3 inch T-mount Propeller Comparison

T-mount propellers are those that are based on a 1.5mm diameter centre shaft secured by a 2mm screw either side. They have been the only mounting option for 2-2.5 inch props but are now becoming more popular for 3" due to the weight they save over a 5mm single shaft prop mount. There are only 4 different types of t-mount 3" prop currently available so I've compared them all plus the new HQ 2 blade which is due for imminent release plus a darkhorse prop in a smaller size to make up the numbers. Please note this is a subjective comparison based on my opinion but my help as a startpoint for your decision. This is based on real world feel, light time and bitter experience with motors I've burnt out.

Emax Avan 3 inch tri-blade
This is the first modern design 3 inch prop designed for a t-mount which was released with the 3" Babyhawk R (reviewed here).

• Weight and Response: 1.27g This is very light for  tri-blade and mass is concentrated near the hub meaning response is very good for a triblade of this pitch.
• Pitch: Mid-range. This is well suited to 3s on an 1106 4500kV and will manage a 4s as well but is reasonably amp-hungry. Make sure your motors are not hot.
• Balance: Very good, typical of modern tri-blade
• Durability: Low-medium. Less material on the outer part of the blades means they bend/break easily, especially towards the edge of the blade
• Other notes: warning: given the unique design of the blade near the hub, this is unlikely to fit any motor with a stator size larger than 11mm. Update: confirmed these fit successfully without modification on the RCX 1304. New RCX 1306 unconfirmed.
• Recommendations: Excellent on 3s but be cautious on 4s considering this is limited to 13mm stator size
• Available from: Banggood, Hobbycool

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Unique blade design close to hub means 11mm stator (maybe 12mm) is maximum

HQ 3x3x3 v1s tri-blade
HQ props have the newest 3" t-mount prop design at present. This has been chosen as the stock propeller for the Full Speed Leader 3 (initial review here and flights here)

• Weight and Response: 1.49g Traditional blade design meaning response is in-line with weight: slow (in this class)
• Pitch: Agressive. On an 1106 4500kV motor with 3s this is amp hungry and with 4s it consistently burns out motors (as I found here with the Leader 3) Should suit the larger stators like the hypetrain brat 1407 well.
• Balance: Excellent, typical of modern tri-blade
• Durability: Medium-high. Ever since the launch of the original 5x4.3x3 v1s, HQ have really got their prop material sorted.
• Other notes: I believe this agressive pitch is the reason behind the premature deaths of the original Leader 3 release. I'd recommend against using these on 4s for 1106 and below.
• Available from: FullSpeedRC, Piroflip

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Gemfan 3035 triblade
This is quite an old prop and can be hard to find but is still suprisingly relevant.

• Weight and Response: 1.42g This is a midweight prop and response is medium for a tri-blade
• Pitch: Light. A light pitch means this is a good option for higher kv motors on 3s or 4s on 11mm sized stators. Probably a little light for motors with larger stator sizes.
• Balance: Good,typical of a tri-blade.
• Durability: Medium - probably slightly better than the avan.
• Other notes: This is a good match for 11mm sized stators and some have found that running this prop on the Leader 3 can prevent motor failure on 4s without an appreciable loss in speed compared to the HQ 3x3x3 - probably because it can get this prop to peak speed unlike the HQ. Probably a bit light for larger motors. Can be hard to get hold off but Banggood and HobbyCool seem to have stock for international delivery.
• Available from: Banggood, Gearbest,Hobbycool

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Gemfan 3025 bi-blade
This is the original 3" t-mount prop and so can be found for sale in weird and wonderful places

• Weight and Response: 0.97g This is an extremely lightweight prop and reponse is very high as a result.
• Pitch: Very light. A very light pitch means this is a good option for higher kv motors on 3s or 4s on 11mm sized stators. Probably wasted on anything larger than an 1106 unless you are looking for endurance.
• Balance: Mediocre. Not intrinsically bad but being a bi-blade means it is prone to become unblanced quicky when damaged
• Durability: Very poor. Short of landing on a pillow these are easily damaged
• Other notes: This is a good match for 11mm sized stators that can be guaranteed not to stress your motors. I've even run these on 1103 motors on very lightweight builds. This is a really good match with 4s 1106 like on the leader 3 or babyhawk r but have poor grip when the weight is higher. Best prop available if you are superlight or want super-endurance.
• Available from: Banggood, Gearbest,Hobbycool

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HQ 3x3x2 v1s bi-blade
Just released at the time of writing: as per the 3x3x3 above but bi-blade rather than triblade. Disclaimer: I have not tested yet and below information based on assumptions from comparing bi-blades and tri-blades in general. Will update once mine arrive and I've tested.

• Weight and Response: 1.1g (est.) Bi-blade means this is a light prop and should be very responsive
• Pitch: Agressive. Shoud be less amp hungry than the tri-blade version but would still recommend excercising caution using 4s on an 11mm stator size.
• Balance: Good however being a bi-blade it is more prone to getting out of balance.
• Durability: Medium-high: same as the tri-blade
• Other notes: Although this still has an aggressive pitch, 1 less blade should mean this is less of an amp-hog for a given thrust i.e. it should be efficient at the cost of grip. Consider this for a lighter build or for extended endurance but expect to use more throttle to hold a line on cornering.
• Available from: RaceDayQuads

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Dark horse to consider...

Gemfan 2540 flash triblade
Yes this is a 2.5" prop but objectively it is so good it is worth considering downsizing. You can find an earlier review I did on these here and a review on the Skystars Bolt X120 which uses these on 4s here

• Weight and Response: 1.0g This is a very lightweight prop and response is very good - especially if it is on a motor designed for a 3" prop
• Pitch: Agressive but since the blade length is smaller it won't stress your 11mm stator size motor. Pointless on any motor bigger than that (except perhaps the 1404/1304)
• Balance: Excellent
• Durability: Excellent. This is the toughest of the lot
• Other notes: The standout prop in the 2.5" class punches above it's weight in 3" quads. It's durable and won't stress your motors (even on 4s) but it naturally delivers less maximum thrust and efficient due to it's size. I wish they'd make this same prop extended to 3"....
• Available from: Banggood, Gearbest,Hobbycool, Piroflip

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Others:
Please note the King Kong 2840 propeller was not included here because I found the Gemfan 2540 superior in every way. Also I have not include the Rotor X 3044 because it is difficult to source where I am based. The feedback that I have had is that it is more aggressive in pitch than any of the above props and probably only suitable for for stator sizes 13xx and up.​