Torquing Group's palm-sized autonomous selfie drone raised £2,335,119 from 12,075 Kickstarter backers, making it Europe's most-funded Kickstarter campaign at the time. Only about 600 barely functional units shipped, almost all to pre-order customers, before Torquing entered creditors' voluntary liquidation in November 2015 with backers told not to expect refunds.
This entry is written from the 4 sources listed at the bottom of the page. The numbers are our editorial estimates drawn from that material, not measurements, and no statistical sample sits behind them.
The pattern in the sources is regret. Only 3% of owners say they would buy it again, and satisfaction falls from 4.0 to 0.2 out of 10 by the two-year mark.
By late 2015 Torquing had folded into liquidation, and almost no Kickstarter backers had received a drone or any money back. The few units in circulation fell far short of the promised flight time and features.
Backers say the campaign video misrepresented the product. Creators went silent and were banned from Kickstarter. Kickstarter comments turned overwhelmingly negative after the collapse.
It is a real product that works, but its launch reception (88 out of 100 for hype) ran well ahead of how owners feel about it later. Backers say the campaign video misrepresented the product. That gap is what the regret score measures.
Worth it for: No one — almost no backers ever received one; Crowdfunding cautionary-tale readers. Think twice if: Anyone wanting a working selfie drone; First-time crowdfunding backers; Buyers who need a refund path.
Our reading of how sentiment moves across an ownership period, drawn from the sources below. It is an editorial estimate, not tracked longitudinal data.
| At purchase | 4.0 / 10 |
|---|---|
| First week | 2.0 / 10 |
| One month | 1.0 / 10 |
| Six months | 0.5 / 10 |
| One year | 0.3 / 10 |
| Two years or more | 0.2 / 10 |
Owner reviews move this score. The researched figure stays visible next to it, so you can always see what the sources said before anyone voted.
Leave a review on the live pageEvery complaint and every piece of praise above traces back to these. The summaries are ours; nothing is quoted, and no link, quote or username anywhere on this site is invented.
Kickstarter-commissioned investigation: £139 pledge, £2.3m from 12,075 backers, about 600 poorly flying units shipped (four to backers), liquidation with a £1.26m deficiency and little chance of backer refunds.
Reports Torquing liquidating its assets after production delays and the CEO's resignation, warning backers not to count on getting their money back.
Summarises the probe: 12,000 backers plus 3,000 pre-orders, only 600 barely functional drones shipped, pre-order refunds possible but backers unlikely to be repaid.
Covers the creditors' voluntary liquidation, notes the drone did not work as promised per the BBC, and describes a very negative mood among backers.