Highest Quality LiPo Packs

[Spartanator]

SPC packs are the only ones I have been happily using! My last 5 packs from them have been a little out of the normal quality. At the end of the runs my packs usually read out .3V per cell different from the other cell(s). After they cool off for an hour or so they come up and average out closer but still not what they should be. I emailed them, twice with ZERO response which irritates me since I have ordered so many from them.

Since SPC doesn't offer huge packs I will be forced to pick Dinogy or Revo packs. Not sure yet.... I like 10s2p though from Dinogy.
Duratrax, Venom, Traxxas and Turnigy are on my "don't touch" list due to puffing. My speed control is set to soft cut off at 3.5 and forcefully cut out at 3.35 per cell. Have to admit, I am pretty hard on my lipos but they seem to hold up. On my boats I time my runs so I don't have an issue.

[kendt]

Some guys i run with are using venoms and they have been good so far. One other that should be on the do not touch list are grim racer. They should be called grim puffer.

[tlandauer]

Some guys i run with are using venoms and they have been good so far. One other that should be on the do not touch list are grim racer. They should be called grim puffer.

That's interesting, my Grim Racer packs are rock solid performers. This shows again the quality is not consistent, it is too bad, us consumers are at their mercy. The cell chemistry must be from only a few suppliers in China , how else can this be having such a large affected group of brands?

[kendt]

Every grim racer pack i have seen has puffed on only a handful of runs. On set ups that they should easily handle. The same setups are being used with the venoms without a hitch. Somewhere around 6-8 GR,s have puffed. Normally I look at puffed packs with some amount of question as to how hard they were pushed before it happened.These are from guys I run all season long with and now they are running the same setups with the venoms easily.

[kfxguy]

Every grim racer pack i have seen has puffed on only a handful of runs. On set ups that they should easily handle. The same setups are being used with the venoms without a hitch. Somewhere around 6-8 GR,s have puffed. Normally I look at puffed packs with some amount of question as to how hard they were pushed before it happened.These are from guys I run all season long with and now they are running the same setups with the venoms easily.

I must say that venom hasn't been the most powerful packs I've had but they last the longest.

[tlandauer]

Every grim racer pack i have seen has puffed on only a handful of runs. On set ups that they should easily handle. The same setups are being used with the venoms without a hitch. Somewhere around 6-8 GR,s have puffed. Normally I look at puffed packs with some amount of question as to how hard they were pushed before it happened.These are from guys I run all season long with and now they are running the same setups with the venoms easily.

This is what I am talking about, I trust your observation completely, yet, the different experiences tell a story that only conveys uncertainty to me. Like I said, my Grim Racer pack has been used more than a year, it is hard as a brick, balances great and in some ways it is out performing my other packs.
As said by Tyler and Doug , I also had some old Hyperions and they worked great for years. My Thunder Power was hit and miss, some would go south after a few runs and then I had a pair that I forgot I had, took them out and they were stored below 3.8v for two years, they still work great. I admit I don't race and therefore I don't data record them in the same way as some of you do, but when a battery goes south, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out.
My take on this is that we are fortunate in that lipo has come down on prices in recent years somewhat and it is what it is----expandable items in this hobby. Another reason why I choose to run 4s mostly for my boats, that way I only invest in 4s and limit my expense some what, 8s then is easily doable too.

[siberianhusky]

Ya I was with Ken when some of those Grim Racer packs puffed, I know for sure that one set puffed in a box stock UL-1. I was very surprised that they didn't stand up to one of their own boats as it came out of the box. The guy who owns that boat is experienced to. Boat was set up well and ran fast.
The worst thing is the batteries were brand new (maybe 2 weekends running) and they wouldn't warranty them. The guy who owned them works at our local hobby shop and still couldn't get any help! 200$ Canadian down the tubes.
I'll second that the Venoms are working fine in that boat with no changes at all. Low amp draw in a stock UL though.

[tlandauer]

I purchased 2x2 pairs of 5000mah 11.1v traxxas batteries... about a month ago. 2 of those are puffy now and need to be sent back. 1 of the others seems to only charge to 4.1v per cell compared to 4.2 on the others. Hopefully they'll actually exchange them soon cuz apparently they're out of stock. Does the saltwater bucket thing work when needing to ship back batteries? How safe is it to ship out puffed batteries? :/

You should ask Traxxas if they will accept packs that had been submerged in saltwater....

[Peter A]

Well, I didn't submerge them into saltwater (yet) but submerging them into a bucket of saltwater overnight is what they are advising me to do to fully discharge them I suppose to make them "safer" for shipping.

Can't they just send me new battery packs... or do they re-use these ones somehow...

Just submersing into salt water does not render lipos inert. They must be slowly and fully discharged, to around 1v or less per cell, then cut open and then immersed in salt water for several days. This renders the cells inert. Just dunking in salt water for a day or two is likely to corrode of the terminals and make it very difficult to discharge. Those puffy batteries are a potential fire hazard, not good to ship anywhere! Sounds like the folks a Traxxas need to learn some things, I bet they wouldn't take responsibility if it went wrong.....