Are the lithium polymer batteries worth the money that they cost or no??

Yep, especially because you can get a 2000 mah 10c pack for under 40$
You save weight, get longer runtimes, meaning better performance.

I think so, but thats really for you to decide. I think the light weight and performance are well worth the money. Besides, lipos aren't that expensive anymore. I have a large AXI motor and was thinking I would buy some nimh cells for it since 4 large capacity lipo cells are kinda expensive but everywhere I look it costs just as much to get nimh and they are twice as heavy and lower capacity. Seems like the nimh are not worth it to me. If you think lipos are too expensive check these guys out, I bought a few of their packs and they are teriffic, I use them in very demanding 3D planes: http://www.rc-dymond.com/order_batteries_lipol.htm
or here: http://www.xushobby.com/servlet/Sear...i-poly+Battery
-Rick

Yes.

Just curious, are you the same person as the other person using that avatar with a new name? Or a new person with the same avatar as another person?

Who is that guy in the avatar anyway? Always wondered. Kinda looks like Will Ferrel??

To me and my busy life and spare time availabilty , yes they are worth the cost . I appreciate the fact that I can charge the lipos up , and store them a month or two , and if a chance to go fly occurs , grab the plane , xmtr , and lipos and go fly
And , they also weigh less than the other types , so you can carry more mah's battery's for increased flight time in the air .
I like the fact that they can be connected up for various uses , for example , Thunder Power 2100 mah 3 cell batterys , one is suggusted by Parkzone for their P-51 , And one battery also suggusted for the new Parkzone Typhon also , and one is what I use in my GP Mini Super Sportster EP plane , and two connected 3S2P , is what I use in my GP Super Sportster EP [ the large one ] which gives it 4200 mah of battery with two batterys
So the lipos work for me , NOW , but , when I retire , and have a lot more time than money , I will be useing the others , and takeing my time and chargeing them before each flight , so they are hot and fresh , cause I won't have to be anywhere .
Of course maybe the lipos will decrease in price more , we can hope .

Longer flights,less weight, better voltage levels troughout flight. A lot speeks for using them. Also as was said prices have slowly normalized..

It depends on the size, I think. For the smallish-sized planes I fly, yes, lipos are definitely worth the cost. But if you are into big planes/ electric conversions, the price of lipos goes up quickly while their advantage goes down.

Ever since I switched over to LiPo's (and brushless) this hobby has been much more FUN.

The bad thing about LiPo's is that the fastest you can charge them is around 1hr to 90min. Unlike Ni-MH's which can be field charged in 15 min.

One lipo I have only netted me 8 min flight time compared to 6 min I was getting from my NI-MH. LIPO 1800 mah, NI-MH 1100. Maybe my setup was just bad to make good use out of it.

Originally Posted by Basketcase

Yes.

Just curious, are you the same person as the other person using that avatar with a new name? Or a new person with the same avatar as another person?

Who is that guy in the avatar anyway? Always wondered. Kinda looks like Will Ferrel??

That is Will Ferrell in a SNL skit with Christopher Walken... its a riot!!! "I gotta have more cowbell!!"

As for the lipos, yes they are absolutely worth it. Charge them up and take just the plane, lipos, TX and a small tool kit and leave the charging battery and battery charger at home. I fly them in LMR so the one charge actually lasts me a few times flying.

With a $60 Lipo I can fly for 15 minutes.

With a $20 NiCd I can fly for 5 minutes.

Generally if you break it down to $ per minute flight there is not much difference. That being said, the best solution is Lipoly hands down.

No! But they are the best batteries out there for electric flight.

Lipo is easily the best money I have ever spent on RC gear. It's worth twice what I paid for it.

My two cents: I was skeptical about them at first with all the horror stories. After buying Lipos I havent bought any others. The trade off of weight and duration is well worth the price. The prices of Lipos are rappidly decreasing, so for me there are no better batteries. Just read all the cautions and learn how to properly charge and care for them and you'll be happy.

With a $60 Lipo, I have to worry about it blowing up, bloating, cut-off, charging and losing its capacity prematurely.

With a $20 NiMH, I have to worry about weight, duration and ??

Basically, Lipos are great batteries, I have been using them ever since ditching the KANs. Well, the Lipos are really a pain in the [body part] to maintain, basically there are a lot more circumstances in which it can fail on you, but really, they can be really great batteries when used properly. The NiMHs, on the other hand, are also wonderful batteries, they have taken trememdous amount of abuse over a year and only lost 50mah worth of capacity. They are heavy, which affects wing loading, it makes planes like the Formosa a little more difficult to fly. Of course, when I had my first whiff of Lipo, I was hooked, the flight performance was so much better.

Beware though: once you go Lipo, there's no turning back!