I'm looking into Lipo's but have a few questions.

1) I'm looking at a SMC pack, 7.4v, 24c, 4100mah. It appears to come with a balance plug sticking out of it. Would a Team Checkpoint balancer work with the SMC balancer plug?

2) How long should I expect the pack to charge at 3amp and at 4.1 amp? Is there an equation to figure charge times?

3) Since the Lipo's don't seem to have quite as finicky a power curve as Nimh, would a cheaper charger get the job done? I'm looking at a $50 Ripmax Quattro that charges at 3a, the Onyx 230 $80, and the Team Checkpoint $130 (same as the ICE basically). Do I need the extra bells and whistles with a LiPo? Is getting a good balancer with a cheaper charger fine? I plan on racing so please let me know the scoop. I have a Nimh Ripmax charger and like it a lot, therefore I think I'd like the Lipo version.


Thanks!