Anyone tried Cheapo LIpos from Hong Kong?

[dodgey]

I'm toying with buying as second set of batteries for my logo 20, and as you might imagine, that's a lot of money! I run 2 packs of 4s4p 8000mah which are great. Buying two more is over £400 !

I have noticed via ebay that you can buy 4s4p 4000Mah packs form rc vendors in HK for around £40 per pack! - Now I'm sure they may not be as high "C" as I'm used to (My packs support 40A continuous, 70A burst) - but bearing in mind the age of my packs (gen 1 or 2) - they are not exactly high amp packs, and bear in mind I just muck about - no 3D from me! - then as long as these cheapo packs are not rediculously low in "c" rating then I'm guessing they might do the job. Also considering they weight half of my 8000Mah packs it could be quite interesting.

Anyone tried these cheap packs in larger helis?

I might just buy a couple of packs for the hell of it and test hover them out. Not like they cost much.

[PDC]

Do you have a link for these cells?

Thanks

-Paul

[dodgey]

Do you have a link for these cells?

Thanks

-Paul

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/RC-Smart-Lithium-Polymer-4000mAh-14-8v-lipo-Battery-UKH_W0QQitemZ6057213345QQcategoryZ2563QQrdZ1QQcmdZ ViewItem

[DavidH]

There was a warning here a few months ago from our AMA. About cheap Li-Po batteries from companies that were using cells that were not of good quality. I think the post is still here in Helifreak somewhere with a link to the warning. You might do a search and read it before making the purchase.

David

[WillJames]

Found it David!!

http://www.helifreak.com/about10335.html

[dodgey]

Thanks for that :-) - My own feeling is they will be crud. I bought a cheapo 3s for my Zoom 400 from HK when I was buying some other spares. Terrible "c" rating and only lasted about 5 flights then just lost power.

Hmmm. I think I'll wait till TrueRC restock. At least they show C ratings and seem to have a good rep. Still daft how I have to shop in the USA to get anywhere near good value :?

Thanks for the heads up

[WillJames]

Go with the Flight Power, they are ROCKING the house on my Ion-X and TREX. I run the Duralites over here, but you should be able to get the Flight Power over there for a reasonable price right?

[PDC]

Guess all lipo cells origin from China these days....if one buy the known brands, one know the price and what to expect....with new brands it can also be some good or good enough cells to a better price, but there will always be a risk that it is crap, so it will cost time and money to find the good cheap products.

I would not buy a new brand if it haven't even got a C rating...in that case expect a very low C rating. Also I would buy a small test battery first time with a new brand.

So the easy solution is to go with the known brands.

[dodgey]

Go with the Flight Power, they are ROCKING the house on my Ion-X and TREX. I run the Duralites over here, but you should be able to get the Flight Power over there for a reasonable price right?

There is NOTHING here with a reasonable price :-(

True - Flightpower products are good, and in the UK they are competative, but I can buy equivalents in the US for under half the price.

[PDC]

I think a way to look at it also is to distinguish between "the best" and "good enough".

for helicopter use, if one wants between 7 and 10 minutes flight time, everything from 10C and up will work. Maybe the high C rated cells will have a longer life if they will not get a short life due to a crash.

True that 30C cells will hold a higher voltage under load than 10C cells, but then maybe some 15-20C cells to half price will do a good job, and with half the risk in case of a crash where the battery is destroyed.

But what are the best product...very hard to know, many good products out there, but it will take a long time to get back all the long term test results, and by that time the product is already an outdated product.

If one can solder the battery´s them self, cheaper battery´s can be made, and a big advantage is that they can be repaired at home in case of a crash.