6s, how balanced is balanced enough?

[PsychoPilot145]

How close do you insist your packs are balanced x/y before flying or recharging?

0.005, 0.010, 0.020 ect...

My large packs are in limited supply so I want to make sure that they last.

[HPSOV2]

Balance when the pack is discharged isnt relevant, most packs will tend to lose balance the more they are discharged. Balancing while discharged simply creates an imbalance when the pack is fully charged.

When fully charged the cells should be within 0.03v of each other. This comes from the general figure of 4.23v being the highest a cell can go prior to damage occuring.

The 'correct' way to balance packs (IMHO) is either to do every charge using a balancer (balance during the charge). You can use a voltmeter after the charge to verify that the balancer is infact working correctly.
Or dont use a balancer, and use your voltmeter after charge (or during charge in the CV stage) to verify balance. If your packs are 'good' I suspect you will find they always end up within 0.01v of each other regardless of whether a balancer is used or not.

[PsychoPilot145]

OK, thanks. I was not sure if being really balanced before charging was that important.

I use a TP 1010/210 combination, so it does a pretty good job of balancing on the charge up. So far, I have been trying to wait until the cx/cy is 0.010 or less before strapping the pack back on the bird. If 0.030 is OK, this will make for an extra pack a day at the field.