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I haven't even had it a year and I've flown it less than a dozen times.

I've had an on-again, off-again relationship when it's come to drones. More than a decade ago, when I first paid attention to the video quality of drone camera footage, I was impressed and thought it would be nice to have one when I travelled. It would be great to capture still images from a height or video footage from vantages that I wouldn't be able to reach myself.

At the time, I wasn't much of a videographer (that skill set is still questionable) and I was nervous that any drone I bought would fly away on me or crash on its first flight. I feared that I would just be throwing money into the wind.

So, I told myself I didn't need a drone.

A couple of years later, when my former employer gave me a gift card, I had drones on my mind at the time and so I decided to put this gift card toward one. I chose a light, basic drone with a 720p camera on it but it really wasn't a good choice.

For one thing, the drone was so light that it didn't take much of a wind to blow it off-course. I flew it into so many trees on my first outings with it. It was a tough drone and I never broke anything on it when I crashed it, but it was clear that this drone was a challenge to fly, especially because the remote control, itself, was poorly made.

Also, the camera was absolute garbage, making me not want to use any of its footage anyway.

When I crashed the drone for the last time, the micro SD card popped out and got lost, and I decided that I wasn't going to waste any more time on the device. It now gathers dust in my basement.

Once again, I told myself that I didn't need a drone.

Two years ago, I was watching a video by a YouTuber that I follow for camera tips and gadgets, and she reviewed a self-flying drone, the HOVERAir X1. This drone was compact and had its propellers protected with a cage, but what really impressed me was that it was a self-flying drone that required no separate controller: it had pre-set flying modes and could follow you everywhere.

Well, almost everywhere.

In the review, I learned that the drone could have trouble with sudden elevation changes, such as if you wanted it to orbit around you and you were standing on the edge of a cliff. The drone also was unable to fly over water—a feature that I very much wanted for when I was kayaking.

With a price over $500, the HOVERAir was also out of my price range. Once again, I told myself that I didn't need a drone.

Less than a year later, I learned about the DJI Neo, which looked like a direct competitor to HOVERAir, offering a similar, self-flying drone. But the Neo had a better camera, had other interesting stats, and best of all, its promo video showed somebody on a standup paddleboard, with the drone following along.

The DJI Neo was being promoted as having the capability of flying over water. And the drone cost less than half the price of the HOVERAir.

I was intrigued but held off, choosing to watch more videos. I came across so many videos of people promoting the DJI Neo and giving positive reviews that I thought I might go for it. One video reviewer tested the Neo by trying to destroy the drone—flying it at top speed into solid objects or getting it up to its maximum height and then cutting the power, resulting in a fall onto asphalt.

In every test, the drone continued to fly and record video, though it started showing signs of damage after repeated crashes. Though, who would punish the drone on purpose?

I saw one video, where a kayaker tested the Neo by having it follow him along a river. The Neo worked well but when it came time to landing the drone, the kayaker had issues because to get it to land, you need to hold out the palm of your hand and stay still. The current kept the kayaker moving.

He finally had to connect to the Neo through his smartphone and manually land it, but there were some nail-biting moments as the kayaker had to paddle to shore to retrieve his camera before the battery on the drone died, and he had to get close to the drone in order to connect to it.

I thought that by owning the compatible DJI remote controller, I'd have no issues with flying the drone, so I bought the Neo with the Fly More package, which included two more batteries and a charger with the remote controller.

Even though I bought the drone last November, DW wouldn't let me open the box until Christmas and then, because of the cold winter weather, it wasn't until the spring that I really started flying the drone.

I love the drone and have been able to obtain some good video footage, but I've always been nervous handling it over water. As more reviews came in, DJI advised against flying over water. If the water was murky or there were waves, it seemed okay: but if the water was still and mirror-like, the altitude sensors could become confused and make the drone want to land.

Not good when you're over water.

As much as I've enjoyed the Neo, I haven't used it very much. Like I said, I haven't even used it a dozen times. I'm nervous using it because it has no collision avoidance and it's not recommended for use over water—one of the main reasons that I bought it.

And in the past month or so, DJI has introduced the drone's next version, the Neo 2. This drone has more sensors that enable obstacle-avoidance and is so much better in so many ways: it has a two-axis gimbal, compared with the single axis of the original; it shoots in 4K 60fps video, compared with 30 fps; it has a greater range; it has more internal storage; it's a bit heavier so that it handles wind better (I have missed some flying because the wind is too strong for the lighter drone); it's auto modes are customizable directly from the drone.

And so much more.

The Neo 2 also proves to fly over water and can be controlled with hand gestures, so I can operate it from my kayak without the remote controller.

I didn't need more convincing: I ordered it at the beginning of the week.

Because the Neo 2 is the drone that I should have waited for, I don't see the need to keep my original Neo and have listed it on Kijiji. I'm even adding the dedicated, third-party hard case that I keep everything in.

At my $400 asking price, whoever gets it will be getting a great deal. Considering how little I've flown the drone, the three batteries are like new. The drone itself also is in excellent condition, having never crashed or dropped, and having been kept safe in this case. There are spare propellers, also in their sealed bags.

It's like getting a new drone, without the box but with a perfect-sized protective case.

I hope it sells quickly. If you're interested, reach out: if you know someone who might be in the market, pass this post along.

Happy Thursday!