HobbyKing 250 mini racing quadcopter

A 250 sized mini-quad for under $100?
That's what HobbyKing claim for their 250 "racing" quadcopter and I have to admit that it's probably pretty good value for money if you want to get a foot in the door of the miniquad craze.
It's tough (although those feet *will* fall of when provoked) and it is good value but it's let down by a design that requires you to mount much of the hi-tech goodies on the outside -- where they're going to take some knocks and bangs.
The 3-bladed props are pretty frail (more-so than the 2-bladers) so points off for not providing at least one set of spares because you *will* break them very easily.
If you're using the KK2.1 board, make sure you dial the gains right down before you try the self-leveling mode because the stock settings will cause it to flip almost immediately. Better still, fit a Naze32 Acro board and really have some fun.
The unit I've shown here is Barry's and although he's pretty new to quads, he's already well beyond the hovering stage -- after giving the HK250 hell during the learning process. That it's still flying is a tribute to its ruggedness.
It ain't no Blackout Miniquad but it's not a bad starting point for beginners. However, in my honest opinion, if you can afford it, you'll probably be much happier with the Blackout.