Buying Lipos - International Customers

[SpinRush_C1]

This post is mostly for Bashers living outside the United States. I live in Japan. One of the most difficult things about this hobby is getting the right batteries. If you are shopping through Amazon.co.jp or other versions, you might discover the choices of Lipos are limited. Sometimes it’s a pain to find that battery that is often recommended by the brand vehicle you are purchasing.

I have a Typhon 6S, a Team Associated Reflex 14B, and ** JUST ORDERED ** 1/10 LOSI Tenacity DB Pro Desert Buggy. The latter being the most difficult to get Lipos for .

Arrma currently doesn’t seem to have “smart” tech for their vehicles. Getting Lipos is just a matter of getting the right size. This was the least difficult one. You can get Lipos shipped from just about anywhere.

Associated will ship Lipos for their cars, but with an additional handling fee. I took that. As long as I get the batteries. They were kind enough to include them in the vehicle box. https://www.associatedelectrics.com/

Traxxas and Horizon Hobby website seem to be the most difficult.
Disclaimer: I do not currently own a Traxxas, however I do know that some of their cars feature the Traxxas brand connector. Good luck with that. If I can’t buy their Lipo, and have it sent overseas I’m not buying.

Now to most difficult of them all, Horizon Hobby. I just ordered my LOSI Tenacity through Horizon Hobby. I could order and ship everything for the car, BUT not the Lipo. Here is the most difficult battery for me to get.
The Spektrum 5000mAh 3S 11.1V 50C Smart LiPo Hardcase; IC5
Spektrum Smart Lips seem to be pretty high tech. The battery, the Spektrum ESC, and the Spektrum Radio Transmitter are all linked. They even have an iPhone App. One without the other is a waste of money and tech.

I tried multiple websites to order this battery. Amazon.com has it, but they won’t ship. Horizon Hobby doesn’t ship. My own Amazon.co.jp does not have the battery at all. You can get the right size Lipo though. No Spektrum SMART tech though.
Finally, I found a site that will ship this Smart Lipo. https://www.absolutehobbyz.com/.

I’ve ordered the battery and when it arrives they will have my seal of approval.

Spektrum Smart Lipos by far are the hardest to get. It’s baffling that Horizon Hobby will sell you a vehicle and all the things you need for it, except the battery. This doesn’t mean that you can’t get a Lipo for their cars. However, it does mean that you may not be able to enjoy all the features of the Spektrum Smart system if you buy any vehicle associated with their tech.

Have a good international website you can recommend for buying and shipping Lipos internationally? Please share it here. Most other brands do not have this issue, but before you buy Traxxas or Spektrum brands be sure to check if you can the Lipo you want.

 

[jonUF02]

The Spectrum smart stuff is a waste of money. I can buy 3x regular batts for the price, so who cares if it may extend the life of such an expensive battery when I could just buy a new one, then another new one before I reach the same cost. For the smart stuff to work, you also must have their charger.

Are the Chinese sites available to you? Ali, Banggood, Hobby King? All have plenty of lipos.

 

[SpinRush_C1]

The Spectrum smart stuff is a waste of money. I can buy 3x regular batts for the price, so who cares if it may extend the life of such an expensive battery when I could just buy a new one, then another new one before I reach the same cost. For the smart stuff to work, you also must have their charger.

Are the Chinese sites available to you? Ali, Banggood, Hobby King? All have plenty of lipos.

I 100% believe you when you say it’s an expensive battery. I checked other sites and I can definitely find Lipos that fit with EC5 connectors that will connect and work just fine. Perhaps it’s just my pride shopping.

I post about my visit to Yatabe Arena here in Japan. UFO2, fellow bashed, believe me when I tell you, I felt embarrassed. The Japanese were ALL TECHED out. I saw their cars, their hardware, and tool sets. The picture below is just a sample of what I saw.

Their transmitters from Futaba and other makers looked like stuff from the new Star Trek series.

I was standing there holding my “Tricorder”.

“Oh, that’s American tech”. I’m the tallest person in the room. EVERYBODY can see me! “Oh he represents America”. I’m new at this too?!?!? OMG! I don’t want to embarrass my country! That’s the President’s job.

Next time I walk into Yatabe Arena and set up shop, I’m going to look the part whether I know what I’m doing or not. I’m going in like this!

Now you know and I know Spektrum is far from the best. However, I’ll make sure I look the best I can out there. With that said, yeah it was my pride shopping.

 

[jonUF02]

Nothing beats a big American motor in a big American truck with basic amenities. LOL.


Seriously, all that techy stuff is completely unnecessary. A cheap radio works just like that fancy one, and the cheap battery will perform the same as the expensive one. It's the driver that makes the difference, and maybe some proper mechanical tuning of the car. Go buy the local standard car so you can play with them, but don't think you need to waste on the tech aspect.

 

[Outcastblxnut]

Yeah I’d pass on the spektrum battery and buy more regular lipos. Like someone else stated you can buy 3 for the price of one and you need the spektrum charger ??‍

 

[SpinRush_C1]

Yeah I’d pass on the spektrum battery and buy more regular lipos. Like someone else stated you can buy 3 for the price of one and you need the spektrum charger ??‍

Did you just say I “NEED” the Spektrum charger? You sure about that? I gotta go back and check. It’s IC5. An EC5 connector should do the trick.

 

[Outcastblxnut]

Did you just say I “NEED” the Spektrum charger? You sure about that? I gotta go back and check. It’s IC5. An EC5 connector should do the trick.

Not if you want the “tech” aspect

 

[Mongoose]

Did you just say I “NEED” the Spektrum charger? You sure about that? I gotta go back and check. It’s IC5. An EC5 connector should do the trick.

You need it if you want to take advantage of all the features, ie Smart Charging