CopterX vs Align - Lessons Learned

[Sizz]

I've had my CopterX 250 for about six months now. It is my first and only heli and I have learned a lot. This is intended for people that are looking into purchasing a 250 clone.

Before making the purchase I did my research across multiple forums. There were two groups of opinions regarding clones: the doubters who said clones were not worth it (you get what you pay for) and fans who liked their copterx and said it flew just as well as their align. I was on the fence for a week and finally decided to try the copterx. It happened to be on sale for $29 each so I bought two. I enjoy tinkering almost as much as flying so I tend to fly outside of my skill level, almost hoping to crash. Luckily, I live 2 minutes from a HobbyTown which stocks Align parts so I've been able to compare quality on nearly every part. Here are my findings:

1. CopterX is 99% compatible with align parts. The only thing that hasn't been directly compatible was the tail gear mount. The align part did not quite line up with the CopterX frame holes. Easy fix though.

2. CopterX has decent parts for the money. I ordered two kits and both were consistent to each other. The carbon fiber body is probably the best made item in the kit. The one piece bottom plate/landing gear was the worst. Break a landing gear (which is easy to do since it's not thick plastic) and you have to remove the entire bottom plate.

3. Lower grade metal. CopterX aluminum is lighter and weaker than the align aluminum. The CopterX parts are also machined rough. Lots of texture to provide a starting point for shearing. I had a blade grip snap in half in a hard landing. The main & feathering shafts are also softer than the align shafts.

4. CopterX bearings are terrible. Maybe I got a bad batch but between the two kits, I still had to settle with less than perfect bearings. Some were so notchy I could barely turn them by hand. I did try to clean and repack the bad bearings with no luck. One of the swashplates was notchy right out of the box. The one way bearing worked well but only after very careful alignment of the main shaft bearings. Every Align bearing I've encountered is far superior than the CopterX bearings. Smooth as butter and no sign of degradation. Swashpate response is much more consistent with the Align version.

5. The electronics package is not worth it. The ESC worked fine but would tend to get fairly warm from just hovering. The servos are underpowered and twitchy. The gyro was terrible and would never hold even with upgraded servo & tail. Motor was good. You can get quality electronics for approximately the same price from hobbyking.


Over the past 6 months, I've replaced every single part except the carbon fiber parts & motor mount. The difference in quality and strength is significant. The CopterX kit is worth the cost initially, but you'll lose out in the long run if you ever crash or prefer nice bearings. The chance of breaking parts in a crash are much more likely with CopterX parts, especially the main and feathering shafts.

If you want the least expensive heli to get in the air, the CopterX is a good choice. But if you want quality, plan on upgrading everything or just buy the Align to start.


Current Setup:

CopterX 250SE Frame
Align SE parts
Microheli FBL Head
Microheli Tail
HiTec HS-5065MG servos on cyclic
JR DS290G Tail Servo
MicroBeast

[tony521]

Hey Siz, couldn't agree more, i did the same thing with my copterx250, yep; i converted it to a full 100 % trex 250se. spent a lot of time and money though, if i had known better to start, i would have got the trex kit, but now i am satisfied. got hs65mg's on cyclic, spartan quark gyro and hitec ds420 tail servo. just got the carbon fiber sport tail push rod, man this heli fies great.

[Ozz58]

Very nice post. Never went with a clone, after this post.....glad I never did.

But, I'm sure some have had good results.

Call me old, call me lazy, but I'm really liking getting everything I need in one kit, even if it means I need to get a better tail servo.

Craig

[Jeffster]

Maybe if you weren't so drunk and cocky you wouldn’t crash so much!

Seriously though. Good Post. Provides a lot of insight into the limitations of the CopterX Clones. The main reason Align comes at a premium is research and development. They’ve taken the time and money to do materials and durability testing while CopterX is looking to build the cheapest way possible… CopterX’s are great for the money though!

How’s the Phoenix treating you? How do you think it compares to real life?

