are all lipos just repackaged intellect's?

[Loheswaran]

Hi chaps (eses too)

I am gonna be I the market for a couple of saddle pack lipos. They all zeem to be just repackaged intellect cells with a different sticker. If that is the case, then it's miles cheaper getting intellects.
Help me obiwan kenobi.

Lohan

[dale]

There are a few factories that actually make lipo cells. These are then assembled and branded by the resellers.

Intellect cells are good, they hold up very well over time. For off-road where you're not power limited I don't see a reason to spend any more. I wouldn't spend less either, as some of the cheaper brands don't last at all well.

[MattW]

As Dale says, there aren't all that many factories that make the LiPo cells we use - you wouldn't need a whole hand to count!

That said, just because 2 cells are made in the same factory, doesn't mean they are the same. The OEM's will make the cells to the individual customer's requirements - including price.

[Steven Forster]

Only problem ive had with my intellects is that they swelled up after a couple of months of using them.........always balanced charged and stored properly and as these Lipo's are slightly taller than a few other makes when they swell up a bit they make them even move taller !!!

[Robby]

Originally Posted by dale

There are a few factories that actually make lipo cells. These are then assembled and branded by the resellers.

But are they specifically just "repackaged intellect cells"? I highly doubt it. It's not like there is only one lipo manufacturer.
In today's market there are a wide variety of pricing - along with capacity specs (mAh) and C-ratings (punch), and that's primarily what you're paying for.
So it really comes down to your own particular requirements, because you're not going to find inexpensive packs performing like the high-priced packs.

[djmcnz]

My Intellect packs perform just as well as my LRP/Nosram packs and I've had them for years without any problems.

Get the Intellects, you'll be very satisfied with them IMHO.

Edit: the answer to your questions is "no" they're not all from the same manufacturer but there are less manufacturers than there are brands so the maths is simple.

[jukeboxman]

I bought a few hobbyking batteries in the past and have only had issue with one pack in three+ years, opened the hard case up and found two cells with different C ratings on them, the lower of the two was the one which had failed.

There is a lot of 'badge engineering' going on, similar products coming off similar production lines and different company logo's stuck on the outside and we pay a premium for the upmarket logo.

Buying the most expensive, highly specced is not always the way to go, you don't always get what you think you've paid for.

[johnnygibbon]

Agreed
I've had decent Unbranded batteries last longer and perform better than some branded ones