Holy Stone HS170 Drone – Rugged mini drone without camera
The Holy Stone HS170 mini quadcopter is an excellent drone for children or all beginners from 14 years old. Thanks to a 6-axis gyroscope, the drone is stable in the air and can be easily controlled even by beginners in this hobby.
With a fully charged battery, the HS170 from Holy Stone comes to a total flight time of about 6 to 8 minutes and can be moved within a radius of about 33 to 55 yards (30 to 50 meters) around the pilot. The model is robust and thanks to good workmanship survives even the one or other crash undamaged.
What the Holy Stone HS170 can do
In addition to the built-in 6-axis gyro, the available Headless mode also contributes to the easy handling of the mini drone. If you activate this mode, you no longer have to pay attention to the orientation of the drone in space. Normally, you always have to keep an eye on whether the front or the rear of the copter is facing you when you want to give a control command to the left or right. In Headless mode, you don’t have to worry about the drone’s position – the HS170 drone always flies in the desired direction, no matter how it is currently oriented in space.
Another feature of the mini drone is the flip function. At the push of a button, the Holy Stone HS170 performs a 360° loop and returns to the starting position. The drone’s integrated LED lights are also very practical, with the help of which you can always tell the front and back of the copter apart.
The Holy Stone HS170 also has a button for the Return-to-Home function. At the push of a button, the small copter automatically returns to its starting position.
Features and flight characteristics of the HS170
In addition to the small drone, the scope of delivery includes a 2.4 GHz remote control, 1 set of replacement propellers, a 350 mAh LiPo including USB charging cable and an instruction manual as well as a small screwdriver. To operate the remote control, you still need to buy 6 AA batteries, as they are not included.
To charge the HS170, the battery does not need to be removed. Simply connect the included USB charging cable to the drone. A full charge of the LiPo takes about 1 hour. Therefore, we recommend that you purchase one or more spare batteries to extend the flight time.
The Holy Stone HS170 has a diameter of about 13 cm and weighs only about 50 g. Even though very light drones are usually rather susceptible to wind, this model can be maneuvered very well both indoors and outdoors due to the installed 6-axis gyro. In order for children to get to grips with the Holy Stone HS170 straight away, three different modes are available for adjusting the responsiveness or speed. This way, you can slowly familiarize yourself with the handling of the drone and playfully learn how to handle it safely.
Alternatives with integrated camera
If you don’t want to do without a camera for your first drone, you should also take a look at the other models from the manufacturer. The Holy Stone HS160 offers an integrated 720p camera and is easy to store thanks to its folding design. The Holy Stone HS100 is even more professional and has an even larger range of functions to convince beginners as well as advanced users.
Conclusion
All in all, the Holy Stone HS170 is an excellent beginner drone. Adjustable speed, Return to home function and headless mode in conjunction with the first-class 6-axis gyro ensure stable flight characteristics and easy handling, even for children. The small quadcopter can be used both in the living room and outdoors, and thanks to its robustness it can survive many a small crash. The Holy Stone HS170 is perfect for getting started with drone flying and is an affordable alternative before you want to buy a higher quality camera drone.