old4570.com
    
   Eachine E58

 

 E58 

 

  

 

 

 

 Eachine E58 Sent for review by Banggood

  Wow !  ( My first thought on opening the box ) . Its not an overly small quad and the design looks heavy , mine weighs 81grams with prop guards fitted and no battery ( its on the floor being charged ) and talking about charging my set up takes about 2 hours to charge the battery . I don't like fast charging small batteries as I want them to last as long as possible ( that's just me ) . I will admit that waiting 2 hours to fly again can seem like for ever , which is why I probably ( my excuse ) own a few quads .  Back to the E58 from Eachine . I have the prop guards installed and to date these have saved me or the E58 a few times already . The E58 does not handle wind all that well ( Does any small light quad ? ) and it has been blowing rather well since the E58 arrived . When the wind dies down and it's reasonably calm the E58 flies really well , but when the wind is up I found myself battling to keep the E58 in any particular station . ( Hover )  As well a few times the E58 just seemed overwhelmed by the wind and I lost all control . I think the toy controller that is combined with so many quads these days is partially to blame , they simply don't come within a country mile of a decent Transmitter . 

 So many quads ( the ones I own ) fly very average on their factory controllers but when bound to say the IrangeX multi protocol module attached to a decent transmitter the quads suddenly fly amazingly well . I don't know what protocol the E58 uses but I sure do hope I can bind it to the IRX4 . So the E58 flies well in calmer conditions and in the wind it can be difficult with the factory controller .  Lets talk about the controller shall we.

 1)  It takes 3 AA batteries .

 2) Turn on the E58 first , then turn on the Tx . 

 3) To bind push the left controller UP - Then Down ..  Now they are bound

 4) You can push the take off button ( OR ) you can pull down both controllers and then out to arm the motors .. To disarm , simply pull the throttle down .

 5) To take video you need the app ( Yeah )

 6)  https://apkpure.biz/com.lewei.jyufo/JY-UFO/download   You can download the app here rather than going to the google app store . 

 7) Fire up your phone , go to WIFI settings , and connect the phone to the E58's wifi .  Then start the app .

 8) The controller has a sliding phone holder which may or may not work for you . I found it a little how do you do for two reasons . My phone has a side switch to turn it on and off ( a problem ) , so I have to push my phone to one side . This means my phone is not held in place as securely , when my phone fell off , I was thankfully sitting down and it fell in my lap .

 9) The instruction manual is (?) lets call it about 5 out of 10

 10) There is headless mode , there is a flip function , rates for the amount of control , the take off button , a button for landing and supposedly a emergency stop

  I have to date tried headless mode , it works but as always be sure to keep the E58 in front of you . I use the take off button and it's a really simple way to get the quad off the ground . Landing button works well though I think to date I have come to a stop VIA crashing far more than landing ( That wind ) . Its easy enough to manually arm the motors and take off , but why bother when the take off button has pretty much exactly the same effect but at the press of a button .  The factory controller , I just don't know what to say . None of them impress me and the one bundled with the E58 is no exception . I just hope that the folks at Eachine learn quickly what a benefit the IrangeX IRX4 multi protocol module can be to selling RC models . Don't make models with vague unsupported protocols , use protocols that allow buyers to bind to much better transmitters . ( This is value added - for everyone ) . Again I don't know what the protocol is on the E58 , I just hope its one supported by the Irx4 . 

 11) Video . Its 720 and it's not bad for 720 ( I have seen far worse from cameras costing as much as the E58 ) To get good video the E58 has to be reasonably stable and as yet the wind has not cooperated .

 12) I haven't tried the emergency stop or flip as yet due to the wind .  

 13) I have lost complete control of the E58 a few times now and each time it was after some serious buffeting that caused me to push the controller 100% one way and the wind tilted the E58 the other way ( some serious rock and roll ) and then the E58 simply did its own thing . I think that the 6 axis stabilization gets a little overwhelmed and then perhaps just does its own thing ( resulted in the E58 hitting the ground ) .  I am no expert in this regard but I do know when I am no longer in control . 

 14) Ok , so the E58 is not so great in the wind .  I have flown the E58 inside the house ( no wind ) and it is amazingly stable . The altitude hold really works well and there is very little altitude shift . It does wander a little up and down but noting that would worry you , maybe 30cm . It does get a little worse when the battery depletes , but that is expected . Indoors as mentioned is very stable , but the controller lets it down here as there is little precision . One of the things I like doing is putting down two boxes on the floor and then taking a Micro quad like say the Eachine E010 and taking off one box and then landing on the other and so forth to practice precision flying / landing . For this you need a decent transmitter . I think the E58 might be a lot of fun inside a large venue like a sports hall or possibly a factory or warehouse . ( Something to while away the time on your lunch break )

  15) Flying weight . Battery just got fully charged , so the all up weight with prop guards installed was 100 grams even .

  16) Prop guards - wow these have saved me quite a few times now , as have the folding props themselves . With all the bumping and grinding I have done as well as crashing I am amazed at the lack of damage . The worst that has happened is that one prop guard fell of and the folding arms got slightly folded after impacting the ground .  So I dare say the E58 is resilient . 

