ok guys and gals im within one week of getting this bird to fly but im starting to get lost in the maze of battery land so much to choose from can anyone point me in the right direction for a good battery for the price like a 2200 or higher thanks a million "cuz thats how much i feel im spending on my trex lololololololol"

Heh, I feel exactly the same way, these things are $$$$$$$$ but well worth it i think. I too am deliberating on batteries but for me the problem is what to get for use with my charger. I decided that I wanted a balance charger and a good one at that. Decided on the Cellpro 4s, not all that expensive in the realm of chargers and everyone sez it works fantastic. Only problem is that balance charge leads are so varied that finding a compatible one is a pain. I have found good deals in the $39 range that balance with an align charger but eventually just decided to go with the cellpro brand straight up. FMA used to carry Kokam batteries which are highly regarded as one of the best so I am hoping they are using the same cells in their batteries. I wouldnt be so wed to the idea of a 2200mah battery as that only defines approx how long you can fly for. the "c" rating is perhaps most important because it determines how many amps the battery can deliver. There are a bunch of 18-25c batteries out there in a 2050-2100 mah configuration that would destroy a 2200mah battery with a low "c" rating. However, these types of things usually jack the price up so figure on about $50+ for a decent battery.

Hey. I am looking at getting a Trex 450 this summer, and was wondering about batteries. I don't anticipate 3d or heavy manuvers for quite some time, I'm just looking for long flights with some power (looking to put the blade cp behind me), what do you guys think? And if anyone wants to give me a brief rundown of battery definitions, I wouldnt mind looking over that, again. lol
-Gene

Im no electrician but like I said above, Ive been digging around for some time now and Ill see if I can put some things in perspective.
-mah rating (as in 2200mah) is miliamp hour and is similar to a gas tank on a car, the higher the number (2200mah is more than 2000mah) theoretically the longer your flight times should be.
-"C" rating, as in 15C, 18C, 20C is how many amps the battery is capable of delivering, think of it as octane rating kinda. C is nothing but a designation for a unit of power, in this case C=however many miliamps your battery is rated. So, a 1C rating on a 2200mah battery would be capable of delivering 2200mah (2.2amps) sustained, or if a 4800mah battery had a 2C rating, it would capable of delivering 9600mah (9.6amps) sustained. A more relevant example would be a cellpro 2100mah 18C battery. 2100mah x 18=37800mah(37.8 amps) sustained. Amps are what your motor uses to create power and torque to turn the rotor and more amps=less bogging.
-lipos come in lots of flavors, the most relevant for a Trex being 11.1v and 2000+ mah and 15C+. For general hovering, forward flight, sport flying, etc. a 15C 2000-2200 mah battery should be lots of fun. 20C in the same 2000-2200mah configuration would be great for 3D and 25C (expensive and only a few manufacturers make them) would best be suited to a serious 3D rig running an insane motor and who could care less about flight time (5min or less).

This is not even scratching the surface but for the most part it lets you know kinda what to look for in a battery. Price, manufacturer, charging options, etc. all play their part as well. Also, batteries, motors, pinions, and Tx mixing/setup are all very much intertwined. It makes little sense to run a 2000mah 15C battery with a new JGF 500th motor turning a 13t pinion with big carbon blades and expect stellar performance. Matching things up seems to be the name of the game. You might be able to get a feel for performance from various configurations by reading the reports found on [link=http://www.trextuning.com/lipos.php]this[/link] paage, its by no means everything but its a start

Synister, though no excpert, I thought that was a nice right up and a good link for info.
I've had that eqation for some time now, MAHxC/1000=A and recently picked this up, thanks to another member, AxV=W, as you know is relative to fluctuating draw and voltage.

As for a simplified answer to bat.s that provide sufficient proformance for sport flying, I've been using DN's 15C 2150mah bat.s, and find they provide plenty of power and where all well matched cells. My only concern is the heat they produce and am considering Sonix's 18C 2100 bat.s @ $34. I've been running a 430L 3550KV and 35X with 65s and 401/9650, draw 11-13A cont. and 19-21A average. http://www.cnchelicopter.com/servlet...er-Trex/Detail
I'm setting up another heli with said 500TH, I've read at Helifreak the 500TH proformed well on 15C with out damaging the bat.s, and feel that my flying and ability will be well served with my current 15C bat.s and trying the 18C will be safer for more agressive flying later.
Running the 500TH set up through the darkhorse ringer yeilds relatively equall flight times to the 430L on 12T and the 500TH on 13T, http://dhrc.rchomepage.com/calc.htm