P.S. I think you know who this is, haha. You down for some flying this week in the evening?

[IBremer]

That's right on the money!
True on everyt account, except my bearings seem to be fine...
I've also changed almost everything to Align, except the mainframe en bearing blocks.
But I kinda knew this would be neccesary from the beginning....
One thing I didn't hear from you is, how does she fly with all the upgrades??
I just finished putting a F3C fuselage on mine and can't wait to go out and try it!
Before the fuselage I had some tail wag that I got rid off after a few weeks of trail and error. further than that it flies like a 250 should, twitchy and fast!

[Sizz]

I actually prefer the path I took. While it's definitely less efficient money and time wise, I pretty much know the heli inside out and got a lot of time to tinker. Now that the heli is flying great I hope to get my flying skills going.

Lol J. I didn't realize you were on here! I do drink but haven't been drunk in a long time. Mild buzz at most, but it may have a little to do with the large number of crashes. I blame getting over-zealous with just hovering so why not try more? Where do you fly at night? I'm up for some flying this week. Still waiting for phoenix to get in, so real crashes in the mean time.

Going from the Copterx gyro to the microbeast was night and day. Although, the copterx gyro was so bad, any decent gyro would seem like a gift from the gods. I got the microheli tail nearly perfect mechanically with the DS290 servo and still could not get the tail to hold without a slight drift, even with tail wagging 92 gain. The gyro could not detect slow movements so I had to keep moving the tail servo up and down the boom, You should not have to get the tail pitch perfect for a gyro to work. The copterx tail had little slop and was sufficient, just needed a decent gyro. The microheli tail has even less slop if that precision is necessary. I'd recommend getting a mems-based gyro. You can order one from HK for under $20. Or bypass to the inevitable and get a microbeast or mini-v.

The Turnigy MG90 servos from HK worked great with the flybar head. I did the microbeast & Hitec 5065 upgrade at the same time so I can't say if the Hitec's are worth the cost. The fbl & microbeast is probably my most recommended upgrade. Much more precise and agile. The ability to select modes from 'newbie' to 'pro' allows one to grow into their heli without crashing so much.

[pinguin]

I couldn't agree more on the 250. But on 450 and larger, the quality is better.
I also have CX250 and change almost every single bit with Align.
Just recently I build Tarot 450 pro and I found the quality is good. Much better than CX250.

[Tomy.]

Hey Sizz, can you compare the MH and the CX aluminum parts? I never tried either I went with only Align from the get go and no regrets but only heard bad things about the MH metal quality but I see you replaced the CX head and tail with MH so you probably have some experience.

[shock]

I can relate, i've built 4 different 450 clones and all went together well and fly good. Tried a copterX 250 and it's been a headache ever since. EVERYTHING is just so small... and when you have really small parts you need high quality! I agree the frame is about the only thing that is high quality with the kit.

[pitchp]

The 250 is a PITA to build and setup, it doesn't matter if it's a clone or an align. I have many many many different kinds of 250s, IMO they all have something in common, They all hit the dirt the same way no matter what.

I crash




Then I rebuild

[ongbenghui]

and if you do got a clone, please replace the "feathering shaft" with align original.

There has been a number of reports that china made clone don't have that same amount of precision with original. And there is a few case when the "feathering shaft" snap or the screw thread got worn. Then, you ended up "shooting blade" which is very dangerous.

Similar apply to the tail rotor holder. dunno what is the name of the parts. But, agen, lack of precision on screw thread.

[Mikegigabyte]

copter x is fine flying with training gear all the time. if you already know how to fly helis, do your self a favor and dont get a clone.

I had one. I knew how to fly micros and started learning to fly a 400 size at same time.
First 3 flights belt stretched and luckily I was able to land before I lost the tail. Stripped 3 tail gear pulleys on first spoolup. One new one came bent.
Swashplate started to stick, of course I didnt know that at the time and my heli wold shoot straight up into the power lines, luckily I was able to drop it into the grass then it would bounce up another 15 feet. Then one day the swash fell apart. I think maybe 20 flights on it. I was using the cheap servos, gyro, esc, motor. Got about 5 min flight times.

