Beast x vs ikon, slalom and brain

[faisalmalik]

Hi everyone. I m novice and using beast x as my first fbl on my Trex 700. I also have to build my other 700 for which I m stuck in subjected fbl systems. I also liked the easy setup of beastx and want the same sort of easy setup in my other system. At the same time I wanna try some other out of the mentioned above . Kindly help in deciding
Thanks

[alexd1]

I have both. Still fly beastx on one of my 450's. The ikon is easier to setup in my opinion but you need a computer at the field for tuning. I have a 700 with ikon and 2 identical 450's one with ikon and the other beastx and to me the ikon feels better

[ragge1]

no need for computer if you got android phone here is a nice app and work very well
App

I've tried both and I too like the ikon better and the ikon governor is perfect
you kan check out the vortex vx1e is cheaper and very nice , I'm liking mine

[sutty]

I wish I could help you decide with the ones listed, but I can't because I don't own them. I can compare one other controller though, and if you haven't already, take a look at the Spartan VX1e. The MicroBeast was my first FBL controller, and I had it on all my helis for several years, and it performs very well, but when I put a Spartan VX1 on my 550 I was absolutely delighted with the improvement. I was a very early adopter, using the standard VX1, with separate sensor, and datapod for tuning, but the VX1e is by all accounts just as good, and can be programmed without the datapod, using your computer via USB, and is at a very good price point at the moment.

As a very early adopter of the Spartan, I had some teething problems, some my own fault, lack of understanding, some not, but since then there is a video resource to aid with set-up, and the firmware has moved on to V3, which makes it fly extremely well with 'out of the box' settings. When I updated to V3, all I changed was my tail gain, by 3 or 4 points, and my rate of pirouette, which I need to be a little slower than the default value that was delivered with the BK settings that I'd chosen as a starting point.

Like I say, take a look, most people just report awesome performance, with little to no tuning required, and for those who don't there is normally terrific support in the forum that can be found here on helifreak, including frequent contributions direct from the developer himself, Angelos.

For now it lacks e-gov, and self level, which some other units have, but e-gov is in the pipeline, though a little late. Self level, not certain if that's in the pipeline, but it's been mentioned as perhaps being a consideration for the future. The MB doesn't have these things either, so no difference at the moment in this regard, making it still worth a look, especially if these things mean little to you, which is my feeling.

[faisalmalik]

Thanks to all members for the knowledgeable inputs. Like I said in my opening thread that being totally new to FBL and also new to RC, it's just the beastx which feels fine and easy to me at the moment. But at the same time, I wanted to try out a similar easy to use and yet firm fbl on my other 700 . Someone mentioned new beastx plus which comes with some improvements. Any comments please

[sutty]

As far as I know there are few improvements with the new units. It has new sensors, the old ones were discontinued by the manufacturer, and these new ones might improve it in some regard. Perhaps in terms of vibration tolerance, or even in terms of precision, but as of yet it has no new firmware to fully take advantage of this change. As a matter of interest, I think the new sensors are the same as the ones used in the new Spartan VX1e.

In the future I think it may well reveal significant improvements over the previous unit, but I doubt that it will be fully evident right now.

[faisalmalik]

So with all said I think I should go for ikon

[manphil]

The relative new Spirit Systems FBL unit is another option. Features are similar to the ikon. I am very happy with mine. Easy to set up, from only knowing BEASTX before. Rescue bailout is impressive.

[FailureToFly]

There are plenty of good FBL units though don't get into the trap of thinking the new talked up units are in fact 'better' flight wise than the BX.

They have more features like gov/SL etc and can be tuned via a PC but the BX is extremely reliable and flys great regardless of the sized heli flown.

It's simple and it works really well. I have had no tail issues on any BX heli (which now numbers 6 different birds - three 450's, two 550's, a 600 and a 700) which is a common thing thrown at BX.

[ManilaIce]

Originally Posted by manphil

The relative new Spirit Systems FBL unit is another option. Features are similar to the ikon. I am very happy with mine. Easy to set up, from only knowing BEASTX before. Rescue bailout is impressive.

Same here from beastx to spirit fbl. I like both and both are easy to set up. Dont let anyone fool you as far as which one is better. It is individual preference. Having said this, unless you are a pro in competition, you will probably not be able to tell any difference as beastx just flies awesome and stable.

[faisalmalik]

Thanks for the comforting comments. I'll be able to take a better decisions now

[gmiller0]

A lot of guys at my field run Ikon and swear by it... I personally have no experience with on as I run BeastX... All I have to say is that my BeastX flies solid and I have NO complaints... But I would like to try the ikon on a new bird

[gmiller0]

I'm keeping my BeastX on my 450x and 550x as they fly solid.... But I did just order an Ikon w/Bluetooth dongle for $187 off of Helidirect with their flash sale right now and am going to put it on a Goblin 380 I'm going to build... I flew my buddy's and it was on rails... Figured I would give it a go since I was needing another FBL unit anyway... I want to see what all the hype is about as most people swear by them.

[hilarious]

i would say a fbl unit should provide a governor function. it makes the flight more consistent and stable imo. because the hs is kept the same throughout the entire flight, it doesn't matter if you will push too far at the beginning or the end of the flight. just respect the battery limitations. fbl governors seem to work better than ESC ones as far as i could see.
rescue is an awesome feature and if i had to buy a new fbl system today it would be a must. it not only save you precious bucks in the future, but also increase your confidence to try maneuvers you wouldn't due to budget constraints (in case you crash...).
as to the performance, i'd probably never notice any difference among the many 1st class fbl units in the market today. besides, imo, most of the extraordinary improvements people "feel" when they change fbl systems are pure and simple auto-suggestion and placebo effect. i say that because i fly v-bar and mbx, and, to my style and level, i can't (really) see a difference. what i do agree, though, is that some fbl units are "faster" to set up than some others and it sometimes is confused as being superior in performance.