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Which lipo brand is best

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  • #41
    Originally posted by Alpha.MotionRC View Post
    RE: Which lipo brand is best

    Having flown nearly every battery brand out there on the market (speaking to their actual source, not the vendor's sticker slapped on it), I prefer Admirals and Dynogy for their good balance between price, availability, and service/warranty support. Glacier ranks up there as well. When you fly as much as I do, value per ounce is a top consideration. I don't mind paying a little more to get a battery which I know is consistently available and has Stateside support. In general, I have found that how a pilot cares for their batteries is critical to the longevity of those batteries. Misuse, improper charging, storage, over-amping, over-discharge, etc, can kill even the most expensive battery.

    In addition, be wary of over-hyped discharge ratings. When selecting a battery for a given aircraft, I assess that aircraft's needs and find a battery to match, regardless of the brand. For high power EDFs I use batteries with dependably high discharge sustainability and consistently low IR. For small prop planes, by comparison, I don't buy the more expensive high discharge batteries, opting instead for the cheaper, lighter, lower discharge rated batteries. Different manufacturers tend, in my observation, to specialize in certain batteries for certain formats. This gets into a much larger discussion at the factory level of cell origination, grading, construction, assembly, etc.

    For now, here are a few battery brands I've used over the years and can currently recommend. Every brand has its duds from time to time, so my observations are taken as a general statement of what I have seen firsthand, averaged over many batteries of varying voltages, capacities, and discharge ratings, unless otherwise noted:


    I've used Blue Lipos in the past with good success, but the sizes I want are almost always out of stock. Availability is a huge downside to this otherwise reasonably priced and performing brand. These days as my Blues have gradually died, I've replaced them with Admirals.

    Revolectrix are consistent performers in high power EDF use, but I've found consistency issues with this pricy brand. Importing these Taiwanese batteries can sometimes be a challenge. Gary at Effluxrc.com used to carry them in the States, but no longer. I wasn't fond of Revo's change to the split pack design for larger batteries, although I understand the reasoning. Accurately C-rated. Consistent internal resistance, although at a higher level than Glacier, GensAce, or Admiral.

    Dynogy batteries, especially their 65c series for jets, can sustain high amp draw for longer periods than most brands I've used. Mark at Dynogy supports his products from his California base, which again is a huge positive. They are more expensive than most brands, however, and Dynogy cells are heavier and dimensionally larger than their counterparts. This is understandable since they use actual high discharge cells, which make them great for EDF use and racing boat use in particular. For every day warbird use, though, which don't require 100+ amp draw, I've found other brands offer better value per ounce.

    Pulse batteries perform well in my 6s+ helis. I haven't tried anything smaller than 6s 4000 in helis or jets so I wouldn't be able to rate their performance in lower voltage aircraft.

    GensAce batteries are very dependable. Their discharge rates aren't exaggerated, which is why I've found that a 30C 5000mAh GensAce pack consistently outperformed the "70c" 5000mAh Turnigy packs I've tested. Don't be afraid of the lower rating. Many pilots I know would echo this observation.

    I used to use Hyperions a lot. To be honest I haven't flown them in at least 18 months, so I cannot comment with current data. For what it's worth, they performed within spec. I used 3s 4000 up to 6s 5000.

    The same can be said with ThunderPower. For a while there TPs were the only battery I used, but to be honest these days I prefer some of the other brands mentioned above, due to cost, weight, support, performance consistency, etc. In my Electra I used TP's 6600mAh saddle packs because they were optimized for the plane, which negated the potential guesswork of fitting another brand with different pack dimensions. Warranty policy is a bonus with these larger batteries in 8s-14s configurations. Personally though I wouldn't pay for the Thunderpower label if it was on a 1s-4s battery. Not anymore, at least.

    ChinaHobbyLine batteries have been hit and miss for me. Some are fantastic, some are horrible. Your mileage may vary.

    Haiyins never worked well for me. For the price, I would expect much better performance. Used in 1450-1700mm warbirds and a 100mm EDF. I would rather use Turnigy Nanos than Haiyins, and yet some friends of mine swear that Haiyins are the best they've ever used. Your mileage may vary.

    I used to use HK Rhinos with good success in the 3s 1500-4s 2200 range. Cheap and compact, they were great! The price is right, provided you don't get a dead cell. Larger packs failed on me prematurely, as did Nano-techs. The "70c-90c" is a joke. Zero warranty support, as evidenced when a 6s pack arrived with two dead cells and the cost to return it negated the savings if I had just bought a brand from a US vendor. If a pack begins to wane after only 50 flights, it's a big negative in my book.
    I'm surprised you did not mention Roaring Top. Made by the same company that makes Thunderpower. California warehouse. Great support from the likes of fellow jet jock Andy from www.rcjetwerx.com. I go for the power to weight ratio. Compare equivalent mah and C to what you're using and I think you may be surprised. Maybe even amazed.

    Hawk
    Currently flying: Twin 80mm A-10, 80mm F5, 80mm A6, 70mm Yak-130, 70mm F-16v2,90mm Stinger 90, 70mmRC Lander F9F, Flightline F7F TigerCat, Phoenix 46 size Tucano, Flyzone L-39
    Out of Service: 80mm Mig-21,64mm F-35, 64mm F/A-18
    I Want: 80mm A-4, twin 80mm F4J Phantom

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    • #42
      Originally posted by vickyace
      Hello, maybe you can find the answer from the article: http://www.genstattu.com/blog/best-l...ur-lipo-brand/. The article wrote by famous pilots, hope it can help you..
      Of course, their brands are the best. ;)

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      • #43
        Originally posted by WintrSol View Post

        Of course, their brands are the best. ;)
        You saw that too.
        AMA 424553

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        • #44
          I've been using yellow Zippy Compacts almost exclusively for like 3 years now and they've served me well.

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