Ive only ever used Thunderbird ESCs before. As soon as you plug the battery in the ESC determines battery type (lipo) cell count (11V 3 cell) and sets a cutoff based on the 1st 2 readings. I really like them and the only reason I went with the Eflite is because I wanted to stay with the recommended setup. But with that new info youve provided Ill probably be trying out different brands now. Although Ive had amazing luck with Eflites brushless motors and will probably stay with their brand mostly.