What's your "budget" LiPo of choice?

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Status
Not open for further replies.
Is there a way to check the C rating on a battery or does it not matter?

I am awaiting shipment of my Kraton 4s.

I have some lipos rated 50c and 80c. I just wonder How accurate those ratings are on budget batteries.
Go for the 50C. The very high C rating is mostly for super speed racers (they are the only ones that barely can tell the difference). I have 50c and 75c rated batteries and I can't tell the difference between them. The only difference is the PRICE. ?
 
Go for the 50C. The very high C rating is mostly for super speed racers (they are the only ones that barely can tell the difference). I have 50c and 75c rated batteries and I can't tell the difference between them. The only difference is the PRICE. ?

thanks!
 
Got a warranty replacement for an SMC 9400 xmaxx 8s battery (worth like $100!), due to the internal solder coming off and it happened AGAIN. I'm never going to buy over priced brand name batteries from now on. My $45 eBay 6200 4s batteries are still working good after a few runs. And now something is wrong with the SMC website?
20200711_120739.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: SrC
I have been using hard case batteries in my Kraton 4s. I wonder if it is a good idea to get a soft case Lipo and put it into a clear hard case. That way I can see if things are puffing or any other damage is occurring. It's all in a literal black box now. I feel the case to see if I can sense any puffing via the force. Otherwise, I am relying on my Lipo fire case to protect my belongings.
 
Got a warranty replacement for an SMC 9400 xmaxx 8s battery (worth like $100!), due to the internal solder coming off and it happened AGAIN. I'm never going to buy over priced brand name batteries from now on. My $45 eBay 6200 4s batteries are still working good after a few runs. And now something is wrong with the SMC website?
View attachment 89086
I have an SMC battery too. I haven't had any issues, but it's comparable to my Amazon special Power Hobby battery. The extra $$ wasn't worth it IMO.
 
When I got into this hobby about a year ago, I quickly found out that cost can be a barrier to entry if you make bad purchases and bad decisions. When I decided to make the switch to LiPo batteries, I did a ton of research on "budget" LiPo batteries on various online forums. I was looking for a battery that was reliable, good quality, and one that would not break the bank. With that being said, I decided on 2 suppliers: SPC Racing Batteries and SMC Racing Batteries. I run a 5000mAh, 50C, 2S SPC Racing LiPo ($33) in my Fury BLX and could not be happier with the performance. I also run a pair of 2500mAh, 50C, 2S SPC Racing LiPos ($20 each) in my mini E-Revo and a 5000mAh, 50C, 3S SMC Racing LiPo ($40) in my Axial Yeti.

So, what's your battery of choice? Hopefully this thread can help out someone who is just getting into the hobby or someone who is looking for a different pack to try.
what you were paying for with SMC was matched cells. Sadly he has retired for the second time from making them, but this time for good. When he retired the first time he kept his equipment and this time sold everything.
 
what you were paying for with SMC was matched cells. Sadly he has retired for the second time from making them, but this time for good. When he retired the first time he kept his equipment and this time sold everything.
There goes my warranty then. I regret buying overpriced batteries. I strongly believe that all the lipo batteries come from the same factories in China with different names on them. Same thing with the C rating. I'm not paying extra for the supposedly 100c or more batteries. I stay between 50-75 c rating. Like I said before, I'm not a racer, just a basher and don't do speed runs. So why pay extra for barely noticeable performance?
 
Yeah I think I was mistaken by their "new website" comment.
I sent an email to Danny at SMC and he is going to warranty the second battery once more, so I must give them that. Even though the SMC batteries are pricey, their customer service and warranty is absolutely top notch.
 
Last edited:
I have been using hard case batteries in my Kraton 4s. I wonder if it is a good idea to get a soft case Lipo and put it into a clear hard case. That way I can see if things are puffing or any other damage is occurring. It's all in a literal black box now. I feel the case to see if I can sense any puffing via the force. Otherwise, I am relying on my Lipo fire case to protect my belongings.
I have hard case and soft, and not necessarily partial to one or the other. I just buy what fits. But a hard case lipo will split at its seam when a cell puffs. Trust me. You will know. Been there. And I don't feel one is safer or better than the other. On paper it appears that way. But in real world use its a mixed bag. Hard case Lipos are less common in general and cost more on the whole. I don't let that influence my choices. :cool:

Edit: it makes sense that a soft pack lipo will run cooler versus a closed cased pack. And lipos that run warmer than necessary tend to puff/swell more so than soft case. Hard case tends to go against the grain.
 
