Review – TrakPower 2S 70C 6800mAh Lipo Battery
THE TrakPower 7.4v 2S 70C 6800mAh Lipo Battery Review
What makes for a good Lipo battery? That depends on what you are looking for, but most people look for excellent runtimes, lots of voltage, and a long cycle life. We’ve been using and abusing a TrakPower 2S 70C 6800 for a few months now. How does it stack up to the competition? Does it have a lot of power? Can it take some abuse and not puff? Click the “Read More” to find out…
From: TrakPower
Direct Link: TrakPower Lipos
Review By: Cubby
Pics By: Tim Mohr
Specs:
Battery Type: Lithium Polymer
Stated Capacity: 6800mAh
Cell Configuration: 2S2P
Voltage- 7.4v (8.4 volt max, 6.4 recommended min)
Discharge- 70C continuous (476 amps)
Weight (measured by BSRC w/ Traxxas connector)- 330 grams
Dimensions (measured by BSRC)- 47 x 25 x 138 mm
Balance Plug Type- ElectriFly
Connector- Deans
Wiring- 12 gauge
Max Charge Rate- 1C (6.8 amps)
Part number: #TKPC0465
Street Price: $109
Test Platforms: We used the TrakPower in several different test machines. It saw primary use in our Durango DEX408 buggy, but was also used in our Vaterra Halix, our long term Pro-Line PRO-2, and in our review Speed Passion LM-1. We used a Hyperion 720 iNet3 for charging in the lab and a TrakPower VR-1 while out in the field. As recommended by the manufacture, we only used a 1C (6.8 amp) charge rate.
Fit: The TrakPower comes with our preferred form factor and wiring layout, making it an easy fit in every vehicle we used it in.
Test Drivers: Iron Mike, Editor Brian, Sam “The Noob”, Tim Mohr, and yours truly.
Test Venues: Virtually too many to list, but a large variety of tracks, bash spots, city parks and parking lots.
Driving Impressions: We must note that we perform our driving tests after we do our bench tests. Because of this, two of our testers knew how the TrakPower stacked up on the bench, so while out driving we did blind testing. Blind testing is where the driver does not know what brand of battery he is driving. It might be the TrakPower, or it might be another Lipo, or sometimes we put in an RTR 1500 Ni-MH, but the person up on the stand does not know for sure until all the driving is done.
There is nothing like a brand new Lipo to remind you how powerful your car can be. We found the TrakPower had excellent power when driven in a car. In our Castle powered Durango 8th scale buggy a pair of TrakPower easily ballooned the tires and powered it over huge jumps. In our Speed Passion pan car it made its 17.5 stock motor feel strong. We never felt like we had a lack of power while driving the TrakPower.
The TrakPower didn’t disappoint in the runtime department. At roughly 6400mAh the TrakPower just seemed to keep on going.
Comparing the TrakPower against a normal RTR Ni-MH pack was quite funny, as the difference in power was huge. The TrakPower had lots more rip off the bottom and pulled wayyyyyyy further on top. Against our reference 2S ROAR sized Lipo (ProTek 7000), it felt slightly softer across the powerband. Not a huge difference, but enough to be noticed by experienced drivers.
Discharge Notes:
Please see our previous Lipo battery reviews if you are not familiar with how we perform our bench tests. I will say that with my thousands of hours behind a CBA and Tim’s years with Lipo battery companies like Apogee and Maxamps, that we are very hardcore about our Lipo battery testing. However, because we typically only test one sample, you should not consider our testing to be scientific.
Voltage under load on the TrakPower was solid across the curve compared to similar packs, although its voltage numbers were somewhat lower (about a tenth of a volt across the curve) than our reference pack. If you are a “stock” class driver the TrakPower has enough voltage to impress, if you are into mod it handles 60 amps without breaking a sweat with good runtime.
Capacity on the bench was a two edged sword. Cramming 6400mAh into a ROAR spec hardcase is no joke, but the TrakPower is labeled at 6800. Our standard capacity test, which is the packs first cycle with a 1C discharge, showed the pack at 6406mAh, which is about 6% off of stated. Generally we like to see no greater than ±3%. When the difference is more than 3% we are left wondering if we got a bad test sample, if the QC at the factory is bad, or if someone in the marketing department made up the specs.
Temps (ambient 67):
1C – 80 F
30 amps – 92 F
6C/37.2 amps – 98 F
60 amps – 106 F
Capacity:
1C – 6406 mAh
30 amps – 6311 mAh
6C/42 amps – 6347 mAh
60 amps – 6244 mAh
Run Times:
1C – 56:22
30 amps – 12:40
6C/37.2 amps – 9:22
60 amps – 6:16
A = Outstanding/Best in Class, B = Above Average, C = Average, D = Below Average, F = Horrific
Summary:
Time to Bash: C The TrakPower comes with a pre-soldered Deans connector which saves time, but a maximum charge rate of 1C can take a while to charge.
Car Show Rating: B Clean looking pack with nice graphics.
Bash-A-Bility: A Our test pack endured not only punishment on our test equipment, but lots of use (read- abuse) in test vehicles that were slammed into curbs, off roofs, etc. Even after all the abuse the TrakPower shows no ill effects.
Power: B On the bench and at the local bash spot the TrakPower puts out solid power and good runtimes.
Value: C The TrakPower puts out good performance for the price.
BigSquid Rating: B- While the TrakPower puts out good numbers and will easily power your vehicle over nearly obstacle, we were most impressed with its longevity. Other packs we’ve tested have held up fine during the review period, but when we came back to them a month later they were all puffed up. Our TrakPower pack has withstood the test of time, a great thing for a Lipo.
