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DronesWatch Flight Demo – The Tudello H850H
Summary of the Tudello H850H
**Yes, that’s right, I like to start with a summary as I know you guys don’t necessarily have much time to spare. And yes, this review is based on the assumption that you’re thinking of buying for a child, so it will focus on child-related issues. Ok, let’s do this!!**
The Tudello is a mini kids drone with a seriously low price tag, but it’s not just the price that makes this it attractive. As you’ll see below, the Tudello scores particularly well for ease of use and safety, so it is probably my number 1 recommendation for a kid’s very first drone, being suitable for youngsters right down to the kind of age where they’re just excited to press a button and watch it fly up in the air then crash!
Ease of use
Before I start this review, I just need to point out that this drone doesn’t actually have a model name, it is just listed by an Amazon seller called Tudello and they simply refer to it as their RC drone for kids. So I’m not being weird when I fail to name the model; there simply is no name! This makes me fear that it could disappear any moment, in a way that drones sold by larger companies generally don’t. I say fear because this is quite a nice little drone and it would be a shame if the seller dropped it; so with that said, let’s crack on…..
The Tudello is about as easy to use as a drone gets. Not that toy drones tend to be difficult to get started with, but this one holds up even in a couple of small ways that others tend to fail on.
Firstly, the battery is easy to install. Most toy drones use generic batteries which means they have to provide a generic jack to plug them into and a compartment big enough to house both the battery and the connecting wire. Connecting the battery and squeezing everything into the compartment is often a bit fiddly and annoying, especially if you’ve got an impatient child watching you! The Tudello is different. It has a custom designed battery that simply clicks into a slot on the base of the drone, there’s nothing fiddly about it.
Secondly, there is the process for getting it up in the air. Like most drones, you have to do a sequence of stick movements to connect the remote to the drone (I have no clue why this is required, I’m not aware of it being necessary with any RC cars, boats etc. It’s a drone thing!) and in the case of the Tudello this is simply an ‘up’ then a ‘down’ on the left stick, as opposed to other drones where it can be combinations like ‘left stick down and right’ plus ‘right stick down and left’. Now, if you’re reading this as an adult, and you’re thinking ‘this guy is an idiot if he struggles to move the two sticks in opposite directions’, then you’d have a point if I was talking about adult usage! But I’m pointing this out strictly in the context of this being a toy drone, primarily for kids to play with. Try getting a 2 year old to do the relatively complex combination and you’ll be waiting a long time, whereas my 21 month-old son can do the up-down launch quite happily without supervision.
That’s about it for ease of use; no other significant positives or negatives.
Robustness
My toddler (Doug) is currently obsessed with drones. Every morning when I bring him downstairs he can barely bring himself to chug his milk before his excitement gets the better of him and he starts shouting ‘fly!’ at me. The Tudello is one of his favourites and he has racked up a good few hours of extremely rough play with it.
To my considerable surprise, it hasn’t broken yet. So I have to give it a good score for robustness.
I say ‘surprise’ because in my experience, these ultra small drones (approx 9x9cm) sacrifice build quality in order to stay light and cheap. You only need to crash them a handful of times and something will tend to come loose and stop working, or a propeller will go off-center and the drone’s ability to fly will be ruined. But my Tudello has taken literally hundreds of knocks and so far, it is doing great.
I guess one explanation is simply that I got a good one; the only other thing I can think is that the propeller guards on the Tudello are more substantial than on a lot of toy drones, which means that when crashes occur the propellers themselves are protected but also the chassis is perhaps slightly cushioned as the guards act like a plastic spring. Whatever the reason, the Tudello has taken more hits than most, and it is still with us.
Safety
This is the Tudello’s killer category. I’m tempted to break my scoring system and give it 6 stars out of 5. In fairness, all toy drones are fairly safe, but this has a few features that make it stand out from the crowd:
Propeller guards – Most toy drones come with prop guards but there are two things I like when it comes to the Tudello. Firstly, they are fixed on by the factory, which is not generally the case and it just cuts down on the time it takes to get it from in the box to in the air; often a crucial metric of success when your kids are excited to have their first go. Secondly, the guards provide cover almost all around the blades (with just some small gaps underneath).
Propellers – as well as being well guarded, the propellers themselves are nice and safe. Because they have little weight to lift, they’re made of extremely lightweight plastic which would cause no injury if they hit a finger.
Obstacle avoidance – this is a rarity for a toy drone, but the manufacturers of the Tudello have managed to squeeze it in, and market it as a fun feature because it allows you to control the drone with hand gestures. But it has a secondary benefit which is that if your kid flies it towards a person or object it should pull up at the last second. It is worth noting that there are only a couple of sensors to handle this (one on the bottom and one at the front) so it works imperfectly and you have to turn it on as the default setting is ‘off’ but aside from these caveats it is a useful additional safety feature.
Size – As previously mentioned, the Tudello is only about 9cm long and 9cm wide. The only drone I’m aware of that is noticeably smaller is the Holy Stone HS190. It also weighs next to nothing so it has very little ability to knock things over or cause injury.
Speed – The Tudello is the slowest toy drone I’ve seen. It has three speeds and speed 1 is really very manageable. Surprisingly, speeds 2 and 3 are barely faster, which means you can hand this drone over to your kids safe in the knowledge that whether they like it or not, they will only be able to fly in an indoor-friendly manner. This lack of velocity goes hand-in-hand with the above point about size. It doesn’t go fast, and it doesn’t have a lot of mass, so you are relatively unlikely to crash it. More importantly, if you do crash, it shouldn’t cause much damage to anything, or anyone it hits.
Footnote re safety….
