I'm not buying a new drone this Cyber Monday, but there are 4 things I expect to snap up
Every year Black Friday comes along and sometimes I feel almost guilty for not snapping up a big piece of gear like a discounted drone but, as it happens, I'm happy with the gear I have. What I need to get the best of it are a few peripherals which can make all the difference. So, for this Black Friday, these are the deals I'm snapping up.
For what it's worth, it's also the way I think most of us can do the best out of the day – until last Friday, when the deals really started, prices on things like memory cards and SSD drives haven't been too good. Now there are some bargains out there and they might be gone by the end of the day – almost certainly by the end of 'Cyber Monday.'
So, without further ado, here are my list of four essentials that I plan to own by the end of the day:
A fast memory card
Over the years I've learned it's probably best to have a few memory cards ready in my bag. They seem to last forever but they can stop working and it'd be a shame to be grounded for lack of a few dollars. Similarly the old eggs v basket argument suggests it's better to stick to 512 or 256GB and get a few than a massive 1TB card.
SanDisk 512GB microSDXC card | was $39.99 | now $31.99
Save $8 at Amazon Want a 512GB microSD card with more speed? This SanDisk's rapid 190MB/s max read rate has you covered, and all for a bargain price.View Deal
External SSD
Like many folk, I'd like to edit video on a laptop that doesn't have as generous a storage capacity as perhaps I need (yes, it's a MacBook, so there's no changing it now!). They best solution is definitely an external drive and by my math the most cost-efficient option this Black Friday (on the day itself anyway) is the SanDisk 2TB.
SanDisk 4TB Extreme Pro portable SSD | was $219.99 | now $139.99
Save $80 at Amazon A 2TB portable SSD this fast would have cost significantly more than this, so for just 140 bucks, this super-fast 2,000MB/s SanDisk offering is a real steal and the rugged case is a nice bonus.View Deal
Landing mat
Every drone pilot should have one, especially now drones are so short from the ground.
SYMIK LP690 Drone Landing Pad | was $29.99 | now $23.99
Save $7 at Amazon Protecting your drone from grass and dust damage when taking off can save a lot of money on propellor and engine replacement, as well as clearly reserving the return-to-home landing spot, important for safety.View Deal
Filters
Sadly you don't get ND filters with all the Fly More deals any more, but on the plus side you can track down discounted deals this time of year which effectively offer you two savings against the own-brand alternative.
SKYREAT ND Filters Set for DJI Mini 4 Pro | was $49.99 | now $39.99
Save $10 at Amazon Built for the Mini 4 Pro (but with other variants available), this 6-pack of filters includes ND8 up to ND128 and a CPL filter with double-sided multi-layer coating.View Deal
Of course just because I'm not shopping for a new drone doesn't mean there aren't some good deals on the DJI Avata and others – check our Black Friday Drone Deals page as well as our best camera drones page.
