Are all batteries created equal?

[sonofsammo]

As far as batteries go, is there a hierarchy of manufacturers?
Is there anyone to steer clear of?
Is anyone clearly the best?

I'm looking for a new 7.4 for my vector and it got me wondering...

 

[Immortal]

MAH is normally where battery companies mess about with over stating just to get a sale - of which most people probably wouldn't know if the rating was true or not.

Simply, if the MAH is far higher than other brands of the same size then it's likely to be a bit of a fib. It doesn't mean it's no good, it just doesn't hold what they claim.

MAH is the big willy competition for battery companies.

Turnigy Nano have always produced top banana LiPos but there's others that are good too.

Even the nuprol (like Beetlejuice... never say it 3 times ) batteries seem pretty decent.

 

[Skara]

This isn't early 2000s when LiPos were the new kid and nobody knew anything about them.

Nowadays most LiPos are completely fine. It comes down to maintenance and usage. A battery that's well kept, correctly charged and not squashed/punctured will last years, regardless of the brand.

I still have my first LiPos, a pair of 7.4v 1500mAh 15c from Action Batteries.. One is done for because I made some testing on it (on purpose, squashed, punctured and got the voltage below 3.7v to see what happens), the other is still going strong and it's been 10 years since I got them. I use it on my drum mag because it doesn't fit any of my current guns

 

[Callyourhits]

Short answer no.

Long answer, no. Even a trusted brand can be passing on not so great re wrapped cells, depends on quality control but ultimately you shouldn't just assume a battery is new or safe because the seller told you so.

Battery safety is one of those things you should educate yourself on, it's over looked a lot but can be the difference between a well performing rif and one that's got half dozen cells going into thermal runaway. I've seen it happen to a poor sod mid game. 

Any battery pack can be pushed to breaking point fairly easily when not looked after. It's advised to not discharge a lipo below 3.2v per cell to keep the battery healthy, 2.9-3v or lower and permanent damage is being done. 

Invest in a lipo alarm for a few quid and a charging bag for piece of mind. 

Most are fine but it's always good to check before you pop it in your new toy. Even the 'best' cells can short out and cause damage. 

 

[lemon191]

I've never had a issue with VP brand both nimh and lipos in the last 8/9ish years. Not a fan of nuprol batteries , I have 1 and it doesn't seem to last aslong as the VP ones I have. Also the connector is a cheaper plastic and isn't as secure as others. 

 

[Adolf Hamster]

Short answer no.

Long answer, no. Even a trusted brand can be passing on not so great re wrapped cells, depends on quality control but ultimately you shouldn't just assume a battery is new or safe because the seller told you so.

Battery safety is one of those things you should educate yourself on, it's over looked a lot but can be the difference between a well performing rif and one that's got half dozen cells going into thermal runaway. I've seen it happen to a poor sod mid game. 

Any battery pack can be pushed to breaking point fairly easily when not looked after. It's advised to not discharge a lipo below 3.2v per cell to keep the battery healthy, 2.9-3v or lower and permanent damage is being done. 

Invest in a lipo alarm for a few quid and a charging bag for piece of mind. 

Most are fine but it's always good to check before you pop it in your new toy. Even the 'best' cells can short out and cause damage. 

Click to shrink...

solid advice, i'd add as an addendum that having poor quality charging kit is a lost economy, because a cheap charger when it dies will also kill your battery (assuming you're lucky enough that nothing worse happens). i'd heartily reccommend a checker like an etronix battery doctor (other brands available)- being able to independantly measure individual cell voltages is excellent peace of mind

the other thing to bear in mind is not just capacity, but the current rating, especially if you're running higher speed setups, you might just have to accept that you can't run that ultra slim stock you like to have an adequately sized battery.

i run mainly vp racing ones just because that's what the local stocks, and they've treated me well.