okay so ive been flying whoops for about a year and decided to pull the trigger on a proper 5inch freestyle build. got a frame already (iFlight Nazgul5 v2, picked it up used for cheap) and im pretty set on running BetaFlight with a decent F7 stack. the problem is motors. everyone online has a different opinion and half the reviews feel like ads.

right now im looking at either the Xing2 2207 1855kv or maybe going with T-Motor F40 Pro IV in similar kv. budget isnt huge, like 60-70 bucks total for all four motors ideally. mostly flying in open fields and occasionally some light tree lines, not racing just want to punch out and do some rolls and splits. weight isnt a massive concern for me.

also anyone running an analog setup still or is everyone full digital now? i have a Caddx Ratel2 sitting around from an old build and debating just using that to keep costs down rather than buying a DJI O3 setup. does it actually matter that much for freestyle or is that more of a racing/cinematic thing

the Xing2s are solid for freestyle honestly, ive run them on two different builds without issues. the F40s are slightly smoother in my experience but youre paying a premium and for fields and casual flying youre not gonna notice. id lean Xing2 at your budget and spend the savings on a decent ESC if you havent sorted that yet.

and yeah plenty of people still on analog, the Ratel2 is actually a pretty capable camera still. if youre not trying to FPV through tight gaps at speed the latency difference with O3 isnt gonna suddenly make you a better freestyle pilot. use what you have and upgrade later when it actually feels limiting

im kind of in the same boat as you lol, just finishing up my first 5in build too. went with the Xing2 2207 2450kv though since i read they punch harder on 4S which is what im running. not sure if that was the right call but motors arrived yesterday so ill find out soon i guess. the motor choice stuff really is overwhelming when youre new to it