Gaui 500x Quad; new toy, fly with LP5DSM?

We've got a couple CX2s and a mSR and they are great. I think the CX2 is the best learner/beginner helicopter and they are miles better than those toys people often buy in the mall. Those things turn off a lot of people from the hobby.

Yeah, Syma brand helicopters are found in malls across America every holiday season. I basically look at them as a step halfway in between Wal-Mart stuff (Air Hogs, etc) and E-Flite Blade. I got the CX2 so that I could encourage my 13 yr old to fly something that can be flown outside. I think that my 120 SR's are still a bit much for him to handle, along with the mQX's.

-Derek, Next Level RC

LOL. A 120 SR is too much for a lot of adults! Not really a good starter/learner helicopter. On the other hand, many of us have made worse decisions for their starter.

I started with the tried and true mCX's and now have about a dozen of them, eventually moved on to a Traxxas DR-1 and QR-1, sold the DR-1, kept my mCX's, overstepped to an mCP X, went back to an mSR, jumped to 120 SR's without a hitch and now have 4 of them, overstepped again to an SR (oops), low-speed crashed it and ruined only the blades and flybar which have since been replaced but not tested; I also got a trainer set for it for when I'm ready, loved my Traxxas QR-1 and Estes Dart so much that I bought a Blade mQX and now have 4, got my mSR X WHICH I FRICKIN' LOVE about a month ago!! It is no where near stock. Somewhere along the line I got a few of the Red Bull CX's and Scout CX's for refurbished inventory too along with one mCX2. My favorite mCX is the S300 model; that might change with the one that I am about to build though. I'm tossin' a red carbon fiber canopy on one along with the Xtreme foldable blades and a few pieces of aluminum here and there. I forgot to mention that I also got a HobbyZone Micro Champ too; that thing is a blast! My most recent heli purchase was for an auction that included a fully upgraded CX2 and a pair of the Force Battle mCX's . . . and to top it all off I am awaiting shipment of my RTF Gaui 500x!
The funniest part is that this is only the Airworthy side of the story and it's all happened in a matter of 5 months. I got the bug, lol

-Derek, Next Level RC

With all those helicopters and your first quadcopter I think you should start looking into a good transmitter. A DX8 would work with all your small helicopters and give you a better flying experience due to the better sticks. Plus you wouldn't have to carry a dozen little radios.

That is a very valid point . . it has been on my mind, just haven't actually done it yet. lol
-Derek, Next Level RC

There are a lot of great transmitters out there right now and like I mentioned previously if I had to make a purchase today I might lean towards a Futaba, but since you have so many Spektrum equipped products already the DX8 is a really nice radio. If you get a chance to pick one up with your own hands I think you will see for yourself. In my opinion it just feels good. I also like the layout and the rubber grips are a nice touch on those hot summer days when your hands can get sweaty.

Thanks for the advice. Sounds good to me. Are there different models of the DX8 like there seems to be with the DX7, and what are the differences between models if there is any?
-Derek, Next Level RC

There is only one model DX8, but in the USA we usually use mode 2 so if you buy online you might watch for that. There is only one DX7s now also. The difference between the older DX7 models, DX7 and DX7SE, was that the DX7SE was their first model with 11-millisecond frame rate and 2048 resolution. I think most of the Spektrum models can do this now but you can check the specs on their website here:

http://www.spektrumrc.com/