Comparing LiPo Brands & Models - 6S Packs (2023)
The below page is a copy and re-organization (via AI recreating the data into tables below) of this original post.
Reviewing 60 Packs makes for tedious reading so I tried to be brief. But there's a lot here so maybe just scroll down to the Lipo you're considering if you want my thoughts about it. They're listed aphabetically
Disclaimer
The following comments are influenced by my testing and experience. I might think I have good reasons for not liking some brands but at the end of the day this represents only my interpretations of the data. "Best" is a very subjective term. If you cruise around sedately at 60 amps we are going to have two entirely different ideas about what's "best". All packs discussed are the 6S variants.
| Battery Model | Capacity (mAh) | C Rating | Price | Weight (g) | Editor's Choice | Notes / Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Admiral 5000 50C | 5000 | 50C | $109 | 755g | Yes | Excellent value and top 4.20v performer in weight class (#2). Great match for MotionRC foamy craft. |
| Admiral Carbon 5100 70C | 5100 | 70C | $120 | 820g | Yes | Top 5 4.20v performer up to 175A. 820g sweet spot for 80mm-110mm EDFs. |
| Admiral 6000 50C | 6000 | 50C | $125 | 915g | No | Maintained #5 4.20v slot across the board, high power output but eclipsed by newer competition. |
| Bolt LiHV 5400 65C | 5400 | 65C | $113 | 820g | No | Comes alive at 125A–150A, but suffers from inconsistency and high capacity loss during aging. |
| CNHL (All Products / Overview) | Varies | Varies | Varies | Varies | No | Inconsistent performance and spec changes across batches. Good prices, but trades on clearance remnants. |
| Dinogy Ultra 5000 80C | 5000 | 80C | $120 | 790g | No | Reboot under new distributor. Low weight, excellent performance, and reasonable price. |
| DNK Power 2x 4500 P45B Li-Ion | 9000 | N/A | $180 | 1060g | No | Double pack assembly. Unsuited for >45A service; low power density compared to LiPo. |
| GensAce 5000 60C | 5000 | 60C | $133 | 725g | No | Mid-range performer matching Pulse 5000 70C, but feeling pressure from higher performing budget packs. |
| GensAce 5600 80C | 5600 | 80C | $142 | 860g | No | Performs quite well, but outclassed on price and weight by competitors like LiperiAir 6000. |
| GensAce 6800 LiHV 100C / Bashing 120C | 6800 | 100C / 120C | $160 | 945g / 925g | No | Hard case car packs. Perform well, but heavy and overpriced relative to lighter top performers. |
| HobbyStar 5200 75C | 5200 | 75C | $120 | 740g | No | Ranked ~#20 out of 30 in weight class, ~#40 overall. Outperformed by cheaper options. |
| HobbyStar 7200 100C | 7200 | 100C | $150 | 805g | No | Sacrifices performance for weight (~15C actual). Best suited for applications below 100A. |
| HRB 6000 50C | 6000 | 50C | $70 | 820g | No | Ranks ~55 out of 61 across power levels. Low performance Amazon pack. |
| HRB 5000 50C | 5000 | 50C | $80 | 735g | No | Poor performance and quality control issues (arrived with zero voltage / leaking cells). |
| Jeti USA 5000 35C | 5000 | 35C | $129 | 730g | No | Overpriced for poor performance and cell matching. Likely old stock. |
| Jeti USA 7000 35C | 7000 | 35C | $159 | 880g | No | Heavy, expensive, and bottom-third performance overall. |
| Jetwerx 6000 65C | 6000 | 65C | $140 | 860g | No | Older Dinogy formulation. Heavy, marginal performance, unsuitable for high-performance RC. |
| Lumenier 5200 120C | 5200 | 120C | $161 | 790g | No | Top 10 in weight class, top 20 overall. Good pack, though high-priced compared to options. |
| Liperior 5000 65C | 5000 | 65C | $65 | 745g | Yes | Reformulated July 2023. Matches performance/weight of $150 Pulse and $120 RoaringTop at $65. |
| LiperiAir 5000 80C | 5000 | 80C | $81 | 725g | Yes | July 2023 release. One of the best performing ultra-light 4.20v flight packs. Cool running. |
| LiperiAir 6000 80C | 6000 | 80C | $96 | 865g | Yes | July 2023 release. #1 performing 4.20v pack in its weight class, top 10 overall. |
| MaxAmps 5200 175C | 5200 | 175C | $240 | 775g | No | Excellent performer, but massively overpriced. Outperformed by $80 alternatives. |
| MaxAmps 5450 120C | 5450 | 120C | $238 | 715g | No | Worst performer out of 62 tested (~12C actual). Extremely poor value. |
| Ovonics 5000 50C | 5000 | 50C | $80 | 690g | No | Very light (690g). Ranked #60 out of 62 overall due to underweight cell constraints. |
