We get to grips with the Cheerson CX10, a $16 quad-copter than fits easily in the palm of your hand!
Quad-copter popularity is spinning out of control! There are now more flying hobby drones than ever with models to suit every flyer and budget. The Cheerson CX10 is a fun little drone for flying around in your home and it won’t break the bank either!
Cheerson is one of the better known Chinese manufacturer of hobby quads, and the CX10 is actually the same mini drone as the SKEYE Nano Drone, but costs %50 less!
Currently on sale for just $15.99 (normal price $18.99), the CX10 is a great entry to the world of quadcopter flying, and thanks to the record-breaking tiny size of the drone you can safely fly it in your living room without having to worry about crashing.
Cheerson CX10 Review
My CX10 arrived today in the mail, I had actually forgotten it was coming and was puzzled with the tiny package presented to me at the post office. Upon opening the box the metallic gold colour brought my memory flooding back, I had actually ordered the CX10 before Christmas and wanted to use it as a flying Christmas Tree decoration (I’m being serious), but I suppose I’ll have to wait until next year now.
In the box with the minute quad-copter is a small 4 channel 2.4G controller, a USB cable for charging and a set of 4 spare blades incase you damage those on the quad.
Remember to pick up a couple of batteries for the controller as the 2 x AAA required are not included. I did my usual trick of taking them from the TV remote for a quick play around.
Charging the Cheerson CX10 can be performed either through the USB of your computer or via a USB wall charger (you can use the one that came with your phone). I have only tried charging through my USB port and the LED light indicating the drone is fully charged goes out in around 15 minutes.
Before attempting to fly the CX10 here is a little advice. First double-check the base of the blades are not binding on the body, as the little motors can sometimes struggle if there is excessive friction causing a crash (also check this if you do manage to crash, chances are you will). Turn on the controller first then the drone and make sure you have plenty of space to manoeuvre.
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If the CX10 sees the controller the 4 LEDs (2 x blue and 2 x red) will flash on the drone and it will also beep. Push up on the throttle (the right stick on my model) will produce another beep and then you are ready to fly, and crash many many times.
For the size of the thing, 40 x 40 x 22mm the Cheerson CX10 is surprisingly powerful. The little motors whirl at a terrific rate and it sounds quite aggressive and powerful, in a small and cute way.
If this is your first time flying a quad-copter then you will probably find controlling the CX10 a little tricky to begin with, but with surprisingly accurate controls, trim adjustment and built-in 6 axis gyro and 4 channel control you will soon get the swing of things.
Since this little quad arrived we have been charging and flying it around home all evening, and after around the 5th charge I’m getting the hang of it, if the battery could last longer than 5 minutes I’m sure it wouldn’t have taken quite so long to master.
Cheerson CX10 Flight Video
Cheerson CX10 Review Conclusion
I’m pretty impressed with the Cheerson CX10, I didn’t have any sort of expectation when it arrived, and I’ve found the mini quad to be well made, manoeuvrable and durable. Apparently this little drone is also capable of flips and other stunts, but I’ll leave those until I get more comfortable.
It’s great fun around the house and once you get use to it you could set up obstacle courses and challenge friends to fly around it. Once you do get a little more comfortable with the CX10 do be careful of the fast spinning blades, without guards they can give a nasty nip if you get to close to them.
The Cheerson CX10 is certainly a great little top for beginners, Children (but keep them away from the blades) or even a seasoned quad-copter pilot. Great fun, small size and very affordable too.
I ordered my Cheerson CX10 from Banggood for $15.99, they also offer a range of other hobby and professional quad-copter to suit all levels of experience.