Zippy/ Flightmax / Turnigy/ Blue lipo testing (pt 2)

[deVries]

Lipo is now stocked at the HK USA warehouse!

Have you noticed the price is about DOUBLE the price you pay when buying direct from HK in HK?

EDIT: Next post after this one shows prices are not double on the example that post provides. I think I saw some that had much larger price differences, but I'll have to double check again.

Too much of a rip-off on mark-up... maybe 25-40% mark-up seems fair, but this USA warehouse pricing is wholesale to retail pricing for a "warehouse" stocking fee.

 

[swbluto]

Lipo is now stocked at the HK USA warehouse!

Have you noticed the price is about DOUBLE the price you pay when buying direct from HK in HK?

Not quite...

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=10096

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=10916

You have to consider the savings in shipping cost, time and potential hassle of returns and the such.

 

[deVries]

Lipo is now stocked at the HK USA warehouse!

Have you noticed the price is about DOUBLE the price you pay when buying direct from HK in HK?

Not quite...

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=10096

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=10916

You have to consider the savings in shipping cost, time and potential hassle of returns and the such.

Thanks for checking that one.

Yep, $10 more + shipping for that USA pack is not too bad. 8) (Assuming HK will allow defective LiPo returns to be returned to the USA warehouse too.)

I edited my post based on your example, and I'll have to double check the one I found that I thought was about double the HK price.

 

[dogman dan]

Prices vary a lot on HK for no reason we can see. Old stock in china may be lower priced because that particular batch of batteries was bought cheaper. Ability to reliably ship plus the ability to return em makes the USA stock worth a lot more in my opinion. I expect too, that as volume picks up shipping from the USA warehouse, prices may be able to creep back down. Once they are container shipping lipo to us, things should improve.

 

[swbluto]

I was going to do an actual price check out to see what shipping would be on multiple-item orders, but it says that my order of 4 USA based batteries exceeds the maximum weight limits and then they only show EMS and "Air parcel" services and their limits that I presumably exceeded. This is for shipping within the US, right? It seems the USPS priority mail option disappears after 2 of them.

Also, looking at price and not looking at the 35C variety, it looks like this one at http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewitem.asp?idproduct=9993 seems to have a greater price difference with its hk equivalent. I'm guessing maybe 60% higher.

 

[hydro-one]

got my batteries today!!! 6 more 5s5000 turnigys, max 6.0kg air parcel canada. order and pay date Date: 23/6/2010 (Paid:25/06/2010 9:07:28 AM) . arrived today in winnipeg. hurray!!!!! im starting up more orders NOW!!

All were 20c and arrived undented, packed nicely (for hk), and holding 3.85-84 ALL 30 cells!!!!!

Letter rip!!!!!

 

[Ykick]

Received order placed July 2 Airmail from Hong Kong. I think they're packing with more bubble wrap and including several copies of "receipts" attached to the box indicating the "toy price", cough, cough.

Order was for 15C 6S Zippy's and damned if they're not the most balanced, well behaved pack of Lipo I've seen yet out of the dozen I've purchased so far this year. 15C seems plenty for 22-35A controllers and at $44ea. plus shipping they're a mighty good bargain IMO. Before shipping - $176 - 12S, 44-50V, 8-10AH Lipo.

A few test rides and they're looking/feeling great!

 

[hydro-one]

AAAAHHHHHHHHH balanced lipos,,,,,,drooooooolllll

 

[Hyena]

Behold, for he has returned!

The fabled 25C 6S zippy flightmax is back in stock!

Get in quick kids
80 remaining in stock

I'm so tempted to impulse buy another 6 just to put on a shelf incase my other pack dies for some reason.
Must... resist...

 

[Hyena]

Aaaaaand in 30 minutes they're all gone.

I DID actually decide to impulse buy another 6, at that point the stock level had dropped to 38. I added wire and a few other things to my cart then went to check out and the stock level had dropped to 0- backordered again.
Bummer...

 

[swbluto]

Aaaaaand in 30 minutes they're all gone.

I DID actually decide to impulse buy another 6, at that point the stock level had dropped to 38. I added wire and a few other things to my cart then went to check out and the stock level had dropped to 0- backordered again.
Bummer...

That sure was fast. If they were a profit-maximizing business, the obvious solution to their "we run out of stock too fast" problem is raise the price.

I have to admit, that was a hell of a good deal. If you stayed on the page long enough, it offered 45.07 which I calculated to be around ~41 cents per watthour before shipping. Not too shabby for 25c batteries. The lowest I got was around 37 cents per watt-hour, but that was with 3s 2.2ah 20c packs.

i was tempted to buy some, but then reminded myself that I have enough. :lol: When my current packs give out, I expect these batteries to be 25 cents per watthour! (Haha. Yeah, I know, in my dreams. With the likely direction of oil, I don't expect them to be that much cheaper in 5 years.)

