robert simmons

This is the battery i use....

http://b-p-p.com/product.php?product...&cat=61&page=2

I love the gen 3 Hyperion batt you can charge at 5c and the wrap is so thick it feels like a hard case.... im running mine in my losi 8b with the losi conversion.

edit: they are also shipped out of Az i believe.... I got mine in 3 days ground shipping.

Tekin Prez

All RC lipos I am aware of are made in China or Korea. There were briefly a bunch of manufacturers that jumped in and quickly realized there is simply is not enough market for them all to run at full capacity. As they exit the market excess inventory is brokered thru many channels. All brokers tend to claim they are a manufacturer making it pretty difficult to know much of anything with certainty.

Kokam does make some lipo batteries in the US, but not low cost comsumer stuff. They make super high dollar military grade batteries which is the only way you can afford to abide by US EPA rules and pay employees enough they can live on.

RC lipos are still very labor intensive. Because of the labor and the environment they will probably never be made here. That is really what seperates many lipos is how clean the layers are cut and stacked inside the foil wrap and how well the connections are soldered which we do hear a lot about on some batteries. Also how much fire suppression is included inside at the expense of battery capacity and C ratings. Notice Kokam does not make any crazy high discharge rate batteries because they can't without comprimising the safety levels they choose to maintain due to their non rc customers and reputation. Bottom line is they are not the fastest batteries in a RC car and they cost more which is not a good position. I am not supporting Kokam, but they make a good example of the other side of the spectrum. Saehan in Korea may also fall in this catagory and where our 3400mah came from that we cannot give away in todays bargain market even though it is a great battery we invested heavily in with tooling and UN testing. Cheapest and best are the only markets at this point and both are quickly moving targets.

There are some very good china manufacturers making lipo batteries. They too are struggling to compete with factory direct consumer sales at prices near their cost. When supply far exceeds demand and their are price wars it is not uncommon for companies to operate at a break even or even a loss just to keep the train moving and doors open. Unfortunately it often hurts the quality manufacturers in the process. Who can blame people for trying to survive unless they really are selling unsafe products from a grey market. We have an excellent supplier and bring batteries for our own use and our team that we do not offer to the public for the reasons discussed in this thread.... People will not pay what it cost to get them here, package them, stock them, promote them and let us make even a marginal profit. So it makes more sense for us to focus our efforts and resources on areas where we can offer something better.

We are doing pretty well with our new products considering the time of year and economy. Most do not realize we have had a very expensive 7 day a week effort for 5 years to get here. Anyone that risks that much and works that hard for that long deserves to make a reasonable return. Maybe not a Leer Jet, but a new truck now and then and a snowmobile to rip it up on. That is basis of America, the land of opportunity and fair reward for risk and effort... at least for now