[pasan]

I'm a n00b, having gotten into the hobby in April of last year. When I was researching LiPos, the first manufacturer I came across was MA. I was smitten by the vivid claims (the 8000mAh VXL packages had just been released, and I was considering a Rustler VXL), and for a while thought they were the shiznit. I could find very little information about anything else, and it just became a hassle digging for info about other packs. The points suicideneil, nitrostarter and others made about n00bs is quite valid and indeed applies to the majority, now more than ever considering how many brushless RTRs are in the market now. Flashy ads appeal to the consumerist mentality in all of us, and more so in the layperson who maybe looking for information in a new and unknown product. So it's only logical that MA probably has garnered the most exposure through their extensive (and I have to admit quite appealing) ad campaigns, and its small wonder that they were voted best by RCCA readers.

Further, being of a consumerist mentality results in quite a bit of scepticism towards any other similar competing product they're exposed to unless they have the "magic" factor in them (in MA's case their 60C rating). If the only difference is price and anecdotal evidence (the latter would often have to be dug up from public forums and/or 3rd part product reviews), a cheaper product would equate to a lower quality product (it's the same battery but cheaper, they must be cutting corners/QC is done by chimps/etc) and a more expensive product with inflated prices and greed (it's a frickin battery, all it does is provide power for my toys). This applies to RC just as much as it would to any other consumer product, and the reality is that RC is way more accessible to the casual user than it was 10 years ago, which has created plenty of casual users with money to spend, who want a novel remote controlled toy that goes 50mph and does standing backflips.

So my point is, partial knowledge is much more damagin in the long run that not knowing at all, and I sincerely hope the whole C rating issue is sorted out before someone gets hurt through the misinterpretation of technical jargon.