On reflection, I wonder how much of its sudden disappearance was attributable to Hyena's post.

 

[Hyena]

If you stayed on the page long enough, it offered 45.07

Yeah it seems if you hang around they offer plantinum member prices straight off the bat, which kind of defeats the purpose of looking after the big spending customers.

On reflection, I wonder how much of its sudden disappearance was attributable to Hyena's post.

Yeah, I might have shot myself in the foot there
I'm sure plenty of people had subscribed to email notifications.
Hopefully they get their act together and step up production. There was a huge amount of these already on back order so I imagine they probably had 150 of them come in to stock.

 

[AussieJester]

I DID actually decide to impulse buy another 6,

We shall call these AJ's Reserved Stockpile

KiM

 

[Hyena]

I added wire and a few other things to my cart then went to check out and the stock level had dropped to 0- backordered again. Bummer...

Again with the not reading properly. And don't make out I editied it because you can see I didn't
That said, I imagine you'll have a few cells reading 0v and a few reading 5v in no time :lol:

 

[johnrobholmes]

I was needing some extra packs, so I picked up the 6s 25c long packs.

 

[swbluto]

Those zippy lipos sure look powerful.

 

[mwkeefer]

Hey all,

Stock alert on the Turnigy 20C 5 and 6S hit tonight - Now I have a total of 12 6S packs coming shortly to add to my existing stock of 12 x "good" (no puffing, never over discharged or hit hard) 6S packs.

I too got nailed on the last offerings, barely got a chance to order before they were backordered again

Should make a pair of nice 18S 20AH packs though at about 22lbs each

-Mike

 

[fizzit]

So... is it beginning to look like the batteries are finally going to be regularly in stock? I know at least that the 3s 2.2ah went back in stock in under two weeks after being sold out, twice.

 

[dogman dan]

New stock of turnigy 30c now too. Not too many though, of the prime one for many with a 48v or 72v bike, 5s 5ah. I thought so myself anyway. 5s gives you a weak 36, strong 48, and just right 72v configurations, all with the same size block.

 

[mwkeefer]

Dog,

I assume you ordered a few to resolve your "puffy" pack issue ?

Is the pack that puffer effected a 5S block size?

-Mike

 

[Hyena]

I might make a little 2.2ah 15S pack as a backup, I had a 20km ride home last night which I would have normally made but I had a bit less than a full charge as a few people had been demoing my bike. About 10pm and a few ks from home the battery went flat after I'd been full throttle the whole way. I went from being freezing cold in single digit temps to boiling hot having to pedal hard in a heavy jacket and full face helmet. I aint letting that happen again!

 

[dogman dan]

I have an out of town trip coming, so I can't order stuff that needs my signature to recieve for a few weeks. What I want or need will be gone by then I'm sure. But I think this puffed pack can last me a few cycles till I get back. I could order just before I leave I think, if more of that pack is in stock. I'm just using the lipo on recreational bikes, so 10 cycles may last me a month or more.

The pack is a turnigy 4s 5 ah. 20c.

 

[johnrobholmes]

Just got the 5ah 25c turnigy packs I ordered, took right about 8 business days. Got 4 of them and needed 3. Packaging wasn't that great, and they came through some false company in singapore. No damages however, and all the cells are well matched. Largest pack variance is .027v, the other three are around .01v variance.

I reckon I could post up some more testing graphs, but at this point I will just say that the packs are a good value and perform very well when bricked together in 10ah chunks.

 

[KTP]

I just got my first batch of lipo in from HK...shame on you guys for making me so nervous! The packaging was excellent! My 5000mA 6s 25C Turnigy long packs were boxed, then double bubble wrapped, and then the whole package was bubble wrapped. Every cell tested great with my Fluke 289 meter and all of the packs were svelte. This first batch is going into a 14s2p pack for my 9C 6x10 on a recumbent trike...currently I am running 11s4p of sony 26650 VT LiMn cells (about 45V 8AH hot off the charger).

the Turnigy long packs are...erm...kinda long

View attachment firstlipo.jpg

 

[mwkeefer]

Dogman,

I just placed another order for misc lipo and stuff and tacked on a 4S 5AH 20C for ya - I'll be here to receive it and if I have the timing right, I can put it in the post to you as soon as it arrives and you will have it when you return home

I could send it to ya wherever you may be...

At 30.00 it actually made up for some extra weight I had available on this EMS order so no big deal and if you end up not needing it... well I can always use spare lipos.

-Mike