Help me choose the right set of batteries here

[Hector_Fisher]

The battery itch is strong this black friday.... I need some assistance deciding on second set of batteries for the kraton. I'm buying two 3s so I can also use them in the 3s trucks we have. I'm indecisive by nature, so some push is always appreciated.

Hoovo 3s, 7200mah, 120c, $80
https://www.amazon.com/HOOVO-7200mAh-Connector-Associated-Airplane/dp/B083R41X4Q/
I have another pair of 5500 3s hoovo's that I like, i assume these will be on par, just slightly heavier.

Zeee 3s "HV", 9000mah, 120c, $110
https://www.amazon.com/Zeee-Premium-Battery-Connector-Vehicles/dp/B09CMMXHRS/
I've had a pair of Zeee "premiums" before that didn't impress me, but these are much bigger capacity and actually have 10awg wire, so they might be a good buy? As a plus, this and the above hoovo would fit in every single one of my trucks.

Zeee 3s, 8000mah, 100c, $110
https://www.amazon.com/Zeee-Battery-8000mAh-Traxxas-Associated/dp/B089RB3W2L/
"Only 100c", but they would fit the kraton better (don't need to wedge them into the battery compartment).

SMC DV extreme 3s, 6900mah, 135c, $100 (w sale)
https://www.smc-racing.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=67_99&product_id=658
The seemingly obvious choice, but i've been through two pairs of SMC (extreme graphene v2) that puffed, lost cells, or have super high IR so i'm still bitter towards SMC. These DV's are also reDONKously heavy.

Looked at CNHL G+, but the sizes are very nonstandard and too wonky to fit alot of my trucks. Any other recommendations for stuff on sale this black friday that could beat the value for these?

EDIT: adding these that have come up.

Liperior Endurance 3s, 6000mah, 80/160c, $65 shipped
https://rcbattery.com/liperior-endu...v-hardcase-lipo-battery-with-t-connector.html
I know nothing about these new "Endurance" packs and there is hardly anything available on line. But the price makes me want to try them.

 

[Cereal_killer]

I’d pass on the lower grade SMC…. The DV at least… I have lost 4 in total of em.. not worth losing money… need any more proof.. I’ve got emails and photos.. I would say that the SRD hasn’t given me any issues.. and I’ll continue to buy SRDS but the DV I’d pass. And FYI danny is a amazing person to deal with

 

[sumguy75]

I just bought a pair of these in 4s but still 120c/6600mah and I feel like they don't lose as much punch as my Hoovo and Zee batteries. I'll be buying at least 1 more pair.

https://www.amazon.com/Socokin-Batt...fos.08f69ac3-fd3d-4b88-bca2-8997e41410bb&th=1

 

[bukshypro]

I got the 8000mah 100c 3S hardcase Zeee and 7000mah 100c 3S softcased.

I am super happy w both, but in my opinion the hatdcased ones here offer best value. I don't have experience with how much difference the 100C - 120c - 135c would have between each other

 

[Hector_Fisher]

I’d pass on the lower grade SMC…. The DV at least… I have lost 4 in total of em.. not worth losing money… need any more proof.. I’ve got emails and photos.. I would say that the SRD hasn’t given me any issues.. and I’ll continue to buy SRDS but the DV I’d pass. And FYI danny is a amazing person to deal with

View attachment 258353

Thanks for the tips on the DV packs!

I just bought a pair of these in 4s but still 120c/6600mah and I feel like they don't lose as much punch as my Hoovo and Zee batteries. I'll be buying at least 1 more pair.

https://www.amazon.com/Socokin-Battery-Connector-Helicopter-Airplane/dp/B09FJXY6MF/ref=sr_1_8?keywords=socokin+3s+lipo+battery&qid=1669352703&sprefix=socokin+3s,aps,167&sr=8-8&ufe=app_do:amzn1.fos.08f69ac3-fd3d-4b88-bca2-8997e41410bb&th=1

Those hoovos won't fit in the KeXB battery tray. I can barely squeeze my 37mm tall batteries in.

 

[dk3000]

https://rcbattery.com/

Is my current go to

 

[dk10438]

I'd pass on zees. Not sure why so many people recommend them. In my limitless zees can only get 94 mph but my CNHL's 107. Zees aren't that much cheaper either....

 

[Hector_Fisher]

https://rcbattery.com/

Is my current go to

I'd be interested to see how they stack up against other packs. Any comparisons? This set is catching my eye.
https://rcbattery.com/liperior-endu...v-hardcase-lipo-battery-with-t-connector.html
Just wish they had some bigger pack sizes (7000 to 8000).

I'd pass on zees. Not sure why so many people recommend them. In my limitless zees can only get 94 mph but my CNHL's 107. Zees aren't that much cheaper either....

If I were going for speed runs, probably might be choosy. I won't say I've ever had amazing performance from them, but they seem to get the job done for a decent price. But you're probably right, I should remember they aren't top performers.

 

[bukshypro]

I'd pass on zees. Not sure why so many people recommend them. In my limitless zees can only get 94 mph but my CNHL's 107. Zees aren't that much cheaper either....

