Definitely something to consider when buying an underwater drone, one thing I hated with the Geneinno T1 is the tether would get wrapped around the arms that hold the thrusters, then it would make me veer to the right or left a little. Someone solved that issue with a
custom 3D printed tether router, however, there's still worry that having those thrusters positioned so far out from the drone, you'll be more likely to pickup fishing line, rope, and other material hanging out in the water. While other underwater drones like the Gladius Mini, I think lose material in the water is more likely to role right over the thrusters due to the more hydrodynamic shape of the drone, the thrusters are more tucked away inside the body on the Mini than the Geneinno T1.
I did suck up some rope in the marina twice, but luckily didn't damage my motors, I did have to take them apart and remove all the leftover thread in there, then use some silicone lube the motors up again.
I asked the CMO Jacky Yang on Facebook, why they haven't capitalized on using the body style of the Gladius Mini with more upgrades. They could do replaceable batteries, removable sd card slot, or just a bigger battery for longer battyer power. Even a claw... This was before this
upgrade post on the Facebook Group, so maybe they listened to a lot what I had to say.
Honestly, this is the underwater drone that they should be capitalizing on for smooth professional filming purposes, the design is just more hydrodynamic than the M2. If you've seen any Stans Legacy videos shared on the
Official Chasing Owners Facebook Group, they're absolutely stunning.
Not sure if the M2 will ever get as smooth footage as the Gladius Mini due to where the thrusters positioned and the shape of the body design, but hey, I could be wrong.
On the flip side of that, the M2 can do so much more than the Gladius Mini, omni movement, do full 90 degree angle, and also lateral movement, so you be able to capture video footage that the Mini will never be able to do. Such as sunlight video peaking through the water, filming directly down at fish, even following fish laterally. A lot of things you have to weigh, pros and cons, before purchasing an underwater drone.
I had asked Stan, who is now a moderator on the Chasing Facebook Group, if he was going to purchase the M2, he said he's still happy with his two Minis. What I get from that is, he's probably going to wait for the upgraded version of the Mini to come out, since it has more stable video footage for professional filming, since that's what his business surrounds. This is just an "assumption" of mine, I could be wrong...
I had noticed a lot of the videos I shared of Stans on this forum, had been privatized, even taken down from YouTube. Not sure why, I mean probably because he makes a business out of it and films professionally, but I notice even the average underwater drone hobbyist kind of keeps a lot of their videos private, got that impression from Youcan Phil with his customers as well... I think this will change with time, once more and more underwater video footage shows up on youtube and other social media, once underwater video footage doesn't become as "unique" and "rare." Because underwater footage is still pretty rare...
That is precisely why we have little online content. Our customers never post their videos, its not because of video quality, its because they use them professionally and have zero interest in online likes.whatsoever.
