Why is it EVERYONE seems to only run Tri-Blades on 5" quads?

Lately I've been trying to find a quieter prop for my 5" FreeStyle quad.  On a recommendation I saw in a post somewhere on here, I tried these 4 bladed Props by HQ : https://www.racedayquads.com/collections.../hq-prop-4 

And I LOVE THEM!  They are slightly smaller than 5" @ 4.8, but with 4 blades at a pitch of 3.4.   They are definitely quieter than any 3 blades I have tried, and give great control.  I know 4 blades aren't as fast as a tri blade, and a little less efficient, but I think they are amazing.  I still get over 5 min flight time of my normal 'flow' type of light freestyle on a 6s 1300mAh lipo. And the best benefit is the sound.

After trying the HQ 4 blades I just ordered a set of these from GemFan : https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B094VG...UTF8&psc=1
They are 5.1" Dia, with a higher pitch of 4.55.  Haven't gotten them in yet, but I'll report back once I've gotten some stick time on them.



After just realizing how much I love 4 blade props, I started to wonder, why is it I only ever had 3 blade before, and why is it EVERYONE else runs 3 blade?  I just find it odd that we all have different flying locations and styles and yet EVERYONE settled on the 3 blades!?  Is it because that's what the Pro's use because 3 blade is faster?  

If it wasn't for that post on here about the HQ 4 blade being a quiet prop I never would have even tried them, and would still be running only 3-blade because that's what everyone else does.

I'm not saying they are perfect for EVERYONE, I'm just saying they seem perfect for ME, and it is strange that I don't see at least SOME other people using something other than 3.  If you have not at least tried some 4-blade props, give them a try.  If you are a very fast flyer they might not be for you, but I can't be the only one that loves these things.

Yes I know they have some downsides. Slightly less efficient, more Amps, a little slower than the usual light-weight tri-blades.  But as I said, I still get great flight times out of them, I like the smooth slow speed control, and my favorite part: I love how much quieter they are.  I'll let you know about the GemFans in a few days.


Anyone else on here run any props other than Tri-Blades on a 5"?  I'm looking for other suggestions of a quiet prop for park / light freestyle/ flow type flying.

I've always just run tri-blade props. No particular reason other than for a balance of performance and efficiency.

Anyway, why stop at 4 blades? Just stick on some 8 bladed props, or two of them on each motor for smoother quieter flights 

I used to run 2 blades a while back in 2016. Then late 2017 I switched to 3 blades.

5-6blades are still quieter but the sound is going "jetish" like a jet.
i run some 4inch 6blades, they are quiet but the sound id strange xD

a fourblade isnt less efficiency everywhere, mostly, on a particular rpm area they are(/can be) more efficiency than a triblade (at the same rpm). a fourblade give more trust on a lower rpm, at a given trust area the fourblade might be more efficiency.

general, longer blades and less blades are more fast and more efficiency. oneblade doesnt work about balance and overall weight. so twoblade is the way to go with focus speed and efficiency. more blades give an effect in direction like it has more i-term,or like it has a excessive high feedforward value - more robotic.
if we look at the edge of performance in racing, fourblade had/have some place in thight technical tracks, in theory... in practice the manufacturer doesnt provide options... the hq and gemfan fourblade you found might be the best fourblades on the whole market

smoothness for freestylers seems in the middle, they dont like the instant response of triblades and they dont like the robotic feel of more than fourblades. fourblades might be nice for gap-tricks on a freestyler.

why we doesnt use twoblades for racing about performance xD its response we would like... its speed we would like... i see two main reasons;
might be most important - betaflight which defaults and filters are made for matching one kind of build: 5inch with triblades. it performs as best out of the box on triblades for sure somehow good somehow it hides a lot options and decreases the versatility
second is the performance come from triblades isnt needed in truth for the most pilots, its needed on some kind of micros to get enough performance. the increased performance can be even an issue, did you ever tried to tune a performance rig on biblades? xD good luck xD thats a tuning endurance challenge.... biblades are more noisy about vibrations.

nice there is a fourblade lover on the forum :-)

If I like the GemFan ones as much as these HQ then I'll be sticking to 4 blade from now on. It just seems to suite me best.

I guess 4-Blades just suit my flying style and RPM range I am normally in much better than Tri-Blade. It was only my 2nd time out with the 4-blades, and I got great flight times out of them, (5 min - 6m50s on a 6s 1300mAh flying to Avg. V. Per cell = 3.6)
I am normally pretty low in RPM range as I love flying very close to the ground, serpentining between cones or trees, making my own track out of the cones and goals and other things on the fields at the park.

Can't believe I've been flying a couple years now in total and just now discovered 4-blade works best for my 5" and how I fly. I just wish there was more options, but if the GemFan are as good as the HQ I'll be happy with those 2.

One of regular local online stores sent me a set of HQ 4.8X3.4X4 props for free with an order I placed with them and they asked me to post a review on the listing after I had tested them.

Too lazy and never tested them which is why I never get free products for review I guess

I fly tri blades on all of my quads except for the Explorer LR where I run bi blades for efficiency.

I love quad blades big time. I've flown all of them on the market (HQ 4.8X3.4, ummagawd 4play 4.8x3.6, gemfan 51455, HQ 5X4X4 V1S, Emax Avan 5x2.8x4). Great for proximity and precision flying.

My experience echoes what others have said above: in some rpm range, quad blades aren't less efficient than many tri-blades, and there are some tri-blades that are less efficient across the whole rpm range.

I also found that quad blades are harder on motors: 1) they weigh more (duh); (2) they usually require higher D gains than most of tri-blades to achieve the same propwash handling.

If you like the 4.8x3.4, you'll probably like the ummagawd 4play even more. It's the 3.4 cranked up to 11: lighter, slightly faster and punchier, even more responsive and grippy, better propwash handling with the same filter/d gain.

The gemfan 51455s have a noticeable different feeling in that they are less responsive than the two HQ 4.8 diameter variants (still more grip than tri-blades), and with a lower hovering point and a much higher cruising speed (more thrust) and they are great for open area flying, they almost feel like something between a tri-blade and a quad blade. They can be more efficient for high-speed flying due to the larger diameter, and great for heavier rigs (700g+).

The emax ones have a great stick feel, but they are THE least efficient props I've ever flown. And the HQ 5X4X4s are pretty dated, I find them average to below average in all departments.

Would highly recommend the 4Play due to your fondness for the 3.4, the gemfan 51455 are also pretty interesting.

I got the GemFan 5.1" in yesterday and flew with them this morning.  They are GREAT!




I am definitely converted to 4-Blade full-time now.  These things are so quiet, give me great control, and I still get over 5min flight times on a 6s 1300mAh.  My motors start feeling above body-temp after 3 packs back-to-back but still only slightly warm, not even close to hot, and I am on my same tune I was using for tri-blade Ethix S3/P3 props before.


I'll try a pack of those Ummagawd 4Play 4.8" as well.  Thanks for the suggestions.  These and the 4.8x3.4 from HQ are the only one's I've tried so far, and I love them both.