| Ovonics 6500 100C | 6500 | 100C | $93 | 800g | Yes | Ranks in the middle of its weight class, well built, decent flight time for price/weight. |
| Onyx Power 6500 90C | 6500 | 90C | $200 | 965g | No | Heavy and lackluster at tested amp ranges. Poor value at $200. |
| Panther 5000 75C | 5000 | 75C | $117 | 830g | No | Significant decline in performance relative to original 2018 specs. Slightly better than basic Amazon options. |
| Panther 6000 75C | 6000 | 75C | $128 | 990g | No | Heaviest pack tested (990g). High capacity loss (4%) over test aging cycle. |
| Pulse 5000 70C | 5000 | 70C | $150 | 745g | No | Peak load weakness at high amp draws. Performance equivalent to $65 budget options. |
| Pulse 5500 70C | 5500 | 70C | $170 | 820g | No | Bottom edge of top 10 in weight class, average #30 of 62 overall. Overpriced. |
| Pulse 6000 35C | 6000 | 35C | $144 | 785g | No | Outperformed the Pulse 5000 70C overall; runs modestly warmer. |
| QualPow 5200 100C | 5200 | 100C | $60 | 735g | No | Ranked ~#48 of 62 overall. Better choice than HRB in the budget Amazon category. |
| QualPow 6000 100C | 6000 | 100C | $70 | 810g | No | Performs worse than the lighter 5200 variant. Poor value. |
| RoaringTop 5000 70C | 5000 | 70C | $108 | 755g | No | Tracks Pulse 5000 up to 150A. Better price than Pulse, but outclassed by SMC/LiperiAir. |
| RoaringTop 5500 70C | 5500 | 70C | $120 | 800g | No | Pulls ahead of 5000 variant past 150A, but offers no performance advantage over $65 competitors. |
| RoaringTop 5800 35C | 5800 | 35C | $77 | 765g | No | Competes favorably against Amazon budget offerings at a matching price point. |
| RoaringTop 6250 35C | 6250 | 35C | $108 | 785g | No | Performs worse than the cheaper 5800 35C pack. |
| SMC 5200 HCL-HP 100C | 5200 | 100C | $80 | 770g | No | Dominates 4.20v class, but slated for discontinuation due to overlapping SMC lineup. |
| SMC 5300 HCL-HV 75C | 5300 | 75C | $90 | 730g | No | #3 in weight class, climbing to #8 overall at 175A. Exceptional light weight power. |
| SMC 5300 SRD V-3 250C | 5300 | 250C | $130 | 850g | No | Speed run drag racing pack. Designed for 600A short-burst operation; excellent output. |
| SMC 5900-5100 HCL-HV 60C Racing | 5900 / 5100 | 60C | $100 | 740g | Yes | #1 in weight class, top 10 overall. Outstanding power-to-weight ratio. |
| SMC 5800 HCL-HV 120C | 5800 | 120C | $110 | 805g | Yes | #2 in weight class, #4 performing battery in U.S. overall based on test criteria. |
| SMC 6200 HCL-HV 75C | 6200 | 75C | $110 | 845g | Yes | Iconic standard benchmark pack. #1 in weight class, #3 overall in U.S. |
| SMC 6200 SRD-V3 250C | 6200 | 250C | $155 | 970g | No | Speed run drag racing pack. #2 performer overall across all tested packs. |
| SMC 7200-6200 HCL-HV 75C | 7200 / 6200 | 75C | $125 | 925g | No | #1 overall performing LiPo in the test series. Trial unit. |
| Spektrum 5000 Smart 100C | 5000 | 100C | $180 | 700g | No | Lightweight (700g), mid-pack performance (~#40 overall). Includes Smart telemetry data system. |
| Spektrum 6800 120C Basher | 6800 | 120C | $200 | 935g | No | Hard case car pack. Respectable showing in weight class, top 3rd overall. |
| Spektrum 7000 Smart 30C | 7000 | 30C | $170 | 900g | No | Performs like a 50C pack. Solid showing, top 3rd overall. |
| Thunder Power 5000 Rampage 80C | 5000 | 80C | $189 | 800g | No | Outperformed by far cheaper packs. Known cell imbalance issue between cells 3 & 4. |
| Thunder Power 5000 Elite 55C | 5000 | 55C | $168 | 800g | No | #58 out of 62 at 100A. Performs like a poor 20C pack; poor overall value. |
| Thunder Power 6600 Elite 55C | 6600 | 55C | $239 | 950g | No | Extremely overpriced for the performance provided. |
| Turnigy HD 5000 60C | 5000 | 60C | $75 | 840g | No | Bottom 3rd overall. Degraded performance relative to pre-2022 versions. |
| YoWoo 5000 Graphene 100C | 5000 | 100C | $75 | 795g | No | #25 of 30 in weight class, ~#53 overall. Rebranded HRB pack. |
| YoWoo 6000 Graphene 100C | 6000 | 100C | $88 | 890g | No | #12 of 20 in weight class, middle of the pack overall. Heavy for its output. |
| Zeee 5200 100C | 5200 | 100C | $77 | 725g | No | #24 of 30 in weight class, ~#50 overall. |
| Zeee 6000 100C | 6000 | 100C | $89 | 790g | No | #19 of 30 in weight class, ~#45 overall. Outclassed by Ovonics 6500 at same price. |
| Zippy 6200 40C | 6200 | 40C | $93 | 895g | No | Upper-middle performer overall. Decent performance despite historical aging concerns. |