 17) And yes ( if you were wondering ) The E58 does fold with the prop guards in place . ( its tight - very tight - but it does fold )

 18) To record video you need the app , I hate the Google App Store . I have had nothing but problems with the Google app store since getting myself a Android . I really had no choice , the Iphone is simply over priced and so I was left with Android and I had to by an Android because of all this Wifi connectivity . I have a battery charger that has Wifi , my action cams have Wifi , dash cams with Wifi , everyone is going wifi crazy . Anyhow I have provided a link for the app if you wish to avoid Google .  The app works painlessly , just tap the video emblem in the app to enable video and tap it again to turn if off .

  19) Flying the E58 VIA the app :  Oh my oh my what a PITA . I think my phone is simply too small for this . I got it off the ground ( E58 ) and promptly crashed it because the interface ( my phone ) was so vague . The controls on the screen did not follow my fingers every time I tried to input control ( this is bad ) and I can not recommend doing this unless you have a really good interface ( phone ) .

  20) Wifi FPV , get those goggles that you pop your phone into .. The glare was so bad outside there is no way I could FPV with the phone , also beware the Wifi lag and fly in more open spaces if you intend to try this .

 21)  Micro SD card goes in and out EASY ( Yay )

 

   I apologize because I have probably left something out .  So the question is ?  Do you want the E58 ?  I think a lot of people would probably enjoy the E58 but there are some considerations . Do you suffer from wind ( sorry ) . What I mean is , how is the weather where you are ? If you get decent evenings or mornings that are wind free , or a lot of wind free days , or you have a indoor venue you can fly in then you will probably enjoy the E58 . Since the E58 arrived we have had nothing but bad weather and it has been challenging to fly the E58 . Thankfully there has ben no damage to the E58 and it has proven itself rather resilient to the bumping and grinding and smacking the ground for the last 3 days . 

  What would I do to improve the E58 ?

 1) Use a protocol that allows binding to a better transmitter ( This is just value added for everyone ) All of my quads that bind to my Irx4 module fly fantastic and that's due to the transmitter . I remember years ago getting a WL959 that was ok to fly ( my first quad ) . I then bound it to my 9x and it went from ok to fantastic . Binding to a better transmitter made a huge difference to how the quad flew . I also flew the 959 till the battery died and ordered larger batteries for it for longer flight time . I have had the 959 for ?? years and it flies just great .

 2) The proprietary battery = Not a good idea !  It works , it fits well and I get 5 or more minutes .. But I would like to source my own batteries . This is probably something that is easily fixed with a soldering iron .

 3) Instruction manual -  For an experienced pilot , probably not an issue , but for noobs ( probably some head scratching )

 4) Video - needing the app !  ( Booo - Hisss )  Sorry , but by using a Micro SD card the video should be enabled from the controller .  

 

  Over all I am very impressed by the E58 , by being able to fold it up it can be put in a bag and taken anywhere it can be a great life saver for when the kids are driving you crazy or you get bored or what ever . Probably a lot safer for the RC guy that travels . The E58 has a lot of good points and it has a few negative points . So if you are looking for a quad that is easily transported , resilient , takes decent video , gives 5 minutes or better flight time , is easy to fly ( when there is no wind ) , has a take off and land buttons ( that work really well ) . The altitude hold works relatively well and gave me no issues , it did wander a little up and down but that was over a period of like a minute . In calm conditions the E58 is a joy to fly , but when the wind gets up your skirt it can be challenging to keep the E58 in one place ( hover ) .  Over all I would say the E58 is wind related , in good weather i will fly and handle well ( noob friendly ) and in windy conditions it will require a skilled pilot . And I would suggest that the included controller is partially responsible as while its not as vague as some of these Xbox style game pads , it's no where near as good a a decent transmitter . 

  So in conclusion : I think you are getting a lot of quad for the money .  At the moment the price on the E58 is $39 USD and in all fairness that is not a lot of money for what you get . And to expect perfection for $39 is probably asking for too much . There is room for improvement , like needing the app to enable video - I really thought that was a little ?? . I have read / watched a few other reviews and no one has been able to enable video VIA the Tx . This is the major bummer for me and everything else is just the way things are . 

 Do I have to give the E58 a score ?  Weighing everything up , I have to give it 8 out of 10 . The protocol , it would be really nice if you could bind the E58 to a better transmitter ( really nice ) , but you don't lose points for that , you would if anything gain them . The proprietary battery , not the end of the world but I am nocking off half a point because its a bad idea and another half a point for the instruction manual . The full point I am deducting is for the app . The app is trick , it works , but to need it every time you wish to enable video , sorry ( should happen at the press of a button on the Tx ) .

 You may feel different and that's ok , I have tried to be as painfully honest as possible and to provide relevant information . But as always read or watch as many reviews as possible so that you get more than one perspective . 

I would like to thank banggood for the opportunity to test the Eachine E58  and when the weather improves I hope to post more video .