Batteries, batteries,batteries ??????

[Jerrymac]

I think we need a battery thread to share our good and bad experiences with the different brands out there to help others decide what to try. I personally hate spending big bucks for lipos only to find that they are not really all they are hyped up to be.

So, share your battery thoughts here and help us all out.


I have some Mega-Power batteries that I bought over 3 years ago and they are still going strong, but now have some minor puffing. I would surely buy more of these but they are no longer available. I have also had good luck with the G-Force batteries from Value Hobby. I have been happy with the Hyperions that I got for my little Gaui 200, but I haven't used any other Hypes except for the 2s ones for the 200, so not sure how well the larger ones hold up.

I am looking to get some more 6s 2500mah to 3000mah lipos in the spring, so what have you guys used that you would recommend???

jerry

[malcolm]

Hiya

I have had 4 Turnigy 1300Mah 30C 3s packs for a couple of years now with no problems, they are not the most exciting of packs but seem reliable so far, had maybe 50 to 60 cycles through them with no serious imbalance between the cells when they first go on the charger after a flight.
I would recommend them if you are not after fierce 3D type discharge rate and power, As general sport batteries they are good.
Thunderpower have the name if you want the higher discharge rate and power but of course the penalty is $$$

[dunkonu23]

Bad experiences... Turnigy 2600 mah 6S... puffed after about 20 flights. Outrage Orange packs... puffed after about 10 flights. NRG receiver packs--puffed after about 6 cycles (18 flights).

Good experiences. Hyperion 2200 3S 35C's, Thunderpower (all that I've had), Voltz 3300mah 45C 6S, Volts 5S 4500 35C 5S packs.

I have two 6S Chrome 5000mah 35C packs, but they've only got three cycles on them so it's too early to tell.

Scott

[Jerrymac]

I am not quite sold on the Voltz batteries yet. I have read hundreds of comments about them and they seem to be about 50/50 as far as the quality goes.

I haven't read very many negative comments on the Thunderpowers, but, I myself just can't seem to justify the price of TP's.
I thought about the Pulse lipos from HeliDirect, but so far I have read nothing but negative comments about them. Nobody seems to have anything good to say about the Pulse batteries, so, I think I will pass on them.

I might try some 6s Hyperions since I have had good results with the 2s Hypes. I might also try a couple of the Sky lipos, and the Gens Ace just to see how well they work and hold up.

The hard part is that some people have good luck with certain batteries, and others have bad luck with the same brand, so, it is kind of a pot-luck decision i guess.

[dunkonu23]

Yesterday, when I maidened my 7HV we were all taking about batteries and the degree of suckage some brands have over others, so this thread was very timely. We decided that all batteries suck but the difference is in the degrees of suckage. Unfortunately, the only batteries that people say don't suck much at all are Thunderpower and about the only ones I can afford are the 2250 3S' for my 450. So, they suck because of price.

I did see some very cool 12's batteries. Unfortunately they're Thunderpower and I'll never be able to afford them.

Scott

[Jerrymac]

Hmmm, the suckage factor, lol. Never thought of it that way Scott.
Is that kinda like voting for the ' lesser of 2 evils' in an election???

Being somewhat of a budget flyer myself, I just can't afford TP's even if they get mostly high remarks. The big problem with lipos seems to be that many brands are just inconsistent in quality. This thread is a good example. Malc replied that he had decent results with the Turnigy lipos, and Scott replied that he had bad experiences with the Turnigy lipos?

One of Scott's previous posts reminded me that I also had 3 Outrage lipos too. Two were flight packs, and one was an RX pack. The 2s RX pack has been in my Hurri 550 for 3 years now and still works great. The 2, 6s flight packs I had puffed badly after about a dozen flights.

So, the search for good quality, fairly priced lipos will continue. Hopefully our collective efforts will someday provide an answer.

Jerry

[dunkonu23]

Feb 8, 2012 4:40:37 GMT -5 Jerrymac said:

Hmmm, the suckage factor, lol. Never thought of it that way Scott.
Is that kinda like voting for the ' lesser of 2 evils' in an election???

Being somewhat of a budget flyer myself, I just can't afford TP's even if they get mostly high remarks. The big problem with lipos seems to be that many brands are just inconsistent in quality. This thread is a good example. Malc replied that he had decent results with the Turnigy lipos, and Scott replied that he had bad experiences with the Turnigy lipos?

One of Scott's previous posts reminded me that I also had 3 Outrage lipos too. Two were flight packs, and one was an RX pack. The 2s RX pack has been in my Hurri 550 for 3 years now and still works great. The 2, 6s flight packs I had puffed badly after about a dozen flights.

So, the search for good quality, fairly priced lipos will continue. Hopefully our collective efforts will someday provide an answer.

Jerry

Others say Voltz suck back. Mine don't suck badly at all. I suppose degree of suckage depends on flying style and whether or not you at least attempt to take care of your batteries. That doesn't discount quality, though. I suppose the thing about Thunderpower is that they're the best. Nobody I've known denies that. But they cost so damn much. It's like Kontronik ESC's. Okay, they're supposed to be the best, but I can't afford one. Gens Ace are supposed to be good batteries, too. One of my friends has two and they look great, but after three cycles on one and two on another, the jury is still out.

If someone is happy with a $10 Zippy, who is to tell them they're not happy.

In the end, it's all kool-aid.

Scott

[Jerrymac]

I thought about trying some Gens Ace or Sky lipos, but, they are only sold by HobbyPartz which is a knock-off of X-Heli, and their customer service is the worst in the country.

I might just try some Voltz lipos as I have always had good customer service from Ready Heli.

[dunkonu23]

I didn't know that about HobbyPartz. I had my friend order from them to get Gens Ace batteries and he got them very quickly. I've read some stuff about their customer service on the freak, but that's about all I've heard.

Scott

[yoshimoto]

Ive got to chip in that i get on well with the Turnigy Nanotech's in 2s and 3s for my small Gauis but also have a clutch of Overlanders all of which return good performance and have held their voltage well over the past 18 months.
Fair value too,even here in The land of the taxed-God bless the Queen
Alex.

[dunkonu23]

Alex,

I've never heard of Overlander's. Do you have more information on them?

Scott

[yoshimoto]

Here you go Scott
www.overlander.co.uk/batteries-chargers/lipo-batteries.html
I havnt used the extreme versions yet and only came across them when I was looking for a Losi mini T 3s pack to run a brushless set-up.
In all honesty i would class them as decent quality budget stuff but you will probably find that they are re-badged for the UK market.
Alex

[dunkonu23]

Thanks for the link. I wonder if anyone sells these on this side of the pond? Prices seem pretty reasonable.

Scott