Best batteries

[Rush7]

I dont want to open a can of worms with this.
What is the best route to go for batteries...... Thunder Power or Flight Power.
Just trying to get some ideas.

[CSpaced]

I don't think its fair to pit TP against FP, what you have to do is look at what application you want to use them for. What kind of flying will you be doing, hard 3D or scale? This could decide what kind of draw a pack needs to handle. Is weight a big consideration? The charger you will be using on them will determine what kind of balance tabs you are looking for, or other balancing options such as adapters, and of course price range.

Once you've weighed up all the considerations, it should put you in a better position to pick packs out of the options available - from any manufacturer. That being said, batteries are very competitive these days and a lot of your decision will come down to personal preference :)

[Rush7]

Thanks for the advice. Looks like I have a little more work to do before I narrow it down.
I guess I was just trying to look at two of the big hitters in batteries and see how they compare to one another.

[ericb]

I have used both with great success. I am not at a level where I can tell a difference between the two. I have more flightpower as that is what my LHS carries. I use the V-balancer also and it works great. Like I said, never had a problem with either.

[Rush7]

Looks like the higher end flight powers that I can get are a little better priced than the thunder power. May be the main factor when it comes down to it.

[Petey]

The best batteries are the one that suit your application and needs.

Just to give you an idea or extreme opposites:

Extreme 3d = higher C rating like 25C
Scale = average 10C to 15C

There are manufacturers out there stating 300 charges "guaranteed" with some type of back up be it a new battery or heavily discounted.

[Trex Pilot]

i really like the Engerland batterys they are really good batterys but they are pretty pricey :(

[ScaleFlyer]

I am really liking the OUTRAGE packs, They have more pop then others i have tried.

[Nelvick]

If you compair the new Thunderpower Extreme V2 are more ligth than FP.

FP for the price
TP for performance and weight.

[invrted]

I personally cant pick between FP or TP. both are great packs. i personally have been using TP packs longer (since i began flying with electric planks around 3 years ago) and some of those packs are still going strong today.

i think either way you cant go wrong. i would however suggest checking out Outrage packs from helidirect and also look into the packs that unitedhobbies.com sells. great bang for the buck there

[Jaycab]

Fromeco

[Sleepyc]

Fromeco

I'm 99.9% sure these guys were talking about flight packs, and not "rec" packs.

BUT Fromeco packs for rec are awesome.

Check out www.42-percent-products.com as well.

Mostly airplane stuff, but GREAT lit-ion cells IN STOCK at good prices as well.

[lowflyier]

Outrage packs are the go less heat MORE power and at a reasonable price

[AzHeliCrasher]

Zippy?

[miket]

I've had great luck with Max Amps and Excite battery on both my helicopters and EDF's. The EDF is really hard on batteries and so far I'm pleased with both brands. I'm looking at trying some of the Outrage ones next. Mike

[jones007]

I've been using Outrage 8S 3700 packs in my Trex 600ESP for a while, and I've had a number of failures. I'm running a Neu 1910H/1Y and CC85HV, and just breaking into 3D a bit. I've logged many flights with an EagleTree, and average loads are around 35 Amps with a few peaks of about 70 Amps when I hit collective hard.

One of the original packs was shipped with a disconnected wire in one of the balance headers. The first few charges were on a TP 1010 charger and balancer which didn't notice the fault (it was the ground pin on the second header which is the same as the 3rd cell on the 1st header - apparently the TP balancer connects the two internally). Later I purchased an FMA CellPro 10S (great charger!) and it noticed the fault and refused to charge the pack. HeliDirect replaced the pack, after $12 shipping and 3 weeks turnaround. After about 25 cycles, one pack started to lose voltage drastically a few minutes into flights. No problem, HeliDirect replaced that pack too - $12 and 3 weeks later. After about 10 cycles on the new pack, cell 8 started to fail, and drifted out of balance badly. No problem, HeliDirect replaced that pack as well, this time with an 8S 4200.

Kudos to HeliDirect for great service, but I'm not sure Outrage packs are all that great. They're rated at 25C continuous, that's 92.5 Amps, and I am running roughly 1/3 of that, and still destroying packs. They replaced it with the 4200 this time, as they said they have had a number of 3700 packs come back. I've only got a few cycles on the 4200, so I'll try to update this when I get more on it. I'm also now running a TP ProPower 30C 8S 3850 pack, which is a monster, size and weight-wise. So far it seems pretty strong, and I think it's the same price as the Outrage 8S 4200.

I know many people that used to fly 600-size electrics that have moved to 90-size nitro, as they said they just couldn't afford batteries anymore. They claimed that 40-cycles was typical. They definitely abuse packs more than me, but if I can't get at least a 100 cycles on a pack, I may think seriously about switching to nitro as well. I just love the ease and cleanliness of electric.

