Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Outdoors
  3. Deal Evergreens

Best cheap drone deals for October 2022

By

The best cheap drone deals continues to drop in price as the markets soar for hobbyists and for action video drones. As drones continue to, um, fly off the shelves, feature-creep works to your benefit. Many features that were available only in drones with multi-thousand-dollar price tags just a few years ago, are now common in more affordable drone models — usually for less than $300. The vast selection of drones with different feature sets can be confusing, but we’ve done the field work to find the best cheap drone deals available today. We’ll continue to update this post as feature lists climb and prices drop.

Today’s Best Cheap Drone Deals

How to Choose a Drone

The entry threshold to the drone hobby and sport is low. You don’t need a license to operate a drone — although you must register the craft with the FAA. As you likely already know, there’s a wide range of  differences among the hundreds of drone models on the market. If you get the fever and continue to advance and improve your drone pilot skills, odds are you’ll want to upgrade. You may also want to trade up when drones with new features hit the market. Whether you’re a novice or seasoned expert, however, there are a few major factors to consider as you choose your next drone.

  • Purpose and Experience: If you’re buying your first drone, keep it simple. Just as you wouldn’t buy a Formula One race car for a daily driver, it’s not a great idea to buy a high-performance, high-cost first drone. Start with a low-cost drone designed for beginners to help you learn and to avoid wallet pain if you crash it or lose it. Once you get the hang of drone piloting, you’ll feel more confident spending the money for a drone with greater speed, range, and video capabilities.
  • Photo and Video Capabilities: Image and video capture are a primary enjoyment factor for many drone pilots. Drone video cameras generally start 720p resolution and can go as high as 4K. Video refresh rate is important, and anything slower than 60 frames per second (fps) could look a bit choppy for some viewers. For general use,  a higher refresh (up to 60 fps) is more important than higher resolution. HD resolution, or 1080p, is sufficient for most amateur purposes.
  • Speed and Range: You will find that there are trade-offs between battery run time, drone operating distance capability, and drone speed. If you want a drone to follow you while you jog, hike, or ride a bike, for example, range and speed aren’t as important as operating time.
  • Extra Features: Yesterday’s hot drone features are now often commonplace, especially with midrange-priced models. GPS Follow Me mode, Auto Return Home, and multiple flying modes are increasingly available at most price levels. Image stabilization and obstacle avoidance capabilities are more than checkbox features, because performance for both can vary significantly between drone brands and models.
  • Cost: Even though drone prices have dropped significantly, price is still usually a fair indicator of relative performance, features, and quality. Drones that cost less than $100 are usually all that a beginner needs and models that sell for over $1,000 are most appropriate for expert or even commercial use. The sweet spot between $150 to $600 or $700 (with prices dropping) is where most casual or club drone pilots should find all or more than they need. The values are particularly astounding between $150 to $300.
Bruce Brown
Bruce Brown
Former Contributing Editor
Bruce Brown Contributing Editor   As a Contributing Editor to the Auto teams at Digital Trends and TheManual.com, Bruce… Read Full Bio
Topics
Outdoors
Arc’teryx x BEAMS: The blend of Alpine tech and Tokyo style
Arc'teryx x Beams

The new Arc’teryx x BEAMS collection celebrates the brands’ 25-year collaboration and the blending of technical function with street-savvy style. The line highlights a re-creation of the 1998 Arc’teryx Theta hardshell, a Gamma softshell jacket, and Jogen bouldering pants. All come in the signature Kōyō color palette, modeled after Japan’s autumn leaves. 

I wore the Gamma Jacket and Jogen pants during the fall changeover in Virginia’s picturesque Shenandoah Valley, testing for warmth, wind resistance, and style. Here’s my take.

Read more
Outdoors
More than a name: Meet Eddie Bauer, the true-life explorer behind your outdoor brand
Clothing, Hat, Face

From the time I was a little man, I excitedly tugged at the shirt tails of my father and grandfather every time they left the house to do anything relatively outdoorsy. They would leave the house hauling gun cases, fishing poles, camping gear, hiking packs. The men of my life loved everything adventurous, and they would do it every chance they could. When I was big enough, I would be allowed to come with them. I got my own boots. I procured my own active wear that could resist the weather. I opened my own parka for Christmas. Not only was I now in the same boat with them, in the same tent with them, and in the same deer stand with them. I also wore the same brand as them. Eddie Bauer was their go-to, and it had become my go-to.

But what was it about that brand? What was it about the man behind the brand that became the man’s best friend in the wilderness? Well, here is what you need to know about the guy who ditched the work world to open an outdoor brand simply so he could go outdoors all the time. And made it possible for my grandfather, my father, and then me.

Read more
Outdoors
Plug In, Ride Out: KTM’s Freeride E Gets Sharper for 2027
2027 KTM Freeride E

Austrian motorcycle company KTM’s dirt bikes have a reputation for ripping horsepower and world-title-winning performance. Across the world’s motocross tracks and enduro courses, the brand’s orange bikes win titles and provide the thrill of riding off-road. But for the most part, those bikes use 2-stroke and 4-stroke combustion engines. 

Now, looking toward the future, the organization’s latest electric off-roader, the 2027 Freeride E, optimizes power, handling, and range, with a variety of improvements over prior versions. Here’s the rundown on the bike’s improved specs.

Read more