Hordsak

I'm getting a Savage Flux in the next little bit, and I'm in the process of researching batteries. How can the Zippy lipos found here

http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/s...0mAh_3S1P_30C_

Be so much cheaper than any others? Also does anyone know of any stores that sell Zippy lipo's in Canada?

redfisher1974

The word on the street is they're made by lead poisoned monkeys......

redfisher1974

Sorry couldnt help myself....I think hobbycity is the only place that has them.

apriliamille

My Feedback: (1)

i have some zippies. they work just fine for my applications.
maybe the price is due to the lack of marketing packaging, over the ocean return service, slow ship times (outside of those in the u.s. warehouse)
i had also pondered if they are the rejected premium batteries that some major name brand failed the batteries' Q.C.
ive seen posts around that state the cost per flight balances out to advantage the higher priced batteries as they hit 100 or what anot flights and zippies age and slow down.
but im still new to the electric world so dont take my thoughts and opinions to the bank

andyflux

Hello,

why they ar so cheap?

Becouse the factory may be work with poor and hardly mainteinded equipment?
Becouse they use poor childern working 12 hours for about 2 Doller a day?

Not possible? search in google about childern labor in china, then you can see how possible it is!
Why?
The factory for this zippy maks the lipo only for Hobby-dealer, they have a kind of contract for that. So there are no Dealerswho buys a large amount, who usualy is checking this factory before ordering.
Due to, the consumer gets it cheap, there are no complains, there are no risk that a consumer want to controll their factories, and which consumer is going to send back a lipo which works poorly?

A Retailer or a Dealer how imports lipos has responsibility, he has to obtain warrenty, he has to pay receicling fee, he has to pay risk, his storage, his labor and so on. (Retailer can not sell a Flux, without batteries, of course you need to supply batteries).
Yes, you all run for the cheapest without thinking, that you also need(ed) your retailer, or suddenly thought? you receive the lipo? but how charge, ok going quikly to the retailer next door tho get a adapter?
Yes, go on, do not let work your domestic market, you may be the next who loos his job becouse the people get your service, or product cheaper in China.

Poor peaple,pay for a 500 dollar rc modell, but then running for the cheapest lipo, this without thinking, just complaining why the others are more expansive.

Sorry for my english, please think about this wirting. I am a importer with experiens, I check normaly every factory before I make a deal with a manufacturer. Our batteries are not the cheapest, but they are "clean".

Andyflux

speedy72vega

In actuality, there are only a few manufacturers of LiPo cells around the world. AFAIK, the best ones come from korea, from what i've read.
Hobby king doesn't own the factory that makes Zippy batteries, they own the factory that makes Turnigy batteries. If you look, the Turnigy packs cost even less than the Zippy's for this reason.
HK purchases Zippy, Rhino (also made by Zippy), and Polyquest from outside sources, which put the Zippy (or whatever brand) on the packs for them.
I have read in different threads, not sure if it's actual fact, that there aren't any LiPo manufacturers in USA, that all packs are purchased from overseas manufacturers, and the brand names are put on here. As I said, I haven't researched this myself, and am not stating it as fact, but it's what i've read. If this is true, you might just be buying FP or TP packs at very high prices that have the same cells in them as some cheaper packs.


I have Zippy, Rhino, Turnigy, Thunder Power, Flight Power, and E-flite batteries, and I can honestly tell you, from my experience, that the E-flite pack seems to be the worst as far as longevity. I have a Thunder Power 3S 1800ma 20C pack, that after about 20 cycles, now takes over 1 1/2 hours to balance charge at 1C. I don't push my packs to LVC, and the Blade 400 I use that pack in doesn't draw enough current to overdraw that pack (all I do is hover it right now), so it's not user error.
I have a few Zippy 3S packs, that after 1 year of hard use, don't have the discharge capacity they once did, but I have Rhino's that do, even after the same amount of use.
The Jury is still out on the Turnigy brand, as I don't have enough flights on them to give a real world opinion.
My Flight Power pack is a 3S 2550ma, and is still going strong after 1 year.

andyflux

Hi,
thank you for your interest.
I know about turnigy as well, thats simaller game like with the Zippy. They have their factory on the mainland as well, they are being both not controlled. Think about, if you own a factory, what would you do, deliver to consumer or dealer? due to no permit for exporting overseas, they only can sell to consumer, they have anyway nothing to loose by demaging the exportmarket, even if they only make 1doller on one lipo, is even better then closing their factory, (which would be the case normaly).
I talked to many manufacturer, they would cut their own leg by manufacturing in the factory from hobby-king. Polyquest I know very well, that is the home brand of Enerland Korea who has a factory in Korea and also in China, Enerland also bought A123 about two years ago.