--Kevin

[steffgiguere]

I too am not happy with my Outrage packs. Had 6, 2 dead with 52 cycles, one dead after 49 cycles the other dead after 47 cycles. Still have two left each with 48 cycles. I had bought these last September 2008, therefore 7 months ago. My LHS is seeing what he could do with Helidirect as replacement, 50%, direct change, nothing or something else. Well the verdict is in...Helidirect will do nothing....Good luck to you guys who are using Outrage packs. I've ordered the new G/ VX Hyperion pack, I'm confident that these will last more than 50 cycles, I used to fly Hyperion, the old pack, and have gotten ever 89 cycles on them before I sold the heli I was using them in.

[dmulligan]

The best batteries are the one that suit your application and needs.

Just to give you an idea or extreme opposites:

Extreme 3d = higher C rating like 25C
Scale = average 10C to 15C

There are manufacturers out there stating 300 charges "guaranteed" with some type of back up be it a new battery or heavily discounted.

You are 100% correct in saying that the best batteries are the ones that suit your application and needs. However you did forget one part of the equation. Cost. For someone who does not have 3d in their near future, such as a newb or a scale pilot, you can get more packs for the money by going for budget packs such as the Zippy Flightmax packs. For instance a 2200mAh 25c 3s Zippy Flightmax pack is $25 USD delivered. The turnigy packs with the same specs are $24 delivered. Think about how many packs you can order for the price of one high end pack!

Even for those flying 3D, try one of the new 40C Rhino packs. I suspect a $35 delivered pack will be way better than useless and possibly become your new main packs. Dunno though as I neither fly 3D yet nor have I tried one of the new packs. Zippy has a great track record though going back to their Loongmax packs.

[airboss]

the more expensive packs arent always better , I have found that no matter what the brand it all comes down to number of cycles and use or abuse. the extremes seem to effect them mor like heat and over discharging. I had sworn by TP packs for years only to find lesser costing packs were the same . best things to look for is a replacement waranty and good service life. for best results go 90 nitro:D

[Raydee]

I was a huge fan of FP and Tp untill I tried the new Hyperion G3 packs...hands down the clear winner.

[RC Accessory]

I would recommend you take a look at the new PowerEdge brand. Incredible power and the best warranty in the battery business. Heligeek.com and rcheliresource.com just released their product reviews.

www.heligeek.com
http://www.rcheliresource.com/review-poweredge/

Warranty: http://www.poweredgerc.com/return-policy.aspx

Your satisfaction is very important. Please carefully read our satisfaction and return policies below:
30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee

30 days from the date of delivery, if you are not satisfied with your purchase you can return the product for a full refund including standard shipping charges. Expedited, rush or shipping charges beyond our standard shipping charges are not refundable. Our 30 day satisfaction guarantee excludes any damage caused by abuse, neglect, over charge, over discharge, crash, or use that exceeded the batteries recommended use. PowerEdge Lithium Products will determine the condition of the return product. You must return the battery prepaid and through a trackable delivery system such as UPS or FedEx. Please use this form to send us back your battery.

50% off Crash Replacement

For a period of 1 year from the date of the invoice, we will replace the battery pack on a one-time basis at 50% off the retail price of the same battery pack or current equivalent/replacement PowerEdge product. We may request that the pack be sent back to us for examination to help determine how we can make our products even better. At no time should a crashed pack be shipped if the battery pack poses a danger. Please use this form to request a replacement battery under our 50% off Crash Replacement program.

1 Year Product Warranty

All PowerEdge Lithium Products. LLC lithium batteries are warranted for a period of 1 year from the date of invoice against manufacturing defects and workmanship. We take great pride in the manufacturing process and stand behind our products. This warranty is void should the cause of the failure be determined that the lithium battery product was abused, mishandled, over charged, over discharged or exceeded the batteries recommended use. Final warranty determination may require that the battery pack in question be sent back for evaluation. At no time should a crashed pack be shipped if the battery pack poses a danger. Please use this form to send a product back that is under warranty.

Should you need to send us a product back under warranty, please contact us and let us know what the concern or issue is, we will be glad to help you.

PowerEdge batteries can be purchased at www.poweredgerc.com or www.rcaccessory.com

[Heli_Flight]

Has anyone flown their electircs using the A123 Brand batteries? What's your experience how much do they cost and where's the best place or web-site to buy them? I hear these batteries are more expensive but can last up to 1000 cycles. Is this true? If so, maybe it would pay it self off, triplefold after just 300 flights.

I fly the 450 class EP heli's and I am interested in upgrading to the 600 or 500 ep heli. The down side is that the batteries are so expensive for the 600. Maybe A123 batteries might be the way to go and help to offset and increase the cycle per dollar value incomparison to the standard lipo usage.


Regards,
Heli_Flight

[trex]

A123 batteries are promising but they are heavier (lower energy density) than LiPo. You don't have many sizes to choose from. As far as I know there are only 1100mAh and 2300mAh available. None of those would be the right weight for your 450 size heli.

[NighthawkF-117]

Both great batteries. I love the 45C TP packs.