LiPo Manufacturer Similarities
 

I've been doing some research about which brands use the same cells. There is still some speculation, but for the most part, this is how it stands:

-Polyquest has always used Enerland for cells. Other companies using Enerland cells (same as Polyquest XP) include Flightpower, Duralite (U.S. dist. for Flightpower), and some Hyperion (Impulse).
-Thunder Power cells come from Korea (I believe, but it is irrelevant). Hyperion (Impulse) appears to have access to the same cells that TP uses. This means that some of the the Hyperion (Impulse) cells are the same as the TP ones, but at a MUCH lower cost.
-Kokam cells are distributed among a number of vendors. FMA direct is the main one, but there are smaller ones like Watt-Age, Great Planes, and Impulse might be using the 3200mah cells.
-Maxamps uses its own brand of cells. They are from a company in China called Tronics. I am unsure of the manufacturer for the "Car Packs", but another vendor of these cells (possibly manufacturer) is called Dualsky.

Anyone comparing packs from different companies that are claimed to be the same may find that dimensions/weight/discharge rate might not match. These are variations that are caused by the vendor, who receives single cells and makes up their own packs. For example, the Hyperion packs that use TP cells are larger than and heavier than comparable TP packs. This specific variation is caused by the foam layer that Hyperion puts around its packs for protection, which TP does not.
Differences in "C" rates can be caused by the vendors. One vendor might market their pack the way the cell manufacturer does, and other vendors may lower the "C" rate so that it matches what they believe the pack is truly capable of (taking in account voltage and temperature).

So, there you have it. If I learn of anything new, or if anybody else does, this information should be posted in this thread.

Way to go metal man. Thanks for the info. Seems like you been researching a little bit.

Yeah, when it comes to things like this, metal man is the person to have all the knowledge.

cool thanks for the info.

I have found something interesting. We have all heard of the Team Orion Lipo pack:
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXLXR6&P=7
It appears that the only way to get those cells is through the Orion pack, and you can't even get them from FMA Direct! But, I was able to locate a graph for this cell, and it looks decent, but I and the tester would both say that this is not a 20C capable cell, as the temp. gets rather high at only 13.8C (as seen on graph). 13.8C is more than enough for most of our applications, and its burst capability is most likely very good.

This graph is not mine, and it was taken from the website that is shown on the graph.

metalman, would you have a graph of the integy 4400mah packs that are also listed at tower? or know who actually makes the cells?
thanks

No brand that I can think of makes 2200mah 20C cells. The only thing close that I am aware of is the Polyquest XP 2100mah 20C. A Google search doesn't bring anything useful.

i know a similarity! they are all called LIPOS! YAY!! i feels so smart!

yah, i can find 2200mah cells but nothing close to size of these.

@metalman;

I read that those orion packs are 2S2P packs. they might be wrong though, but that's what i read.

You are correct Serum here is a page from Orion, go down about a third of the page and the info is there link

Interesting... I am quite sure that I have never seen a cell from Kokam that is near 2400mah though. It makes me wonder why they wouldn't just use 2s1p of the cells in the graph I posted. It would make things more simple...

That's what got me wondering too Metalman..

I don't know it either.

Another company that produces custom lipoly is intellect Brothers. (from the house of the IB3800) i happen to have got a 3S pack of them at this moment, 3300 mAh, 15C continues and 20C for 2 minutes.

Testing them as we speak, they cost 20 dollars per cell..

Serum, that price isn't too bad.

Just to let everyone know, I am looking at these Lipos for myself right now:
http://www.xushobby.com/servlet/Cate...art=9&total=20
They're only 8C continuous, but a 4s 4400mah pack should handle 35amps continuous, which is plenty for my Rustler with a Feigao 540 12s. And that battery is only $90! I remember when I bought my Maxamps 4s 3300mah 10C Lipo. That was $130 normal price, and this pack I am looking at now gives more runtime, with the only downside being weight! Compared to 6 NiMh cells, the 4s 4400mah pack will be slightly longer, half an inch taller, not quite as wide, and only 20grams heavier. That's not much considering that I will get twice the power and more runtime!

thats a pretty good deal on those packs.

metalman, do you know what kind of cells tanic uses in there packs?

I honestly have no idea. But, I wouldn't be surprised if they have exclusive rights to their own cells, so that no other vendor can get a hold of them. After all, they do have some pretty oddball cell capacities (relative to other brands).

I have one of the electric power 6600mah (7.4volt)packs for my xxx-t. I dont have a way to test the "c" rating but it has worked fine for me for over a year now. I have just decided to change packs recently to cut a little weight for racing though.