Hard-case vs Soft-case LiPos

Welcome to RCTalk

Come join other RC enthusiasts! You'll be able to discuss, share and private message with other members of our community.

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

pug

RCTalk Addict
Messages
1,190
Reaction score
731
RC Driving Style
  1. Bashing
  2. Racing
  3. Crawling
Which case do you prefer? I personally prefer hard-case since I bash.
 
I havent used my hardcase enough to give a good comparison.

My soft lipos, lectron pro, traxxas, venom. I had them fly out of my truck, had them come lose and slid on asphalt a good 500 to 1000ft, even dropped one out of the bed and split the wrapper.

My smc hard case met a circle saw blade only a month or two old. Shaved the cade a little.

No lipo swelled or went iff. The plus to soft case is you can see the swelling.
 
I havent used my hardcase enough to give a good comparison.

My soft lipos, lectron pro, traxxas, venom. I had them fly out of my truck, had them come lose and slid on asphalt a good 500 to 1000ft, even dropped one out of the bed and split the wrapper.

My smc hard case met a circle saw blade only a month or two old. Shaved the cade a little.

No lipo swelled or went iff. The plus to soft case is you can see the swelling.
You can see a hard case swelling, the case will swell and crack if it swells.
 
No preference. I'm a basher as well haven't had any issues with soft lipos.. Plus never seen the reason for buying a hard case.
 
It doesn't matter to me. My Traxxas batteries are soft case and my Zees's are hard.
 
I prefer hard case, but if all I can find is soft case, no biggie. But if the battery is in a car where it can take damage, definitely hard case.
 
I think it depends on what it's being used for. I have both and use hard packs for bashing and big air, and also speed run which I use soft packs for taking up less space and weight. I have ran soft packs bashing without issue but I wrapped up the packs with a layer of soft foam and a few layers of duck tape to help protect the packs first. Cost is also a big factor I'd say as soft packs are generally cheaper than hard packs.
 
A thin layer of foam in the bottom of the battery tray will protect a lipo from big jumps and stuff as well as a hard pack. The only advantage a hard pack has is if it comes out of the rig somehow. The hard packs I've pulled apart over the years, if they have any foam inside of them its an extremely thin layer.
 
A thin layer of foam in the bottom of the battery tray will protect a lipo from big jumps and stuff as well as a hard pack. The only advantage a hard pack has is if it comes out of the rig somehow. The hard packs I've pulled apart over the years, if they have any foam inside of them its an extremely thin layer.
Thats what I did to my X battery trays. A small layer of foam on the bottom and back. Also helps hold them in a little tighter..👍👍
 
Soft cases bother me in just the fact that I can dent the soft material with my finger. Given that the chemical aspect of a lipo can become unstable and explode or self ignite at any time, I don't feel comfortable with knowing that a soft lipo can be damaged so easily. My analysis is non scientific though so take that into consideration.
 
Soft cases bother me in just the fact that I can dent the soft material with my finger. Given that the chemical aspect of a lipo can become unstable and explode or self ignite at any time, I don't feel comfortable with knowing that a soft lipo can be damaged so easily. My analysis is non scientific though so take that into consideration.
Not sure what lipos you have and can dent with your finger?? But I definitely can't do that with the HRB, Zeee, or the Youme power soft lipos. Maybe if I were to drop them. They only become unstable from not being handled correctly and or over charged or not stored properly.. never had one just dent from my fingers... 🤔🤔

ooo man you used the word "EXPLODE"...🤣🤣🤣👍👍
 
Soft cases bother me in just the fact that I can dent the soft material with my finger. Given that the chemical aspect of a lipo can become unstable and explode or self ignite at any time, I don't feel comfortable with knowing that a soft lipo can be damaged so easily. My analysis is non scientific though so take that into consideration.
They use soft LiPo's on FPV racing drones. The kind that really the only way to land is basically a crash landing. They are sturdier than you think, but not quite as safe as a hardcase.
 
