Does anyone know how much weight a Potensic ATOM can carry?
0g. It’s not designed to carry any extra weight.
Marlow said:
0g. It’s not designed to carry any extra weight.
Yeah, I know, I just want to know the max it could carry. I’m looking for a drone that can lift around 300g for under $500 on Amazon.
@Vale
That’s not going to happen at that price.
Marlow said:
@Vale
That’s not going to happen at that price.
What about something that can carry 150g?
Marlow said:
@Vale
That’s not going to happen at that price.
What about something that can carry 150g?
The closest you’ll get is the Mavic 3 Enterprise, which has a 135g payload, but it’s way out of your budget.
Marlow said:
@Vale
That’s not going to happen at that price.
I saw online that the Ruko F11 Pro can carry up to 300g.
@Marlow
Yeah, I might have misread that, my bad. But is there any drone under $500 that can carry at least 150g?
Vale said:
@Marlow
Yeah, I might have misread that, my bad. But is there any drone under $500 that can carry at least 150g?
Nope. Most drones are built to carry only a gimbaled camera.
If you really need one for carrying weight, you might have to build it yourself.
@Marlow
Damn… alright. What about a DJI Phantom? They’re cheap second-hand. Any idea how much they can carry?
Vale said:
@Marlow
Damn… alright. What about a DJI Phantom? They’re cheap second-hand. Any idea how much they can carry?
This comment is empty, admin should fix.
@Vale
If you want a drone with payload capacity under $500, you’ll likely need to build one yourself. Off-the-shelf drones at that price are designed for photography, not carrying extra weight.
Most of the cost goes into features like high-quality cameras, long battery life, and easy flight controls. If you’re focusing on payload, you’d want to skip the expensive camera and prioritize strong motors and bigger batteries instead.
For reference, DJI’s FlyCart, which is made for carrying loads, has only a basic 1920x1440 camera because that’s all you need for utility work.
@Blake
Thanks. I just need something under $500 that can carry at least 100g for a project. I saw a YouTube video where a DJI Phantom 3 carried 2.5 lbs—does that seem realistic? (I have no drone experience.)
@Vale
Most Phantom drones are at least $800 second-hand.
Also, you’d have to consider battery health. The Phantom series was discontinued years ago, and if you buy one used, there’s a chance the batteries won’t hold a charge anymore. Replacements are hard to find since DJI stopped making them.
Your target payload also keeps changing—going from 300g to 100g. That’s a big difference because heavier loads require bigger motors and stronger batteries.
If you’re on a tight budget, fishing drones might be an option, but even those start at around $2,000.
Unless you find a really good deal on a used Phantom, it’s going to be tough to find what you need. And if you do go that route, definitely ask to see it fly before buying—lots of older drones sit unused for years, and the batteries might be dead.
@Blake
Appreciate the advice 
.