Hilariously, despite my rating the Tudello highly for safety, in the interest of absolute honesty, I’ve got to tell you that my toddler did actually manage to hurt himself with this drone!
Somehow, he contrived to get his hair (which is not even very long) twisted around one of the propeller shafts and he had a good old cry about it whilst I held it next to his head and shouted for the Mrs to bring me some scissors! But this could have happened with any drone, and is more a reflection of how much Doug loves playing with it, than any inherent problem.
Fun
So, as you’ve probably realised already, there is a bit of a trade-off between safety and fun.
The Tudello’s lack of speed is a major factor in its high safety rating, but it also means there is limited fun to be had.
From an adult point of view, if you bought this as your first drone you would probably love it for 5 minutes, then perhaps spend another 10 minutes testing its limits and abilities (eg, can it lift a lego man? Can you land it on a sleeping cat? Etc etc) and then you’d be bored of it.
But kids are different of course. They will be way more impressed, and since it will take them a lot longer to master the drone that it would you, the lack of speed will only kick in later on.
It also helps that the Tudello does the usual little tricks that toy drones do; it will flip over mid-air and spin in circles at the touch of a button; all stuff that younger children enjoy.
Consequently, exactly how much fun this drone is to play with, depends very much on the age of the kid doing the playing. A 10 year old will probably think it’s cool for a few hours, but at the other end of the spectrum, a 5 year old (or younger) would likely enjoy a session on the Tudello repeatedly for quite a long time.
Quick Questions
What’s in the box?
- Drone
- 2 batteries
- Charging cable
- Controller (requires AAA batteries)
- Full set of replacement propellers
- Manual
Is maintenance easy/possible?
For drones like this, maintenance isn’t really possible. Unless you’ve got some specialist knowledge, micro-soldering equipment and more time than sense, they are disposable toys.
The only thing you can repair are the propellers, which in the case of the Tudello, simply pull off. Note that the replacement propeller must be the correct orientation (marked on the propeller itself as A1, A2, B1 or B2) or it won’t fly properly.
Battery life
I tested mine by hovering in a fixed position until the battery gave up and it managed 7 minutes and 10 seconds, which is perfectly respectable for this sort of drone.
Can it be flown outside?
Nope. Micro drones like the Tudello are too light and lacking in power to go outside. Even on days with no apparent breeze, you’ll be surprised at how difficult it is to stop them getting knocked about and potentially taken off somewhere where you can’t get them back….
Any recommended accessories?
There aren’t many accessories to consider with a kids drone like this, but if you want to jazz it up a bit (as a present perhaps?) then you could add my favourite power bank:
I’ve also got a hard shell carry case which would work with this model; I’ll add a link when I get time.
Can you fly two or more together?
Yes, you can fly up to 7 together without interference.
Summaries of online reviews
My review above is subjective and other people won’t necessarily feel the same way. So, in order to provide an alternative point of view, the below sections are summaries of a bunch of other online reviews for the H850H. The first section will summarise some positive reviews and the second will be based on negative reviews.
Online love for the Tudello H850H
The Tudello H850H drone has been primarily reviewed as a user-friendly and beginner-friendly device, earning significant praise for its robustness and suitability for both indoor and outdoor use. Many customers have found the drone entertaining for their pets, and children have been able to easily fly it and enjoy chasing after it.
In terms of build, the drone is acknowledged for its durability, with one reviewer mentioning that it had survived many collisions without damage. Its ease of use was repeatedly commended, and several reviewers recommended it as a good starting point for those new to drone flying.
The device features effective collision avoidance and comes with two batteries, although some reviewers mentioned that the battery life was slightly less than advertised. A couple of users noted that the controller sometimes lost connection with the drone, requiring a reset. The reset, while a minor inconvenience, was simple to perform by switching off the controller and then switching it back on.
The customer service of Tudello was also praised by one reviewer who had a positive experience when requiring a replacement drone.
While it was viewed as a great beginner drone and an excellent tool for learning the basics of flying, some reviewers suggested improvements. These include the addition of a camera for added fun outdoors and a USB charger option for the remote, which currently requires 3 AAA batteries.
Overall, the Tudello H850H is regarded as a fun, robust, and easy-to-use drone, suitable for all ages, although it could benefit from longer battery life and a more reliable connection between the drone and the controller.
Online hate for the Tudello H850H
The Tudello H850H drone has been frequently criticized by a number of users who have reported numerous issues with the product.
One of the most common complaints pertains to its perceived poor build quality. Many users described the drone as small and cheaply made. Additionally, there were claims that the actual size of the drone is significantly smaller than how it is depicted in the product photos.
Furthermore, a significant number of users reported severe connectivity issues with the drone, stating it failed to adequately connect to the remote control. Instances were cited where the drone flew off independently, seemingly not responding to the remote’s inputs. Some users shared their experiences of losing the drone as it flew away uncontrollably, leaving them unable to retrieve it.
Longevity and durability of the drone were also subjects of critique. A number of users mentioned that the drone stopped functioning after a very short time, with reports varying from a single afternoon to about six months. Despite its marketing as a children’s toy, it seemed to disappoint several young users when it broke down or failed to function as expected.
Moreover, the drone’s flight performance was not well received. Users reported that it did not fly well or hover properly, and barely moved in any direction, even when set at the highest speed. It was also pointed out that the drone did not respond well to control inputs, with instances of it malfunctioning or continuing to ascend despite commands from the controller.
Overall, the general consensus among users is a strong dissatisfaction with the Tudello H850H drone due to its poor build quality, connectivity issues, lack of durability, and inadequate flight performance. Many advise against purchasing the product.