Last edited:
They use soft LiPo's on FPV racing drones. The kind that really the only way to land is basically as crash landing. They are sturdier than you think, but not quite as safe as a hardcase.
Well I can't see the hard case being any safer then a soft. Maybe when it comes to drops, punctures or crashes... But over charge or mishandled, Or short out either one and it's on like donkey kong throwing exploding barrels....plus sometimes with the hard case its black. And you can't see the puff of the cell as fast as you can with the soft packs. Once again its all personal preference and what you feel comfortable using..👍👍 👍
Hard or soft doesn't matter just use and treat and store them correctly and you won't have any lipo torches...🔥🔥
 
Not sure what lipos you have and can dent with your finger?? But I definitely can't do that with the HRB, Zeee, or the Youme power soft lipos. Maybe if I were to drop them. They only become unstable from not being handled correctly and or over charged or not stored properly.. never had one just dent from my fingers... 🤔🤔
He means the fact that you can mark the softpacks with your fingernails if you push hard enough on them. Like you said though LiPos are tougher than people give them credit for. (Not saying hardcase doesn't offer more protection). Below are pics of a 10+ year old Gens_Ace LiPo that as you can see has clearly been marked up and dinged up over the course of its life but the pack is still rock solid (no puffing) and still has very low IRs meaning is still a perfectly good and stable LiPo. Granted its lost about 400mAh of its overall capacity but a high amount of cycles and 10+ years of service will degrade the chemicals inside any LiPo pack.

Cell 1 IR: 1.98mOhms
Cell 2 IR: 2.09mOhms
20211015_065115.jpg

20211015_065209.jpg
20211015_065138.jpg
20211015_065134.jpg



This 6S Sky LiPo has been thrown from my 100+MPH Rustler more than a few times. Its about the same age as the Gens and still intact and perfectly stable.
20211015_073209(1).jpg
 
Last edited:
Well I can't see the hard case being any safer then a soft. Maybe when it comes to drops, punctures or crashes... But over charge or mishandled, Or short out either one and it's on like donkey kong throwing exploding barrels....plus sometimes with the hard case its black. And you can't see the puff of the cell as fast as you can with the soft packs. Once again its all personal preference and what you feel comfortable using..👍👍 👍
Hard or soft doesn't matter just use and treat and store them correctly and you won't have any lipo torches...🔥🔥
When running where we do there is a grass field with an area neglected and overgrown with weeds. Some have been mowed, leaving sharp spikes of dead weeds sticking up, and shrapnel hidden in the grass from the mower. The Granite's very first run actually took one of these dry dead weeds to the body, which left a puncture in the rear of the bed. Even with the battery confined inside the cars, these weeds find their way in. I often find them jammed inside the chassis in the strangest places. For this reason, I prefer hard cases in our bashers.
 
Not sure what lipos you have and can dent with your finger?? But I definitely can't do that with the HRB, Zeee, or the Youme power soft lipos. Maybe if I were to drop them. They only become unstable from not being handled correctly and or over charged or not stored properly.. never had one just dent from my fingers... 🤔🤔

ooo man you used the word "EXPLODE"...🤣🤣🤣👍👍
They were SMC soft pack 3S Lipo and also what Greywolf said is spot on. I changed them because they were for my 11 year old son (Slash) + they didn't really fit into the battery compartment of my Rusty so I returned them and got some SMC Graphene Extreme V2 batteries which are much smaller, lighter, and just as powerful + they are hard case batteries so I just feel better about it.
 
Hi:
I use batteries without a hard box, because I compete in electric boat races, and there weight is a very critical issue.
I say batteries WITHOUT HARD BOX, because I usually buy both types:
soft-case but that give the maximum weight stipulated for each category, or
Hard-case, and I remove the battery from the box ... more work, but high-amperage car batteries can be used
 

Similar threads

Monkey Wrench
Replies
7
Views
695
WickedFog
WickedFog
BunBun
Replies
14
Views
566
WickedFog
WickedFog
DavidB1126
Replies
8
Views
1K
Greywolf74
Greywolf74
HDRIDER56
Replies
11
Views
502
Armysolo
Armysolo
Back
Top