Same, the Koreans, ( so Polyquest, Kokam and Flight-power onesmade byEnerland),wouldent do business with that kind of Chinese, they are taking it very serious with "fair-play" but have really difficulties in the RC-lipo market, even becouse the Hongkong dealers / manufacturers. If you want to be sure of "clean" lipos, then I would suggest of taking TP, Polyquest, Kokam, Flight-Power, A123, Team Orion. Batteries. Even though if another one would be cheaper or stronger then one of them I counted.

Regards
Andy

subyman

My Feedback: (2)

What makes me mad is that you look at the Zippy lipos for 10 dollars a piece and then you look on tower hobby and they are 60 dollars. That lets me know there is a major mark up in those things. I will pay a little extra to have something made over here, but there is no way I am getting raped on them.

Supposedly they are ever bit as good as any other battery. There are a few reviews of them with bench tests and everything. They put out the power they claim and people that bought them last year are saying they are still going strong. Hopefully the market will come down a bit since we can get them so cheaply direct from the manufacturer.

4*60

My Feedback: (41)

I'm not going to be the conscience with my limited funds in retirement. If the US and Canada want to let the communist Chinese dump product into our markets even at a loss to gain US currency and aren't takiing them to task for "dumping" then I won't either.
I do believe they are "dumping" because the Chinese people themselves cannot buy the product we are seeing. There have been statements that they don't see the web sites and won't ever. Therefore it is true "dumping" but I don't see our governments pushing it in the International courts like Canada has the US and the US Canada. Is China already that powerful that they are above the law? My purchases certainly won't solve that problem.
I also agree that $60 versus $10 is ridiculous.

By the way...the new model is direct to the consumer for a lot of goods. The local guy has to find his place and provide super service.

andyflux

Hello,
I do not know what you are doing, but I just hope you do not loose your job becouse your doing would be at least 10 times cheaper in China, and ifit is a child therewho doing your job, (becouse of no controll), then it would be even worse. Not only the sallery becouse also of the cheaper workingplace which is often soo poorly maintainedthat it is very dangerous to work on some places.
The batteries from Hobby-King is going to 95% into export, also even not on the domestic marked. You also do not need to get batteries for 60 dollers, there are also available from other brands whodo "clean" manufacturing.

Greezzz
Andy

AJsToyz

Andy,

I know that the batteries from Tower the Great Planes batteries are from China. I'm pretty sure all the actual Lipo batteries are from over there. A123's and the LiFe types I'm not sure where they are all coming from. I get my Lipo's from HobbyCity, I'm not trying to export any jobs, but I don't beleive in paying a multiple handling fee.

I have the Rhino 4900mah 4s 25C and Rhino 4900mah 5s 20c for my 40 size GP Big Stick, flies great, lots of run time .

Andy

rcbatteries

Flypaper 2

This is the fourth year for a pair of 3700 ma Zippy Rhinos in a Twist 3D 40 and they work as good as when started. Many others in use. Hard to fault. I have a feeling that Hordsak and Andyflux are in cahoots.

larrysogla

I have ordered thousands of dollars from Hobbycity in Hongkong and many times, the order will be in my local post office ready for pickup(by regular airmail) in about a week(7 days plus or minus).............sometimes, in a few occasions, it took up to 3 weeks or more to get the pickup card notice in my mailbox. I have been lucky so far in that the 11.1 volt and the 14.8 volt lipo batteries I have ordered from Hobbycity turned out to be good batteries. Those dozens of Zippy and Rhino batteries and one or 2 other housebrand lipo batteries that I have ordered are OK......so far. I could not afford the prices of retail hobby stores here in the U.S. Hobbycity lipo batteries for the most part it seems are improving in quality(IMHO).
larrysogla

Jezmo

andyflux, If you figure out a way to stop our governments from letting this go on, - importing the stuff from China - , then I will consider what you say to be worth listening to. As it is, what I'm hearing is you made a bad choice of products to sell. If I buy the high markup items and other items are being sold right next to it for 1/4th the price, I am hurting myself for nothing. Someone WILL buy the items that are for sale at the lesser price and I will have spent money so some fat cat can retire with hundreds of millions in the bank. The ONLY way to stop it is at the border so I don't have a choice and no one else does either.

