Please help me choose battery
 

Hi,

this year's racing I ruined two NanoTech packs from HobbyKing, I presume because I left them fully charged between races. So for a month, once two months. I know that it's not good, but I only have an estimated 20 cycles on them. I never discharged them too far, nor does the Tamiya TT-01 with Carson Cup Machine motor ask for a lot of current...

Anyway, I will be racing F1 next year with a rebuilt F103, so I would like a nice shorty pack. Capacity is no issue. I am hesitant to buy abroad again, here are five contenders I found at a fairly LHS:
http://www.the-border.com/Intellect-...2S3500SV1.html
http://www.the-border.com/Arrowmax-L...-AM700202.html
http://www.the-border.com/TrakPower-...-TKPC0610.html
http://www.the-border.com/Team-Silve...orty-Pack.html
http://www.the-border.com/MuchMore-I...TS3300FD2.html

All have various pros and cons, and I am unfamiliar with brand names. I used to fly, and use Zippy lipos only as I never asked for real performance.

Please advise, preferably from experience.
Cheers,

Hugo

I have one of the nano tech shorty lipos and it does a good job. They have the nano tech ultimate shorty now if you want 5mm plugs

You did junk the batteries by keeping them overcharged in storage. Have done the same thing myself. They swell up

Doesnt matter how good the batteries are, if you left them stored fully charged, they will puff.

the lipos is not the problem . The way you abuse them is! Just buy what you can afford that is in your region =) personally ive using Fantom lipos and motors for over 6 years and I got no complaints.

Lipos are most likely only made in a few factories anyways, with how they test determining which sticker goes on them.

For example car batteries are made in 3 factories for the majority but theirs tons of different manufacturers. Autozone batt = walmart batt

Don't worry too much about your mistake. I've lost $695 worth of maxxamps batteries the same way...lol... I stick to thunderpower now, and store them at 7.70volts after every run... My main problem was that I did not have a charger with a storage charge program then.... It was costly, but thank god nothing blew up...

Hi guys,

sorry for the late reply, I don't seem to get notifications... Thanks for the input. So the storage it that important, right? so basically I can go with the same el-cheapo batts. store them better, and have the same fun? Performance-wise they absolutely fit the bill and they don't cost anything.

Cheers,

Hugo

Correct. Cheap packs will work great and last a long time if you treat them right. Storage charge and you are fine.

I agree. I run valuehobby g force brand. Very affordable. I've had one go bad (my fault)out of the 9 or 10i have. I have another nearly 2 years old and many many bash sessions on it and is just starting to puff. I'd say not bad for 19 bucks.

Love my LiFePo4 pack. No worry about storing at 0% nor 100%, nor in a too hot or too cold area/room, nor over discharging, nor puffing, nor fire/exploding. Sure it isn't as powerful as LiPo 7.4v nor as light. But its' reliability, stability and low-maintanence, far outweigh its' small list of cons..especially for my uses - fun/bashing, not racing, not looking for the ultimate fastest car on the planet and just drifting.

I only wish there were more options - like being available in shorty, saddle pack and hardcase.

The overall price of lipo batteries has gone down far enough to allow racers not to have to compromise too much on quality... Getting the cheapest of the bunch might be more expensive in the long run without the proper performance... A $60 to $70 reputed performance pack might be a better deal than an unsure $30 pack... Choosing a lower capacity ( less than 6000mah) pack at a discounted rate from a reputed brand is better than choosing a cheap high capacity unknown pack.....

Thanks again. I'll try a nanotech ultimate and do the proper storage.

I agree lifepos are easier, but the Cup I race in has 2S lipos mandatory.

Cheers,

Hugo

Sorry to revive this one, but I have a related question.

OK, so I ruined my previous set of packs by storing them fully charged. I don't do that anymore, and the pack are now half way their second season. But I have a timing issue. I bring the packs to the track, at storage level, and then they require about 40 minutes charging to fill them up. But often the qualifications are already underway when I arrive and I only have a few minutes to do my thing to qualify. Unfortunately I cannot charge my batteries at my work, Would it damage the batteries if I charge them the night before, to race the next night?

Cheers,

Hugo

It will eventually. But I did it for years, charge 1 pack the night before so I could run laps as soon as I got to the track. Yes it will eventually cause a problem. But you get to run asap. Second suggestion is the newer lipos aren't as sensitive to input current. You could charge at 2c or even 3c to get on track faster. That would easily be less stress on the pack than leaving it charged overnight.

I currently charge my Fantom 4s packs sometimes at 20-30 amps if I'm in a hurry. I prefer not to, but will if I'm in a hurry. My packs are almost a year old. No balancing issues, no IR issues, and most importantly no puffing of any kind. Also the quality of your charger will help your packs last longer as well. I highly recommend an Icharger. Any of them will work fine. The 308duo, 406duo, and 4010duo are the better ones. They charge 2 at once however hard(fast) you want. And even discharge at high amp loads as well for stock racing.

There's nothing wrong with Hobby King batteries, yours died because you left them fully charge for so long I'm almost positive. And for the price you get how they can batteries for you can get double the amount for the same price as getting batteries from other places most times. And realistically all batteries to come from China, you're just paying mark up on branding getting them elsewhere. I've been buying from Hobby King for years like a decade, and I think I've had maybe four batteries in all that time go bad on me, and I've probably bought well over 200 or more. Save yourself the cash and get them again just remember to properly storage charge them