just a few uses.
do not buy this product, it crashes its self, doesn’t hold position and can not gamble camera in flight. For starters this drone crashes after taking off, i took it off repeatedly but it crashed itself every time (note i was holding the correct joystick up the entire time!). Second this drone does not hold position like advertised, it flys off in random directions when i dont control it. Thirdly the gimble does not work in flight, while on the ground you can freely move the camera down and up but once in the air the drone can not change the angle of the camera’s view! These compelling reasons will hopefully advise you in your purchase.
Zero star….I purchased this drone for my child, expecting it to bring joy and fun. Unfortunately, the remote control malfunctioned while the drone was in the air. The steering functionality stopped working entirely, and I was unable to change the direction of the drone. This led to it getting stuck in a tree, which caused a lot of distress for my child. Adding to the frustration, I contacted the manufacturer immediately and opened a ticket. They acknowledged receipt of the ticket, but never followed up with a response. This level of customer service is unacceptable and not how a company should conduct business. I am extremely disappointed with both the product and the customer service. I urge the company to address these issues promptly and take better care of their customers. Thank you.
I can't say enough about this drone. For 90 dollars, this thing is awesome. The fact that it has GPS guidance on it and firmware/software that the drone uses speaks volumes for it. My first time flying it (and I am a little new to drones) and it was a bit windy out and the drone wandered away from me out over the roof of my apartment building, it's only 1 story building so no big deal. I was trying to control it, but it just wouldn't come back toward me, so it went over the building and dropped down out of view, so I had to run around to the other side of the building to try and retrieve it, thinking it set down once it lost the signal from the controller. When I get over the the other side, the drone is no where to be found, and there was woods and a swamp nearby. I thought "OH Crap, I just lost my 100 dollar drone that I am flying for the first time. Well I went around the other side of the building back to where I was flying it from and wouldn't you know what was sitting there parked in the middle of my parking lot, right where it originally took off from, but my awesome freakin drone LOL. I couldn't believe it. I knew it had a feature on it that is supposed to not let you lose it, but I wasn't sure how it worked. There is also a "return to home" button on it but I didn't try that because I figured the drone had touched down on the other side of the apartment. Needless to say, I was super impressed with that feature and very grateful I didn't lose my brand new toy LOL. The camera on it is fantastic, the video it takes and the pictures come out VERY well for being 720P. I tried the return to home button feature on it a few times and that worked really good also. This is absolutely and incredible drone I think for the price. It is built solid and has a little weight to it so it is better in wind then the little palm sized drones. Then I had another close call fiasco with it that same night. I decided to take it out at night so I could enjoy the lights on it and get some really cool night video with it as I live in an apartment complex so there is alot of stuff around to see. The night video was awesome to say the least, I took it up to about 75 feet and just let it hover then just did a complete slow pan of the whole area to get a bird' eye view of everything, that was awesome to say the least. The one thing that is a little tricky for me being newer to drones but not to RC stuff is knowing which direction the drone is pointing when it is further away from me and I can't tell exactly which way I need to turn it to get it to come back to me quickly. That being said, I was flying near a tree and tried to turn away from it before I got near it and sure enough, I flew her into the tree and it was stuck about 30 feet up in the tree on the end of the branches. So there it was stuck in the tree, leds flashing as I had to turn the remote off to kill the motors. I figured great, now I have to call the apartment maintainence guys tomorrow and see if they have a long rod or something to get it out with. But in the mean time I came back to my apartment to try and think of anything else I could do and BINGO, I remembered I have my heavy frisbee that I haven't used in forever. So I took that out there and kept chucking it up at the drone and just missing it about a billion times, but finally, I hit the branch dead on and the drone floated right down into my hands, boy was I relieved, LOL. If you are evenly remotely thinking about spending just a few more bucks for a better drone then the 20-30 dollar palm size drones, this is the baby you want to get, it just has so many valuable features for less than 100 bucks, you can't beat it. I am super excited about this and have fallen in love with it, thanks for reading my review and I hope y'all got some chuckles out of it. BUY THIS DRONE FOR SURE!!!