2017 Black Friday Deals On DJI Drones Have Started

It’s not even November yet, and like a lot of retailers Kohl’s department store is leaking some of it’s Black Friday deals.

But like everything in life, the devil is in the details.

The first DJI drone deal of Black Friday 2017 is a $100 price reduction(or 20%) on the DJI Spark mini drone.  That’s a great deal…or is it?

The Kohl’s Black Friday Deal is for the Spark drone only…the bare bones package with one battery and some propellers and a micro USB charger.  You’ll be able to palm-launch and struggle through the lumpy gesture control (which I can tell you first hand is a frustrating experience).

To get any real use out of the basic Spark package you’ll have to pair it with either a smartphone or tablet, but even then your range is limited to 100 meters distance and a height of 50 meters.  That’s enough to get you trained, but after a couple of flights you’ll need more distance to capture truly awesome photos and videos. 

Based on Kohl’s Black Friday deal leak, we fuly expect that DJI authorized the price cut (the terms of these are in the reseller agreement) and DJI will have it’s own Black Friday deals at the same time.

Is it a better deal to buy the Kohl’s DJI Spark Black Friday deal and then just add the rest of the Spark Fly More Combo afterwards?  Let’s price it out:

Kohl’s Spark ($399) Plus Remaining Fly More Combo Acessories (Charging Hub, Prop Guards, Battery, Remote Control, and Bag) comes to $714.

Buying the Fly More Combo direct from DJI is still only $699 (before we know what DJI’s own Black Friday deals will be!).

So you’re still better off buying the Spark kit direct from DJI.  And actually, we do feel a bit sorry for the folks who will receive the basic Spark kit as a gift because they’re going to be missing out on the best features of the Spark from the start.

Either way, if you buy from Kohl’s or DJI just remember to add DJI Care Refresh to your purchase within 48 hours of activating.  Without the Remote Control there are going to be a lot of crashes.

Related: 7 Reasons You Should Buy Your Drone Direct From DJI