ThunderPower 325mm Blades

Written by Ashley Davis Wednesday, 02 September 2009 23:21

325mm

It's been sometime since I looked at a set of T-Rex 450 blades. Mainly because Align actually do a very good set themselves and I hadn't felt the need to go searching for something better. That said I have had opportunity to fly various types of blades over the past year or so and as such have a reasonable understanding of what's available and what advantages the different types offer. It's true to say there are a large variety of blades but my own favourites are the Align blades and the astoundingly stiff and accurate V blades. The problem is I tend to fly my 450 like I stole it and it's not unusual for it to meet the ground fairly regular, making V blades a somewhat unrealistic prospect due to cost. This being the case Align blades make a good cheap option.

So after that rather long drawn out intro how did this review come about? Well just before Xmas Thunderpower contacted me to look at their new Pro series 450 lipo (3S 2200 mah) and as part of that conversation I was offered the oppotunity to try out their latest 450 blades. Having not flown them at all before I was a little curious.......

The Thunderpower blades are not expensive at around $39.99 a set. They weigh 23g and are exactly 325mm from blade bolt hole to rotor tip. They have an angled tip and both lenghtwise and chordwise they are a very stiff blade. Although I should point out they aren't at V blade level of stiffness. The leading and trailing edges are nice and straight and the balance was checked and spot on. If there is a checklist for blades then at this point the Thunderpower offering tick all the required boxes. I should also mention that 23g is in the lighter range for 450 blades so these blades should be quite quick on cyclic. That's most of the technical detail, although it's worth pointing out they are not an entirely black blade so those who are not keen on all black blades will still be able to see some white in the rotor disc once spooled up.

OK, so moving on how do these fly?

Firstly these blades tracked perfectly after a little adjustment having removed the usual Align blades I use. The blades have a very good collective punch to them and they strike a nice balance between speed and accuracy. I felt immediately comfortable with them as a good solid 3D blade. I put the blades through several 3D flights trying to come to a conlusion as to what they most compare with. My conclusion was that they are similar to Radix blades, possibly slightly faster and more accurate than radix. They also have a little more punch than what I remember of radix. However, overall they very much reminded me of a Radix blade in how they performed. They are not a boggy blade and you can get a bit clumsy with the pitch without causing too many issues. I didn't discover any particularly unwanted characteristics in the blades, they aren't pitch in fast flight and maintain good control in various flight situations. Overall these are a very nice blade and I have no issue with recommending them for either sport or 3D flight. The interesting thing about these is that I am not actually that keen on the Radix blade they always feels just not quite edgy enough for my flying style, these Thunderpower blades whilst similar to Radix seem to be tweaked just a little on both the cyclic speed and collective punch and it makes all the difference. I will likely keep these on my machine as they do outperform the Align blades and when they inevitably get broken I will strongly consider getting another set.

My thanks to ThunderPower for giving me the opportunity to give these a try and pass on my findings.

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