Lipo Shootout 2 – Final Results!

LiPo Shootout 2 – Final Results
Our scoring system works like golf, the lower the final score, the better the finish!

Here we are, most of you have probably skipped the meat of the shootout and have come directly to the final results (I’m the exact same way!). We’ve listed all our separate category scores so you can actually determine your own “personal” winner. For example, if you don’t care about price and never run your truck high speed, you can drop those categories and calculate your own best pack. Maybe you only care about capacity and price, if so, you can use our category scores to determine your personal winner. What it boils down to here is that while we are listing an overall winner, the best pack for you might very well be different than our number one pack, depending on your own personal needs.

We drove every single pack in the test many, many times. We put them through torture tests, drove them like we stole them, and just like in the first shootout, we didn’t have any problems with any of the packs. None of the cells tested puffed, overheated, leaked, or acted like we were over stressing them with any of our tests.

8. Winforce 5000 mah 30c- Ok, so this pack finished dead last. Ok, so it’s the cheapest pack we could get our hands on. So is it a real piece of junk? The most expensive pack in the test is $120, you could buy 15 Winforce packs for that price, but is it worth it? So here’s the scoop. The Winforce is not in the same league as any other battery in the test. When you drive it, you think something is wrong with your truck, it just feels that slow. Yes, it is that bad. Oh and, if you buy 15 of these, you’ll just have 15 very slow battery packs in your pit box. If you only have $8 to your name, I’d still recommend passing on this one and saving up for a better pack. Lastly, the measured IR (internal resistance) of this pack is almost twice as high as any other pack in the shootout (the IR measured 26.4), surely one of the reasons why it didn’t even come close to putting out it’s advertised 5000 mah capacity (we measured it’s capacity at 3728 mah).

7. Common Sense 5000 mah 40c- Common Sense has come under some fire on the net message boards lately, so I was itching to see just how their pack would stand up against this field of heavy hitters. First off, the Common Sense pack is a thousand times better than the pack that finished in 8th place. When driving this pack, it felt quick with plenty of power, certainly one of the faster packs of the bunch. What hurt it in the overall standings was how it finished in the weight and capacity categories, otherwise, it would have placed much higher. Overall, a good pack.

6. JGB 5200 mah 35c- So who the heck is JGB? Well, you may not know much about them yet, but you will. The JGB crew is based out of Ohio, where they have a very loyal following, and deservedly so. Their 2S 5200 won the high speed portion of testing by a good 2 mph, and overall, it felt like a good performing on track. A very good showing for a start up company, and if you have one of these packs in your truck, you will like the performance.

5. Zippy 5000 mah 30c- Everybody and their Uncles dog is talking about Zippy packs. Every forum on the net has a bunch of Zippy fan boys talking about just how Zippy packs are just as good as everything else out there, and how they are all made in the same factory etc etc. Well, the Zippy isn’t as bad as I thought it would be, but it certainly did not pwn the field like the fanboys might insist. Is it a bad pack? No. Is it a great pack? No. It’s a cheap pack that has average performance. Is it a better pack than it’s price would indicate? From our testing, yes. But, while it’s cheap price is a big up side, the lack of an American dealer network (and the accompanying customer service), negates that for many people. It finished fifth here for a reason, it just didn’t have the performance to put it on top.

4. CheckPoint 5000 mah 40c- First to fourth place in our shootout was a very close battle. The top four packs are all fast, look good, and generally kick ass. The CheckPoint finished second in what I consider the most important category, the actual track driving test, and it generally scored well in nearly all categories. When you drive the CheckPoint pack, it’s obviously got a lot of rip, with good pull down low, and enough voltage to make your brushless motor sing up on top. Also, it is one of the best looking packs of the bunch. Had the CheckPoint pack finished slightly higher in the price and capacity categories, it would have been sitting much higher in the final standings.

3. Venom 5000 mah 20c- Wanna talk about a company that has some net message board haters? Well, it seems that everyone likes to tear Venom a new one on-line. Now, I’ve used a few Venom products in the past, and admittedly, the quality was not as good as I thought it should be, but here we are testing their new Li-po pack, and it flat out rips hard. The Venom nearly won the voltage under load test, yet had the second lightest weight, resulting in a phenomenal power to weight ratio. Combine that with a very attractive price, and you’ve got the makings of a winner on both the sales floor and in your truck. If you are looking for the best out of the budget packs, the Venom pack is it.

2. Ace 5000 mah 40c- No, I had never heard of Ace packs either until the test started, but they insisted that they had something special and wanted in the shootout. So is their pack something special? Well, it won the coveted voltage under load test, won the capacity test, and tied with the Common Sense pack for third in the mod driving test. The Ace is a fantastic performer both on the bench and on the track. Now, availability in the states might not be the easiest thing in the world, but if you can get one in your hands, you’ll be very happy that you did.

1. Hyperion 5000 mah 30c- Here’s your winner folks, the creme of the BigSquidRC Li-po Shootout 2 crop! The Hyperion won the mod driving test, and tied for second in the high speed test. Solid finishes in the rest of the categories put it on the top spot on the podium. The Hyperion pack is no joke. It’s an outstanding performer on track, one that has tons of yank from a dead stop, and just keeps on pulling ridiculously hard to the upper rpm’s of your brushless motor. Looks aren’t a category in the shootout, but it was also considered by many as the best looking pack in the test. The Hyperion has a quality feel to it’s case, as does it’s wires. Overall, a great performing Li-po pack at a reasonable price point, and the winner of the BigSquidRC Li-po Shootout 2!

Make sure to check out each page for more details.



O-Overall Points
C-Capacity
S-Speed
V-Voltage Under Load
W-Weight
P-Price
ST-Stock Testing
MT-Mod Testing
F-FitTesting

Wow, What a shootout! Thanks again to all the companies that provided packs for testing, we really appreciate your support!
Team Checkpoint 5000mah 40c
ACE Acepow Electronics 5000mah 40c
Common Sense RC 5000mah 40c
JGB RC 5200mah 35c
Venom Group RC 5000mah 20c
Empire RC – Hyperion 5000mah 30c
Hobbyking – Zippy Pack 5000mah 30c
Winforce RC (Off Ebay) 5000mah 30c

Don’t forget to check out our FIRST Li-Po Battery shootout RIGHT HERE!