7" Freestyle/Long Range
Here you'll find links to the best performing products for 7" long range drones based on my testing over on AOS Labs and my own experience and research. Some of these links are affiliate links (affiliate policy).
Motors
AOS Supernova 2807
More torque, more power, and better efficiency. The Supernova 2807 is the first 7" Motor optimised using over 20,000 electromagnetic finite element simulations built on data from real world testing of over 100+ FPV motors . This is the new performance benchmark for 7" FPV designed by AOS and built by RCinPower.
Brotherhobby LPD 2806.5
These Brotherhobby motors use a unibell design which may be slightly more durable (although that's usually less of a concern for 7" quads). Brotherhobby are well known for making quality motors, particularly in the larger sizes.
EMAX ECOII 2807 1300KV
The EMAX Motor has great performance across the board. The only downside is that it's a heavy motor and that reduces it's weight normalised performance. If you're not too worried about weight this motor is a great value choice.
Flyfish Flash 2806.5 1350KV
A good balance of performance with excellent responsiveness.
RCinPower Smoox 2806.5 1350KV
A motor that is a little heavier and provides a little more performance whilst still maintaining a great balance of performance to weight.
T-Motor F90 2806.5 Motor - 1300KV/1500KV/1950KV
For a 7" long range quad using lighter pitch tri blade or biblade props the F90 has plenty of performance at a lighter weight than the 2808s which gives longer flight time. 1300KV on 6S is my recommendation.
Electronics Stack
SpeedyBee F405 V4 Stack - F4 V4 FC + 55A BLHeli_S ESC - 30x30
A great budget stack for a larger 6-7" quad. For 5" I have moved to 20x20 M3 stacks as they have plenty of capability in a smaller and lighter form factor. Don't get upsold to an F7 or BLHeli_32 ESC I have yet to find anyone who can tell the difference even when tuned to the limit.
SkyStars Fly Stack - F722 HD Pro 4 FC + AM60 60A AM_32 ESC - 30x30
The big brother of the Skystars F722 Mini. This is overkill for a 5" quad but perfect for a larger 6 - 8" build. The 60A AM_32 ESC will put anything else to shame. I've torture tested it's little brother the KM55A and found it incredibly durable. For a high power 6 - 8" build this is what I would buy today.
Skystars Fly Stack - H743 Dual Gyro HD FC + KM60 60A BLHeli_32 4-in-1 ESC - 30x30
An H7 processor is total overkill for flight controllers today. It has far more performance than Betaflight needs even running everything at an 8K loop rate. That said some pilots have their heart set on H7 and this offering from Skystars is a good value option with an ESC suitable for 7" drones.
T-Motor F7 Stack - F7 FC, F55A PRO II 3-6S 4-in-1 ESC Combo
T-motor have the best reputation for quality and durability in FPV. This is a fully featured F7 stack with a bulletproof 55A ESC. Overkill for 5" quads but 6-7" builds will benefit from the higher current rating.
SpeedyBee F405 Stack - F405 V3 FC + 50A 3-6s BLHeli_S 4-in-1 ESC - 30x30
30mm FC and ESC stacks are perfect for larger drones with >5" props where high current rated ESCs are required. This stack from Speedybee offers great value for money. Make sure to flash BlueJay firmware to the ESC.
VTX
Walksnail Moonlight Kit 4K Avatar VTX Kit
The top of the line Walksnail Avatar VTX. Onboard 4k60 recording and 1080p60 or 720p100 video in the goggles. The image quality is not as good as DJI O3 but the price is much more reasonable and this camera does better in low light.
HDZero Race V3 VTX
If you're a racer then HDZero is the HD system for you and this VTX is designed for 3" and 5" racing quads. Make sure to use a flight controller with at least a 5V 1.5A / 9V 1A /12V 1A BEC. This VTX cannot be powered from battery voltages above 2S.
Foxeer HDZero Race VTX
Foxeer made a HDZero Race VTX! I actually prefer the specs of this VTX to the HDZero one because it can be powered from up to 6S LiPo voltage! Everything else is the same as the HDZero Race V3.
HDZero Freestyle V2 VTX
True 1W output power for the HDZero system just got better. The smaller 30x30x14 mm form factor and 20mm M2 mounting pattern make this VTX perfect for 3" - 5" Freestyle drones and pilots who want the lowest possible latency of any FPV system available today. De-cased the VTX can be used on Lightweight 3" builds.
Avatar V2 VTX
The full size Avatar V2 VTX comes in two versions: 8GB and 32GB of onboard storage. You can also choose between the Standard camera (best for daytime flying) or the Pro camera (best for lowlight flying). With better image quality and features than the Caddx Vista at a lower price, this is a solid recommendation.
Rush Tank Ultimate Plus 5.8GHz VTX
A solid choice for Analog with a high transmit power and good reputation for reliability.
HDZero 1W Freestyle
The best range and penetration for HDZero with 1W of transmit power. Ideal for aggressive freestyle where the benefits of low and fixed latency are key.
DJI O3
The DJI O3 system pushes digital FPV in a new direction. Here the focus is onboard recording and image quality at the expense of latency. It is a great looking system, some pilots are reporting issues with vibration sensitivity of the IMU used for electronic image stabilisation, hopefully this will be resolved in a future firmware update.
Caddx Vista Nebula Pro Kit
The Caddx vista is a great option for DJI pilots who prefer to record their HD footage on a Go Pro.
Receiver
Happymodel ExpressLRS ES900RX Receiver
If you're flying Long Range alone or with only a couple of others 900MHz ELRS provides the ultimate in range and penetration. I would recommend 2.4 GHz for everything except extreme long range as the antennas are smaller and it copes much better with multiple users in close proximity.
MATEKSYS ExpressLRS 2.4GHz Receiver - ELRS R24 D
I've made my mind up. I'm only recommending ELRS moving forward. At this point it does everything better than any other radio link. LoRa for range and penetration, yes. 1000Hz update rate for crazy low latency, yes. Loads of manufacturers are making receivers for ELRS and I think this diversity offering from Matek is certainly among the best performing and most reliable.
Happymodel ExpressLRS Nano 2.4GHz EP1 RX
Happymodel were the first to bring out ELRS hardware and their EP2 receivers closely follow the developers reference design and are incredibly tiny. If you need the smallest size and weight at the cost of some range the EP2 with the ceramic antenna is the one you'll pick.
Happymodel ExpressLRS Nano 2.4GHz EP1 RX
Happymodel were the first to bring out ELRS hardware and their EP1 and EP2 receivers closely follow the developers reference design and are incredibly tiny. I lean towards the EP1 as the UFL antenna is much higher performing than the ceramic antenna on the EP2.
Props
Gemfan Cinelifter 7035
Gemfan produce this 7x3.5x3 prop that performed extremely well in my thrust testing. It's another great choice for 7" quads and Cinelifters alike.
Gemfan LR 7035 2-blade Propeller
For long range light weight and efficiency is paramount. This 7035 biblade delivers excellent efficiency at the cost of top-end thrust. It's lower torque requirement means that it can be run on smaller 2506 size motors to further reduce weight.
HQProp DP 7x3-5x3-v1s
I've tested nearly every 7" prop out there and this prop stood out as the best all rounder. Light weight, low vibration, top end thrust, this prop has it all.