Prop guards add 20% additional weight load plus interference with prop thrust. Only use prop guards INDOORS!

perhaps limitations are also set in because with prop guards the drone becomes heavier than 249 grams

I agree with you about the wind + propellor guards. There is an option to turn off the payload mode enabling you to go further than 100m.

Yes I also had the same experience, my mini got blown away about 800 meters with the prop guards on, luckily I was able to recover it. But never again will I fly outdoors with them on. You'll have to do your own visual obstacle avoidance.

I believe prop guards are used for first time users to become familiar and become proficient in the flying of the Mavic Mini -- Once one gets accustomed to the many features and maneuvers then the prop guards can be taken off. It is used like training wheels on a bicycle. Sharing thoughts! Bought a new one and first time drone user, to use in my real estate business:-)!

I think the prop guards are good for low level fast shots like in a forest or something like that.

Great info, wish I seen this and a few others before! Major factors like "winds aloft" which can be much stronger and of course gusting can be problematic, especially with prop guards installed. I like to take mine for a spin around beer-thirty taking off and landing from my table top on the veranda... 🙄 so I leave the prop guards on, and only fly like this when it's not too windy! Regardless, my mini flying maniac will frequently report payload mode/limited flight mode (which can be turned back off at the bottom of the safety menu) and high wind. Good advice is check winds aloft at take off and generally plan for return with the wind at lower altitude.... And practice a few hand catches in case the wind kicks up unexpectedly!

Oh finally found a video that explains. I had prop guard on and flying 100m away. I lost control and it just landed wherever in a forest. Lucky I was able to reach but it could've fell into a dam.. I didn't even know it was limiting my flight distance. Thanks for the video.

Thank you for sharing. I just have the same problem today.

I had the guards on as it is my first drone and glad I did they protected it a couple of times. I was alarmed when the wind picked up and it started being dragged away! Also the battery lasted about 15 minutes which took me by surprise. Payload mode came on automatically. I realize now from reading these comments what the limitations are, there should be a warning sticker on the prop guards by the manufacturer

I really only want the guards to fly indoors sometimes!

You are very right to report this issue. These prop guards weight 50 grams ie. 20% more weight is added to the mini and when it has to fight strong gusty winds this is too much for its motors. Their use should be limited to indoors or when there is no wind outdoors and the quad should not be flown very high, not above 20 to 25 meters max.

That’s correct, i had the same problem .

Good to know, thanks!

Yes, I have my prop guard on, the wind is only 10km/hr, I wasn't flying very high perhaps about 50m, it was in C mode and started to drift away from me, until my warning came on that it was over the distant limit that I set, which is about 400m. I was terrified, I try to keep calm, find the direction that I need to go and slowly descend and came back. (Still learning how to fly and use the home button). I got it back, finally!

On the safety settings you will see advance safety settings at the very bottom and a toggle which says payload mode, toggle this on when using prop guards and flying in a windless environment

Good vid!! I was going to use them tomorrow for a hiking video but not anymore :) haha

Yes agree. I had the same drifting issue with a moderate wind. Good video. Thank you for sharing.

There's an payload option in the settings. I don't know if that helps at all with prop guards installed. I was also told the the guards are for indoor use only. Also quite dissatisfied with this limitation.

Thanks for the video. I wonder if Mini 2/SE would handle it better since they have stronger wind resistance? Thinking of whether to get one or not..

I had exactly the same issue with winds around 20 kph at height above 30 metres and above. Even moderate winds of 14 kph were pushing the drone away and error message popped up telling me about heavy wind conditions and disabling of auto return function. Prop guards make aerodynamics of the drone different and it’s impossible to operate it in windy conditions at all.

I had the exact same problem as you described unfortunately I was unabletolower my altitude in time andI lost the drone I'll never use the prop guards again and thank you for posting this

I had a same problem yesterday. The wind just blown away my DJI Mini2. I'm totally lost the control on it. I really tougth I will not see my drone any more. Finillay I could take back the control, but not 100%. And call back the drone. It was not come back to the starting point. I'm landed unsafely. Finally I could pick it up. I had some propeller demage even the propeller guard was on it. But that is. So it is really not recommended to use the propeller guards outside, and always check the wind speed.

