Are lipos worth it

[Deersofter]

I’ve been told lipos give the best performance out of aegs but when I’ve looked into them I see they have extra requirements like charge safe bags 

so I’m wondering if the extra cost is worth the increased performance 

[concretesnail]

I think it is, with the caveat that check your rifs have a low voltage cut off or you're prepared to check the battery throughout the day or swap to a second pack if needed. 

Lipo batteries can have much stronger output than batteries of a comparable size in other chemistries. When we want rifs to look a particular way, use particular stocks having to house batteries can be the limiting factor with lipo batteries it much less of an issue.

[EDcase]

They definitely have more energy capacity and output than NiCads and in smaller packages.

The charging is more reliable and automatic.

 

The only downside is the initial cost but it works out over time because they last longer.

 

Search the forum for recommended chargers

 

 

Edited May 27, 2023 by EDcase

[Duff Beer]

I thought the downsides outweighed the positives, so I went with a 9.9V LiFe instead.  At the time I wasn’t comfortable with the low voltage puffing or the risk of fire, and with LiFe both are reduced.

[Deersofter]

2 hours ago, concretesnail said:

I think it is, with the caveat that check your rifs have a low voltage cut off or you're prepared to check the battery throughout the day or swap to a second pack if needed. 

Lipo batteries can have much stronger output than batteries of a comparable size in other chemistries. When we want rifs to look a particular way, use particular stocks having to house batteries can be the limiting factor with lipo batteries it much less of an issue.

I have rifs that say they’re lipo compatible on the site I brought them from (patrol base)

its just when I read about how they need specifical charger’s as well as charge safe bags and you need to store them in specific ways it meant there’s a lot of changes I’d have to make and equipment I’d have to buy to switch over to them 

[Cannonfodder]

Lipo compatible is a meaningless marketing joke. I've been running lipos in all my aegs for about 15 years, none of which have had mosfets or any other "essential upgrades", with no problems.

[Shamal]

14 minutes ago, Cannonfodder said:

Lipo compatible is a meaningless marketing joke. I've been running lipos in all my aegs for about 15 years, none of which have had mosfets or any other "essential upgrades", with no problems.

That's true. An aeg doesn't care what it's eating just so long as it's volts. 

[Cannonfodder]

1 hour ago, Deersofter said:

charge safe bags and you need to store them in specific ways

Again this isn't 100% true. As long as you're sensible and check the battery hasn't gone all puffy you should be fine. As for storage so long as the battery isn't flat or left plugged into a gun with a mosfet you should be ok

[Dan Robinson]

I haven't used a fire bag in years.  But I do make sure they are stored at the correct voltage and charge/discharge them slowly. 

[EDcase]

Its mainly common sense really.

[Rogerborg]

I'm not super paranoid about lipos, but I do pop them into a ceramic Explosion Containment Pie Dish while charging.

[concretesnail]

6 hours ago, Deersofter said:

I have rifs that say they’re lipo compatible on the site I brought them from (patrol base)

its just when I read about how they need specifical charger’s as well as charge safe bags and you need to store them in specific ways it meant there’s a lot of changes I’d have to make and equipment I’d have to buy to switch over to them 

You will need a lipo charger, but luckily most good chargers that are used for lipo packs will do other chemistries too. As for the rhe bags. I don't rate them at all. They aren't fire proof, and they don't filter fumes in the event of a pop. 

If you're worried about having them in the house then that's OK, in have seen big lipos go and it's not for everyone. However if you treat them well, charge in a sensible way and don't over discharge point there's not reason it should fail. 

 

There's plenty of lipo advise about the forum, on chargers and setups etc. But if you're unsure just ask.

[navyvet86]

Yes.

 

More energy potential, get a battery with a higher discharge rate i.e 40C or 50C.

 

imax b6 is an excellent budget balance charger.

 

Check RC websites not airsoft ones as the batteries there are alot cheaper and more varied, find a size that works for you.

[Rogerborg]

3 hours ago, navyvet86 said:

imax b6 is an excellent budget balance charger.

 

I use one, but it's old technology now, and we have had reports of issues with them, even on the genuine ones.

 

As you say, RC gets the goodies, and the SkyRC S65 is what all the cool kids are recommending these days.

 

 

 

3 hours ago, navyvet86 said:

Check RC websites not airsoft ones as the batteries there are alot cheaper and more varied, find a size that works for you.

 

Being aware that if you're using mini-Tamiya, then the polarity is reversed.  But it's easy enough to swap the terminals, and, well... don't use mini-Tamiya.

 

[Leo Greer]

Realistically, it's a lot harder to get a LiPo to combust than you'd think. A friend and I put a nail through one once. Nothing happened. I'm madly disappointed. I wanted an explosion!