Also, the Rhino batteries at our field are some of the best batteries I have seen. They are better than my TP's and that makes me feel like a fool for spending the extra dough. Like I said someone will buy them, every club I visit has some flying, and I only hurt myself by spending the extra money for an inferior product.

andyflux

Hello Again,
 great to receive so many answers. I do not critisice the quality of this batterie, however the way it will be made and sold.  You should buy your batterie from your domestic market, don't means you have to buy TP.
 I am shure you have some hobby retailer who provides lipos whis is manufactured made "clean" and it is fact that it is not fair to receive only support, scruws, cable and so on by your next hobby retailer, but then run for the cheapest thing to china, where you do not have any idea who, and under which conditions their lipos are made.
 You feel hurt becouse you bay more then in China, do you know how painfull lead poissoning could be? or how would it hurt becouse you loose your job due to your job could be 10 time cheaper in China? Do you really think your retailer earns 4 times on 1 lipo? I tell you, if he earns 30% on one, that would be already a lot. No, the winner is you only by burchasing by hobby-king, ok but to a price for their workers and enviroment,  which you self not can immagine.

  I know, when a Lipo factory has not a permitt for exporting their pruducts, ther musst be some foult, and a factory such as Hobby-King owns is located in China Mainland and no one controlls it, it was controlled and failed badly. And just two other factories canceled the contract with Hobby King tue to low payment.

 A123 belows to Enerland, Korea, their manufacuting way is not to compare with this Zippy, too high their manufacturing standards, which is needed for clean and safety manufactoring.

 I did not choos the wrong product, it is not the best, but the most reliable in quality and it comes from Korea, and another one from a quality controlled factory from China.

          Andi

andyflux

Hi,
yes on the other hand you are habby you can run to your next rc - retailer to receive a balancer cable, right? Actually very poor, two batteries in one year and for that you need to run to china? for maybe less then 100 dollars ber year? Buy in your country so you leafe the money there and you prodect the fair trade as well.

And, I am just the Andy and nothing else.
Andy

BarryReade

My Feedback: (1)

Hi all, interesting thread but, very political. I will continue tuse and buy my batteries from Hobby King. I have about 12 batteries total. Two of them are TP's three are Rino's and the reast are Zippys or whatever the most inexpensive were at the time. When you can buy 3-4 Hobby King batteries delivered to your door for the same price as one TP and they perform as well. Even if you lose two and just chuck them you are still ahead of the game in my book. I think Andy needs to go after Toyota Prius owners for the atmosphere pollution that is caused when the batteries those cars use is produced. When Governments really start to care about their people things like that will stop. Nothing the little guy does will stop it.

MuscleCBT

Good Lord, is it all that hard to use a spell check program? I don't mean to criticise anyone in particular, but it has to be said that in general it is often hard to decipher the grammar of even native English speakers, things only get worse with unnecessarily bad spelling. Anybody savvy enough to post on a computer forum can use a spell check program. This site ought to have one built in, but until then how hard is it to spell in this day and age?

BarryReade

My Feedback: (1)

Oh Darn, The Grammar Nazi has arrived!!! 

Give it a break MCBT especially for your first post. 

I wonder what you have written on your forehead??? 

Hhmmmm IMWTK!!

earlwb

Well the reason they are so cheap is Hobby City has no middlemen between the battery and you the consumer.
Hobby City gets the packs directly from a factory assembly place in China, and then they sell directly to you. Because they are shipping small quantities directly to the consumer, we usually don't have to pay import taxes either.
The other guys, go through a export firm in China who gets the batteries from the factory assembly business, which then get shipped to a import firm on our side of the ocean. the importer ships the packs to the hobby shops or Tower Hobbies, whatever. Then they sell directly to you the consumer. Plus they usually have to pay an import duty tax too as they are bringing in a large quantity at a time. So the costs all get passed on down the line. Everyone has to take a bit of profit along the way too. Otherwise they wouldn't be doing it.

You can see the small price increase on those things they stage in other countries, such as the USA or Germany versus the Hong king price.
So that is the cost of shipping , importing and storing at the in-country location.

One other thing is the Zippy cells are more or less second tier level in their quality build. But this is a arguable thing. Also they likely have cut back on the quality control as much as possible to reduce costs. Someone importing and selling packs made with first tier first rate cells would be paying for higher quality versus the lower quality cells. One would also expect the higher quality battery packs to be better assembled with better soldering and wires, etc.

Ron W3FJW

4*60

My Feedback: (41)

Andy:

You really don't get that "buy local" is supported by the local fat cat do you? And by the way, local service is a myth where I live. Warrantee, what warrantee....send to the manufacturer if you want warrantee...so why would I buy in my country from retailers who tick me off? Our little town near me has all sorts of people up in arms over the big W coming to town yet they allow other retailers that aren't local at all to operate. Those same retailer source there goods from the same part of the world as W. We are a global economy and that is what our government has agreed to, both US and Canada.

Unions aren't involved. That's one reason they are cheaper (I should get some nastys now shouldn't I!)

BarryReade

My Feedback: (1)

Not from me!! I agree!!

Flypaper 2

Turnigy batts have been sold by HK for the past year now and the company is nearby. Not that good of quality. Bought 4 batts, 2 failures. Zippy Rhinos and Flightmax are much better.