I trimmed Alot of what I felt was Excess plastic on the prop guards. It lightened them up quite a bit & should have less drag in wind. Test flight coming soon

Yes .. I faced the same issue and was a bit confused for a while as I had shot a video without the prop guards and it held its ground. I even tried recalibrating but finally used it without the guards and it worked fine.

Although if it does not blow so much where you stand on the ground, winds can be twice as strong with even stronger gusts already 20-30 meters up in the air.

Thanks for you video - I have had a similar experience! Except that my drone landed itself very quickly. Luckily this was close to me and now damage was done. I also got a number of messages regarding payload. This behaviour was only apparent after upgrading to version 0400 firmware so I have no reinstalled V0300. I have yet to test whether this has solved the problem

Hey my first mavic mini crashed on its maiden flight because it drifted into a tree with propguards on. The propguards got caught in the branches but the mini was tilting and in an attempt to stabilaize itself it flipped over and fell onto cement from about 5 meters up. When I recovered it I found that the gimbal came off the drone and the cable connecting it was torn. The prop guards are more of a hinderance and a will not save the drone from a fall. I think they should only be used for indoor flights where theres no wind and a higher chanve of hitting the props against a wall. Ive since got a new mini and have never put the propguards on. Its perfect without them.

thanks bro very useful🔥

120 meters with propeller guard thats impressive 😮😮

As others have said the prop guards are mainly for indoor and training use. They’re not intended for serious outdoor use. Also, most drone shots are taken from within 100 meters of both height and distance so that’s not a serious limitation for most uses. This drone was specifically optimized to be under the 250 gram regulatory limit so that required various compromises. If you don’t care about the weight limit and size, get a bigger drone.

Yea I placed mine on for the first time today and whent out side almost immediately I can see twitching with the cage on.

Yup same here with prop guards on it drifted all over in wind

I have the same problem but indoors.. with prop guard ON, indoors no wind blowing, mavic mini is drifting randomly in any direction. Guess the propeller guard isn't balanced enough.

I tried prop guards yesterday and it was very poor experience. Where was no wind, temperature was -1° c and it was drifting sideways, lossing height and crashed 3 times. Descending to the ground with no stopping... I will never use guards again

With prop gaurd on... return to home worked only 3 out of 10 times

Same here. Prop Guards sucks during windy

My mavic mini fell 2-3 time straight to the ground from 60-70 meter height..and while felling down not a single controls were working...very disappointed..sending back to repair center..

I didn't know you have drones! EPIC!!!

I nearly lost it today due to the wind, and it was in sport mode, propeller guard on

Yep i get the same problem too

interesting video. The prop guards are realy heavy load for such a small 250g drone, so i'm not surprised that it makes some trouble under windy conditions. I would only use the guards for indoorflights in some lost place buildings.

Hi I am also facing the same problem...i always fly with prop gaurd on..i was flying it from one corner of a circular big ground...after fly for 60-70 meter height it started flowing with the wind and disappeared in few seconds...i started running..and it fell down...i started running.. thank god it was big ground..iif it would be water ...than it would be its last day

Just few days ago I tried out flying with prop guards on while flying between buildings, it did not end well. Wind was strong and pushed my mavic mini away, I can't even return it home by its feature. It ends up landing on top of a building, and I had to recover it manually by getting access to that building, which was quite embarassing and troublesome

always switch to Sport mode if the drone starts to drift, no matter why you may need the extra power to get back. it's not a "problem" .. its just the fact that the prop guards weight is 50 Gramms, meaning you adding 20% weight to the whole set, the rest is just Physics. 20% more weight you gonna need far more power to move it.

Thank you you’ve saved me from wasting £20

Terrible. Tried it today and it did the same thing. Nearly lost it in a lake. Thank goodness I got it for free

Nice Video Thank You 👍 and a New Abonnent, grüße Michael

My mavic Mini fell down with propeller gaurd and fan didn't stop moving ..till i reach there to pick ..they messed up with all safety features..to make it light ..very bad

I just tried my new mini with prop guards in a good headwind and it would not be stable at all. It was about 5 meters up and dropped 1.5 meters in a second. I like the idea of the prop guards but I do not see me flying with the prop cage on. I will look for the lighter guards that only protect the bottom surface and see if they do any better. I am glad it is not only me having an issue. I also noticed that the drone leans to one side more heavily as well. It does not want to stay level in flight. Maybe the wind had something to do with it.