 

I'm not a electrician, but as far as I know LiPos combust in two ways: damage to the pack followed by continued use, and pack overdraw followed by charging and continued use.

 

Pack overdraw happens when you use a pack that doesn't provide enough amps for your setup, so the motor keeps demanding those amps, which causes the pack to heat, puff, and other bad things. Then if you charge/continue to use this pack, you could have yourself a fire on hand. This happens a lot more frequently with smaller LiPos, due to lower discharge rates. High discharge is actually safer, which doesn't seem right, but is true.

 

I quit using a charging bag a long time ago. I don't do anything idiotic with my LiPos--there's no reason why they should catch on fire.

[Tackle]

I had a couple of lipos go "puffy" on me, still held a charge but I thought better off not risking it, so decided to dramatically destroy them, did everything your not supposed to but they barely reacted, how disappointed was I lol. 

[EDcase]

4 hours ago, Tackle said:

I had a couple of lipos go "puffy" on me, still held a charge but I thought better off not risking it, so decided to dramatically destroy them, did everything your not supposed to but they barely reacted, how disappointed was I lol. 

Yeah they're only dangerous when near full.

I got a good reaction driving a nail through one🤪

[Deersofter]

Thanks for the advice everyone you’ve given me a lot of good points 

but for now I’ll keep with the nickel batteries and will save for a lipo compatible charger as lipos seem more to offer more advantages for small rifs with small battery spaces 

[Enid_Puceflange]

On 04/06/2023 at 14:55, Tackle said:

I had a couple of lipos go "puffy" on me, still held a charge but I thought better off not risking it, so decided to dramatically destroy them, did everything your not supposed to but they barely reacted, how disappointed was I lol. 

Ive “made safe” a couple of lipos on site when players have asked me how to dispose of them

A quick nail through them sees a nice wee flame and a good puff of nasty smoke n fumes , always gets a wee crowd and a cheer 😂

[AirSniper]

Lipos are far better, more energy dense and lighter, means with an ETU that allows a higher voltage input, gives better performance.

As for bags, I bought a bag for charging cells with and hardly use it, the bag is for when you are "un attended" charging.

Fact it only takes 15 to 20 minutes to charge Lipo's is a selling point.

Never store Lipos fully charged, they don't tend to last or fair well, monitor the charge once a week and then charge up before use or if the voltage drops below 3.7v or reaches 15% of its capacity, if it falls below 15% then you need to buy new cells.

On 04/06/2023 at 19:16, EDcase said:

Yeah they're only dangerous when near full.

I got a good reaction driving a nail through one🤪

Bad idea doing that because the gas given off is hydrogen fluoride, phosphoryl fluoride and CO2.

 

The gas is toxic...

[Lozart]

2 hours ago, AirSniper said:

Fact it only takes 15 to 20 minutes to charge Lipo's is a selling point.
 

 

*not a fact.

 

Depends on capacity, level of remaining charge and charging rate. While LiPos can be "fast charged", it is NOT the recommended method. Charging rate should ideally match the mAh value of the battery - 1400mAh charge at 1.4A, 3000mAh charge at 3A. Fast charging is likely to shorten the life of the battery.

[Cannonfodder]

5 hours ago, AirSniper said:

Fact it only takes 15 to 20 minutes to charge Lipo's is a selling point.

See the post above

 

5 hours ago, AirSniper said:

Bad idea doing that because the gas given off is hydrogen fluoride, phosphoryl fluoride and CO2.

That's lithium ion batteries

[Adolf Hamster]

3 hours ago, Lozart said:

 

*not a fact.

 

Depends on capacity, level of remaining charge and charging rate. While LiPos can be "fast charged", it is NOT the recommended method. Charging rate should ideally match the mAh value of the battery - 1400mAh charge at 1.4A, 3000mAh charge at 3A. Fast charging is likely to shorten the life of the battery.

 

Always did wonder why people cared about charging rates, sure other hobbies like rc you  have a good reason to care about charging fast but in airsoft just buy enough batteries to last a days pewing and be organised enough to charge the night before.

 

Plus i'd wager the lions share of sites wont have plugs for general use and even those that do will have stiff competition.

 

Op- in addition to a good charger, a tool that i've found invaluable for lipo usage is a cell checker, can be used to troubleshoot if you've got a balance issue, a dead cell, or simply a quick test to see if its charged.

[Leo Greer]

4 hours ago, Adolf Hamster said:

Op- in addition to a good charger, a tool that i've found invaluable for lipo usage is a cell checker, can be used to troubleshoot if you've got a balance issue, a dead cell, or simply a quick test to see if its charged.

It’s also great to be able to estimate how efficient your replica is.

[Adolf Hamster]

9 hours ago, Leo Greer said:

It’s also great to be able to estimate how efficient your replica is.

 

i'm a tad old school, i prefer to use an earcrometer for measuring how laboured a gun is