Decided to cut any further losses and got a align 250, it was cheaper that way. Now with over 100 recorded flights on it not one part had been changed yet, so I have saved even more money this way

[shock]

Originally Posted by ongbenghui

and if you do got a clone, please replace the "feathering shaft" with align original.

There has been a number of reports that china made clone don't have that same amount of precision with original. And there is a few case when the "feathering shaft" snap or the screw thread got worn. Then, you ended up "shooting blade" which is very dangerous.

+1 this happened to me. CopterX feathering shaft broke clean in two during a spool up and send the blades shooting in opposite directions. Have since upgraded most of the mechanics to Align parts.

[Sizz]

RE: Microheli vs Align tail/head

The Microheli tail is an excellent upgrade. At a minimum, replace the plastic slider & arm with metal ones. The microheli tail had extremely little play and I was able to crank up the gain without wag. The head is good and has excellent geometry. My only criticism is use of softer aluminum alloy. I bent a main blade grip in a hard crash. I would bet the align head would have faired better. I was able to bend it back and have not have any issues since. I'm finding it hard to justify twice the cost for the align head.

On a side note, I highly recommend the Trueblood dampers. I switched from the dual rubber o-rings to trueblood greens. The rubber o-rings became soft after just 15 flights. The trueblood greens are stout and allow just enough play to let the blades even out at throttle, but hard enough for minimal lag with cyclic input. They should be much more durable as well but I haven't had enough air-time to comment on that. FYI, they were slightly oversized for the MH head but easily trimmed down.

To sum it up, I would say the microheli tail is an excellent upgrade and the head is recommended if price is a priority. Maybe i'm lucky, but I have never damaged the tail in my numerous crashes, so the soft aluminum is not an issue there.

[ferbio]

Wow Hobbies said it was the perfect TURNKEY heli to start off with. As one builds their skills, they want better parts. Then if you like the small 250 size, you can upgrade with trex parts. Well thought out copter X.

[QueadlunnRau]

When learning to fly, everyone crashes.

I was going to go your route, but I got lucky and went with an Align just because of black friday two years ago.

Looking back, going clone and through every crash replacing with Align would have saved a couple of dollars, so I dont really see that as a bad thing.

Though having your main blades shoot out mid flight might be an issue lol.

[jfh666]

Some one correct me if im wrong, but im thinking some of the things i do with my trex would flat out break a copterX in flight.

Messed up my tic tocs yesterday (very noob at it still) and had to go from like +9 or 10 to -12. Totally blew the tail that went for like 2 turns. Scared my-self to death but i was able to save it.

I think that with a lesser heli not only i wouldnt have the power to do it, but that i would have damaged the heli just from doing it. And that everything would have have bent under the load and that i wouldnt be able to keep it strait.

[60something]

...The main reason Align comes at a premium is research and development. They’ve taken the time and money to do materials and durability testing while CopterX is looking to build the cheapest way possible…

BWAHAHAHAHA!

Got a bridge to sell in NY, want to buy it?

[Viet-Lama]

A have an HK250GT and its excellent, however there are 3 parts you must replace.
Feathering shaft to Align for safety
Belt to a kevlar to prevent crash
Tail shaft to Align as pressed gear will loosen (requires 2 small washers to prevent binding of case)

[noddyflyer]

hi i got my cx 250 9 months ago ,flew well for 6 months till the head and tail wore out (more slop than a school canteen) decided to buy align head and tail for it , then promptly crashed it destroying the frames,1 total rebuild later ts now 90% align . its taken 3 weeks to get rid of the slight tail wag. the cx was good for learning on and setting up but the align air frame i so much better less vibes. a cx has ts place (in the bin) ive even built a fbl version with the 2 piece frames and the align head (needs more work).....mick