Flight limitation with the propellers guard on are even worse in Europe, my Mavic Mini stops at 30m height and 50m distance... I was thinking of modifying the original guards to some sort of D shape (similar to Mavic Pro) hoping this way to reduce the overall weigh and overcome the limitations... has anyone tryed something similar??

Same case here.

I have mini with out profile gard it's good

Change to sport mode... Its help a lot if you fly in windy situation

Damn And here i use to think there was some issue with my Mavic Mini. I had faced same problem with my prop Guard On , it use to drift side ways and i couldnt control it . Now will Try without prop guard , I hope it doesnt drift then because if it does then i might hurt some one by flying the mavic mini inside there window 🙈

thank you so much very good

Go in ur setting and put in on maximum payload

Thanks for sharing. I would be using the prop guards for low altitude to fly through thing minimizing crash risk. For in the air flight, prop guards wouldn’t be needed unless it’s a high bird area??

hello , i have the same problem with dji mini 2

Yes I had the same problem and it drops out of the sky damaging my camera

Should have tried flying in sport mode rather than p mode. It helps when its windy

gOOD vIDEO !!

I also face this problem brother

Of course, it’s extra weight and mass you add to the drone. It shouldn’t come as a surprise 🙄

The prop guards are only really intended for indoor flight for new pilots, to avoid contact with obstacles! For outdoor flying I would recommend NOT using the prop guards as it will struggle with the extra weight in any wind, also if you crash into a tree or something it might hook onto branches and you might lose it!

I am using prop guards indoor and have drone drifts sometimes, has anyone else have the same issue

you probably have problem with yours. Also - you have to watch the wind, if its above 28 km/h dont fly with mini. Also - you had to use sport mode to fight wind

After read all this, how lucky I am, find my mavic mini on the densenly populated houses about 100 meter after flying with propeller guard from roof top of the house on the quite hard wind.. thanks god.. for sure never use prop guard on the outdoor, just try it, but never again.. luckyly find it with app find my drone..

This happened to me just now but worse, it didn't try to land, it just came down ! Absolutely crazy, it came down like a sack of potatoes and i ran to catch it, i don't know if it would hit the floor but I caught it at 1 meter, so I presume yes! The second flight ever on my first drone ever and was falling from the 7th story. The motors and props were still going but not pushing back up so when i caught it, they caught my finger which is now bleeding and i am super worried this will happen again but i won't be so lucky to catch it. I think i will just fly without the prop guards from now on. What do you advise?

I just brought a set i guess I will not be using them

I had the same problem !

Folks . the mini is a great drone. It cannot handle wind ! 90 % crash in wind. Prop guards are for a windsail !

Prop guard is only good for indoor or on windless days.

I was flying mini with prop guards at 95m height, light wind. Suddenly it started driving and landing without my control, almost landing on the road nearly and hitting a car. I was lucky, landed 30cm off the road. Must be the same problem like in the video.

Turn on 'payload mode' in the settings....

Do you have made experience with the flight time with using the prob guards. Some people say that it reduces the maximal of the flight time nearly over the half.

Prop guards are for indoors !

those are for indoors flight anyway, once you get the hang of drone flight, you need to move on to a different model presto

Hello friend I had that problem both at home and outdoors with the problem that my drone does not respond to control or for a terror or to raise it you have an email where I can send the videos

I was considering this drone but the more and more videos I watch, I approach the conclusion this is not a good investment, its a fragile drone and hardly a beginner's, it will brake from the slightest fall and if indeed it does not fly well with guards, it then becomes a horrible expensive piece of sh--.

Why would you use prop guards outdoors. Its a wind sail !

Am just curious to know, did you checked your prop conditions? It might be warped or deformed at that time.

Are you going to get the Mini 2?

Sell the mavic asap and buy a dji mini 2/3?

Prop guards are really for indoors flight. Common sense should tell you that the guards WILL add substantial drag & wind resistance, almost acting like sails. This video is a combination of physics and stupidity. As 'review material' this is irrelevant. Sorry for being blunt.

I had the same problem, but my mavic mini started falling as soon as I reach 50 meters... I was lucky it landed on my garden

Ah shit should have watched this video early, I flew this outside my house today and the wind isn’t even that strong, it started drifting backwards really quickly and I tried to fight back by flying forward but it’s literally useless. It end up got stuck on my roof and I had to climb to retrieve it, got scratches on my mavic mini now 🥲