Last edited:
Am running these Hobbyking Turnigy batteries for my Kraton.
https://hobbyking.com/en_us/turnigy...598&indexName=hbk_live_magento_en_us_products

Runtime is about 35 minutes each and internal resistance is between 3 and 4mOhm which is pretty good I guess.
Haven't seen any puffing yet and only get hand warm after bashing.
Balance charge them every time with a UltraPower UP6+ charger charging at 1C. You can pump about 5200mah in each with LVC at ~3.4V/cell.
About 5-6cycles now and so far so good :)
 
Am running these Hobbyking Turnigy batteries for my Kraton.
https://hobbyking.com/en_us/turnigy...598&indexName=hbk_live_magento_en_us_products

Runtime is about 35 minutes each and internal resistance is between 3 and 4mOhm which is pretty good I guess.
Haven't seen any puffing yet and only get hand warm after bashing.
Balance charge them every time with a UltraPower UP6+ charger charging at 1C. You can pump about 5200mah in each with LVC at ~3.4V/cell.
About 5-6cycles now and so far so good :)

I have a total of 5 Turnigy lipos. Turnigy makes some of the best performing lipos available especially the Graphene Panthers. I do wish they had a better warranty though, 30 days is not much for a warranty.
 
I have a total of 5 Turnigy lipos. Turnigy makes some of the best performing lipos available especially the Graphene Panthers. I do wish they had a better warranty though, 30 days is not much for a warranty.

Can't complain about their warranty services as I never had to replace one haha
In my RC lifetime I had about 12 Turnigy batteries (for drones, planes and cars) and NONE of them died ever. Still have about 4 left (sold stuff) and also a few Hobbyking Zippy's.
I always use(d) a quality balance charger and never discharged them below 3.3V/cell.
Guess it matters a lot how you treat and maintain them and no, I don't work for them lol
 
  • Like
Reactions: SrC
Can't complain about their warranty services as I never had to replace one haha
In my RC lifetime I had about 12 Turnigy batteries (for drones, planes and cars) and NONE of them died ever. Still have about 4 left (sold stuff) and also a few Hobbyking Zippy's.
I always use(d) a quality balance charger and never discharged them below 3.3V/cell.
Guess it matters a lot how you treat and maintain them and no, I don't work for them lol
My first Turnigy HD came out of the box puffed, but they replaced it right away.
 
  • Like
Reactions: SrC
My first Turnigy HD came out of the box puffed, but they replaced it right away.
They sent you a dangerous lipo out the box. They had no choice but to replace it Supposedly being a reputable company. A liability on their part. Legitimate Quality control would have prevented that. But all lipo brands can have this happen. Because lipo brands are all a mixed bag IMHO.
 
Just ran my CNHL Black series 65C 5000mah 3S packs again this weekend. They seem to do really well. If I had to say, they feel a bit more punchy than my hrb 5000mah 50C packs and run a bit longer. They are new though, the hrb's have a years worth of abuse on them.

Will see how they do the rest of the year. I've been using my hobbystar 6200's in my eJato and stampede 4x4. Now that the stampede has a slash chassis, they drop right in. Kind of gave up on my old SMC 3S packs I built out of 2S packs. Even though one of them was built out of brand new (not used, but sat at storage for a year), they both take a long time to balance and my run times aren't that great.
 
I have a total of 5 Turnigy lipos. Turnigy makes some of the best performing lipos available especially the Graphene Panthers. I do wish they had a better warranty though, 30 days is not much for a warranty.
30 days is about right for most brands.Sure it would be nice to get a lifetime warranty without exclusions. 30 days is enough time to decide if you have a keeper or not IMHO. There are brands that are more generous than others. Like my one experience with gensacearespammers.directly in Cali. They could have said sorry, but they offered a replacement without issue. I merely inquired about a 6 month old pack that wouldn't balance well..A new 6s Fedexed next day delivery to NY.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top