I got my attention on the Zeee batteries from toooona of youtubers. They didnt even advertised it or talked about it, I just noticed it in the vids. And here in the UK they are the only ones that have an Amazon presence and 7-8k 100C versions cost about half compared to Spektrum batteries that are 50C and 5000mah.

 

[dk10438]

I sure you know that c rating isn't standardized so manufactures pretty much over state it, some more than others.....

 

[Diem Turner]

I got my attention on the Zeee batteries from toooona of youtubers. They didnt even advertised it or talked about it, I just noticed it in the vids. And here in the UK they are the only ones that have an Amazon presence and 7-8k 100C versions cost about half compared to Spektrum batteries that are 50C and 5000mah.

C-rates are probably one of the most misunderstood specs when it comes to lipos and the one manufacturer fudge with the most to mislead buyers about the performance of their batteries. There's a bit of a C-rate war that's been going on for a while and, I suspect, this happened because there's no agreement on how C-rate is measured and, as such, became a vector by which manufacturers could inflate the performance of their batteries without getting in trouble with regulators. Again, this is speculation on my part. What isn't speculation is that at some point in the past one manufacturer started claiming higher C-rates to boost sales. It didn't take long for others to follow suit and that's how we got where we are now.

FWIW, don't invest too much in C-rates on batteries as much of it is marketing. There is no agreed upon industry standard of determining C-rates so everyone just does their own thing. If pressed, I'm sure every manufacturer could provide a method by which they arrived at their C-rating, but I'd be willing to bet that it goes back to really short pulses in which they can deliver those rates.

To illustrate how absurd some of the numbers are that manufacturers print on their batteries, let me use the G-Ace 15000mAh 100C bashing packs as an example. To calculate discharge rate, you multiply C-rate by capacity (Ah). So in this case we multiply 100C x 15Ah = 1500A. Does it sound reasonable that you could push 1500A through 8AWG wires for any amount of time? I seriously doubt it.

C-rates are typically much lower than what you see printed on the pack. Don't lend them too much credence. A much more important factor (that is largely ignored in the RC world until you get deeper into it) is the internal resistance (IR) of the cells. Cells with lower IR will be less susceptible to voltage sag under load which translates to higher RPMs. This is exactly what you want in high performance applications like speed running. Cell matching of IR in packs is important in high performance applications as your pack is only as strong as its weakest cell. If one cell's voltage collapses under load, it doesn't matter how good the other cells are.

There's a lot more information out there on this topic, but this is the tl;dr. I hope this helps to pierce the fog surrounding the topic of C-rates.

 

[bukshypro]

C-rates are probably one of the most misunderstood specs when it comes to lipos and the one manufacturer fudge with the most to mislead buyers about the performance of their batteries. There's a bit of a C-rate war that's been going on for a while and, I suspect, this happened because there's no agreement on how C-rate is measured and, as such, became a vector by which manufacturers could inflate the performance of their batteries without getting in trouble with regulators. Again, this is speculation on my part. What isn't speculation is that at some point in the past one manufacturer started claiming higher C-rates to boost sales. It didn't take long for others to follow suit and that's how we got where we are now.

FWIW, don't invest too much in C-rates on batteries as much of it is marketing. There is no agreed upon industry standard of determining C-rates so everyone just does their own thing. If pressed, I'm sure every manufacturer could provide a method by which they arrived at their C-rating, but I'd be willing to bet that it goes back to really short pulses in which they can deliver those rates.

To illustrate how absurd some of the numbers are that manufacturers print on their batteries, let me use the G-Ace 15000mAh 100C bashing packs as an example. To calculate discharge rate, you multiply C-rate by capacity (Ah). So in this case we multiply 100C x 15Ah = 1500A. Does it sound reasonable that you could push 1500A through 8AWG wires for any amount of time? I seriously doubt it.

C-rates are typically much lower than what you see printed on the pack. Don't lend them too much credence. A much more important factor (that is largely ignored in the RC world until you get deeper into it) is the internal resistance (IR) of the cells. Cells with lower IR will be less susceptible to voltage sag under load which translates to higher RPMs. This is exactly what you want in high performance applications like speed running. Cell matching of IR in packs is important in high performance applications as your pack is only as strong as its weakest cell. If one cell's voltage collapses under load, it doesn't matter how good the other cells are.

There's a lot more information out there on this topic, but this is the tl;dr. I hope this helps to pierce the fog surrounding the topic of C-rates.

thanks for the info
I remember the guy in the RC shop saying that there is no regulation for the C, so everyone can say anything and since I didn't use any other batteries than Zeee and I was happy with them, I didn't complain.
I also regularly check the internal resistance and for the 7000mah it moves around 2-3 per cell (got like a total runtime of 13-15hours with them, so 3-4h per battery) and then the new, 8000mah have the resistance around 3-4, but I only used 2 of them and only once.
I remember reading somewhere that the resistance is okay up to like a percentage of the total capacity or so.
I also plan to buy other batteries in future, smth that's advertised only 50c to match them against these Zeees.
For me it absolutely made sense to buy these cheap but advised as good batteries that cost half than the Spektrum smart batteries. I also saved at least another £100 on the charger, since if I'd have gone w t he smart batteries, I'd have also bought the Spektrum charger. And I am absolutely happy with my £80 Overlander D100 v2 (SkyRC knockoff iirc)