Align 6S 2600 25C vs OutrageXP 2500 25C vs OutrageXP 2500 30C

Introduction

When Align introduced their new 6S 2600 25C pack it caused quite a stir. Particularly as most people agreed that it's power delivery exceeded the FlightPower EVO 2500 25C, which was probably one of the more popular packs for the T-Rex 500 at the time.

Recently HeliDirect introduced their own range of packs under the OutrageXP brand. This article is a short comparison of that pack to the very capable Align offering. This comparison is purely a power delivery comparison, cycle life has not been assessed although HeliDirect assure me they have tested these packs to over 100 cycles. Time will tell as to how long both of these packs last in the hands of the public. Both packs on test have the ThunderPower / FlightPower style balance connectors.

 

Test Methodolgy

This is a somewhat less than controlled test in that the two packs were flown back to back in the same conditions and put through a 3D flight, the uncontrolled bit being that no two flights are ever the same. The data from the flights was recorded on the Medusa Oracle inflight logger. I have then checked to make sure that average amp draw is identical (as possible) across the flight. The test results shown are very close on average amp draw such that I am not concerned that amp draw has biased the test in favour of any particular pack. The motor used in the test was the Scorpion HK3026-1400kv.

Test Results

 

 

 

Analysis

The above charts are just to graphically illustrate the flight and show how neither pack was given any different treatment in the 3D flight. Much more useful is the single data chart below:

 

 

What we see here is the comparison data from the Oracle data file. The Align pack was flown for exactly 4 minutes. The OutrageXP very slightly longer at 4mins 6 seconds. Most importantly the average amp draw across the flights is within 0.005 amps, enough for this to be negligible in comparing voltage hold and RPM.

If we look at voltage hold what we see is the Align pack delievered an average 21.633 volts and the OutrageXP an average 21.663. So on voltage the OutrageXP wins but only by 0.03 volts. This is reflected in the RPM data which is almost identical.

The last element to consider is temperature and in this regard neither pack showed levels of temperature that would worry me with regard to longevity. They both came off the machine quite warm but not what I would consider to be hot or at all worrying with respect to lipo acceptable temperature.

Update 12 May 2008

Now added to this review is the Outrage XP 6S 2500 30C pack. Weighing slightly less than it's 25C brother. Let's compare these two packs as they are from the same stable and see what 30C buys.

 

The flight test for the 30C pack I was a little rougher on it and the average amp draw ended up being slightly higher than the previous two packs.

 

 

Again the graph is just for illustrative purposes to show it wasn't given an easy time the real meat of this is in the data file:

 

 

Here we can see what you get for your extra $40. Starting with the average amp draw you can see I hit this pack on average 3A harder than the previous two packs. Significantly the lowest voltage over the whole flight is higher than the previous two packs, also the average voltage is 0.121V higher. If we equate this to the headspeed you can see that on average the headspeed was 18 RPM more. Not huge but still better than the 25C pack. While the averages don't seem much higher I was drawing 3A average more, so had the average amp draw been lower these Volt and RPM averages would have been higher still.

Flight Review

Both the Align pack and the OutrageXP 25C produce a very spirited 3D performance. Neither of these packs leave me feeling like I'm wanting for more power. However, there is one crucial difference between the two packs. The Align pack is 428g and the OutrageXP is 390g. This difference can be felt inflight, the OutrageXP has a crisper feel to it and reacts more quickly to collective inputs. The Outrage XP 30C feels better again, you can hear the headspeed is slightly higher when flying them back to back and the 30C pack comes down cooler to the touch at the end of the flight.

Conclusion

Chemically speaking it is very difficult to separate the two 25C packs, the power delivery on voltage is virtually identical. With regard to price the OutrageXP is slightly more expensive but the difference is only approx $8. The battle here is lost and won purely on weight where the OutrageXP scores highly by being a full 38g lighter. That said both packs are capable of delivering excellent 3D performance, however, the OutrageXP wins due to that weight advantage.

The XP 30C takes thing up a notch and whilst it isn't a massive improvement it's enough to be felt and heard inflight. Given a choice I'd be happy with any of these packs, however, if I could only pick one to keep it would the the XP 30C.

One last item most worthy of mention is the OutrageXP packs have a 50% crash replacement policy, which really does make a difference on cost of ownership should things go horribly wrong due to dumb thumbs or mechanical failure.