Anafi - pre-owned advice?

[SunshineOx]

Hi everyone. I'm convinced that the Anafi is the drone that will best suit my purposes (photography/video - paddleboarding). Trying to minimise cost, I'm looking at buying a 'pre-owned' Anafi. Just wondering if members have any particular advice/warnings? Also, has there been any radical change in the Anafi since launch; should I avoid very early manufactured models?

Grateful for any advice.

 

[Jagerbomb52]

Personally I would not buy a used Anafi other then for spare parts. The Anafi is a good UAV but does not stand up well to crashes and not knowing the back ground of the used Anafi you are taking a big chance. All you have to do is read some of the comments on here and you can see that even brand new Anafis have sometimes come with issues and needed to be sent back. The other thing to consider is if Parrot will even offer the Warranty for second hand units.
Anyways thats my feelings on buying second hand.

Welcome to the Forum. I think you will enjoy your membership. There are many other members happy to provide assistance for any issues you may have, and those that may need information you bring. A lot of good information is already stored in existing threads.

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[SunshineOx]

Thanks - something for me to consider.

 

[Rocky the FS]

I purchased a "refurbished by Windsor" Anafi on Amazon for $450 four months and 50 flights ago and so far I've had zero problems with it. The only ding I found on very close inspection was on the corner of the battery. All flight modes work as advertised. There is only a 90 day warranty from them, so that is a big consideration. I'm very conservative in my flights, so I figured that I wasn't going to be the cause of a crash or flyaway, and I insured it for $70 a year.

I have only crashed it once (so far) and I got lucky crashing into a bush with no damage on a follow me, which are dangerous except in wide open spaces. I am just blown away by the little bugger and the quality of the stills and video and have started doing videos for non-profit environmental organizations. I can highly recommend the Anafi for your purposes but I would caution you to get some experience with follow me over friendly terrain before doing over water video....it doesn't float. ?

 

[SunshineOx]

I purchased a "refurbished by Windsor" Anafi on Amazon for $450 four months and 50 flights ago and so far I've had zero problems with it. The only ding I found on very close inspection was on the corner of the battery. All flight modes work as advertised. There is only a 90 day warranty from them, so that is a big consideration. I'm very conservative in my flights, so I figured that I wasn't going to be the cause of a crash or flyaway, and I insured it for $70 a year.

I have only crashed it once (so far) and I got lucky crashing into a bush with no damage on a follow me, which are dangerous except in wide open spaces. I am just blown away by the little bugger and the quality of the stills and video and have started doing videos for non-profit environmental organizations. I can highly recommend the Anafi for your purposes but I would caution you to get some experience with follow me over friendly terrain before doing over water video....it doesn't float. ?

I've seen some 'refurbished' or 'damaged packaging' Anafis on Amazon, approx £70 cheaper than lowest full price. Will check warranty conditions on those.

I would be VERY cautious near/over water!

 

[Liger 1956]

You might like to read this thread on Amazon Warehouse Items.

Used Amazon UK anyone bought?

Anyone bought a "used" from Amazon warehouse UK? They are sold from Amazon UK but in description says for example "small cosmetic mark on top" etc. I presume they come with Amazon full warranty, how do Parrot view these? Would Parrot still give 2 year warranty to them? Are they returns from...

parrotpilots.com

 

[Rocky the FS]

I've seen some 'refurbished' or 'damaged packaging' Anafis on Amazon, approx £70 cheaper than lowest full price. Will check warranty conditions on those.

Things are different in the UK, you may not see a 90 day warranty. I wouldn't have bought mine used if it only had a 30 day return policy.

 

[IronSky1]

I am on number 5 since 7/1/18 about 200+ flights. I have had two purchased and 3 replaced by Parrot. The last one they sent came from the Windsor company via Parrot support works fine. They do break ( they are very light and quiet) and our prone to a lot of miscellaneous bugs however, still the one I reach for first when doing something quickly. My DJI Mavic 2 is just as buggy however it is stronger but a lot bigger. Its is a trade off. Most of the problems I have had that required replacement are gimbal and/or camera related.

I doubt that Parrot will accept warranty claims on used gear.

 

[BenMcCormick]

Sorry for the late response. I got mine on US e-bay open box bidding, I lucked out and got it when there was not a bidding war. It is like brand new. I haven't checked to see if its still under any type of warranty. It might die tomorrow, but until then, it has been a great experience. I grab it now before my Mavic Air, Fimi SE or Zino.
The new units, from what I have gathered, do have the stiffer arms. Any crash is bad, so its a matter of luck how much damage one sustains. The heavier drones are much less forgiving when they hit the ground hard. My toy drone, Sjrc X5, hit the pavement after shutting the motors down (thinking it was going to drop into bushes) after a 10 feet drop, and its not been the same since. I've had to fix broken wires, bad brushed motors and loose brass gears with that one.

 

[SunshineOx]

All advice gratefully received; then ignored! Just got the chance to buy at a 'decent price'. Just have to accept the risk...

Downloaded current version of user manual. But - any suggestions as to what I should do first? Both for general check of kit, hardware/software/firmware etc, plus any tips to discover possible 'gremlins'.

Thanks in anticipation.

 

[Rocky the FS]

Get the latest software and firmware installed first. Then I would start slow and low, in film mode, just take the controls through their ranges and see if responds to all as expected, including the gimbal and zoom. If it's OK in manual flight, then I would start testing the autonomous modes, one by one. Use a HUGE open area for this, because they are full of surprises (or gremlins!), even after reading the manual several times. Finally I would test the panoramas, which I only just got around to after 6 months.

My refurb is still almost flawless after the 6 months.