For those who want a concise description of the test procedure, here is our Terms of Reference document. docs.google.com/document/d/1zmSSUDvmY1XUUGYf3DCkgjc3zisdNqENEo_FVSDYsQc/edit?usp=sharing
The internal resistance only comes into play at high drain, is has no effect at 1C. The higher the C rating the higher the drain has to be during test to see the difference. Batteries with very low IR have to be tested at very high currents. They lasted 2 minutes, that means they ware discharged at about 30c, you will not see the difference between 100c and 120c (real c) battery at 30c Push them harder, there WILL be a difference if they really have different IR
The difference you're trying to figure out is in fact anode composition - the higher silicon content electrodes perform a touch better in energy density and weight terms, and also produce lower internal resistance when new. For the first 20-30 cycles, they'll handily outperform the higher graphene content options, then as they start seeing more cycles (or are driven at higher constant power draw), the higher graphene content versions will nudge ahead. For racing, I'd take the Black series over MiniStar every time, but freestyle the MiniStar gives you more pop, and edges out performance in everything but punch-outs. It also comes down to the sizes available - the CNHL Black 5S 1100mAh is an amazing battery size, and nobody else offers anything that exact size near the price.
Don't even need to watch this (but I'm gonna anyway)....CNHL 120C all the way! As a bonus, that orange shrink wrap makes it super easy to find an ejected lipo
I wonder if the two batteries are actually the same battery but CNHL tests them and the ones that come out of the factory with lower resistance get the orange label and those with higher resistance get the black label. Total speculation on my part though, I have no real info and always wondered what the difference was.
@@kevincarbajal1220 I think he might be suggesting that CHNL may use a system similar to chip manufacturers where there is enough variance in their process that some batteries are slightly better than others from the same line. The better ones get one label while the lesser ones get the other label. In such a scenario, It is conceivable that many of the Black batteries could be close to the more expensive battery because it effectively is the same battery. I love my 1300 Blacks. Tattu's Fun Fly (1300) work well too for he price and both are better than the GoldBat (1500) and Zeee (1300) batteries I also run. (iFlight Protek 35, 8-blade HQProp, Hero Session 5)
@@kevincarbajal1220 Oranges give teeny tiny better punch. And blacks are tanks which may withstand quite reckless piloting with broken frame arms and smashed cameras ;) Pick your poison.
The black ones have two plasticy sheets on either side where the labels are (around 2-3 millimeter thick and fairly rigid). To protect the cells from damage/punctures. They do look still like new after several harder crashes with no deformation whatsoever (compared to the Tattus which don‘t look so good anymore). Really liking the Black Series!
CNHL battery indeed have protective sheet layer. It resemble Turnigy Graphene battery impact protection, however CNHL batteries have better C ratings. Both are quite resilient against bashing during freestyle and races. Tattu R-Line are lighter and give better performance though, but crash against hard ground or pavement most certainly will kill them. Killed two R-Line 6S batteries at last week on hard landing against pavement. CNHL-s in such occasion doesn't care.
I'm a huge fan of these "armor plates". Killed a Tattu (non-R) that way, then went to Floureon which uses little aluminum plates for the same purpose. Haven't killed one yet, and I'm far from a skilled pilot. Although you're paying for it in the Floureons as I'm sure those plates are comparatively heavy. Not that I'm good enough for it to matter yet. ^.^;;
I also use the CNHL blacks, the 1300mah 6s packs, and I love them. They have less sag than other batteries i have just tried here and there. And they're cheap!
Agree, but even a small variation of ambient temperature after those many cycles, creates a difference in its own, so it would not be fair to compare them without a chamber to hold the temperature all the time... It gets expensive really fast to go this route. But maybe this is closer to reality them I think, as I could not image a TH-camr doing such tests like Joshua an year ago, it was always ripping drones and checking the osd, the worst scientific way possible. 😉
It heavily depends from flying style and charging habits. Without reckless bashing and being (dis)charged to storage after use they may last 2+ seasons.
I have over twenty of them (6S 1300mah and 1100mah blacks), after the first season they all still work almost like new, over 50 charges each.I bought them because they were much cheaper than Tattu batteries, considered the best in my country. I hope that cnhl batteries will last one more season. Thank you Joshua for the test, I didn't expect this result.
I took 12 CNHL 🍕pizza packs and All the lipo's preform different some better than others, even though its the same battery.😮 Some even get a bit more flight time. I tested them at the same throttle postion and amp output when flying. 😮
What I’m missing in the testing (and i understand why), is how many cycles is a lijpo capable of running before it begins to decline in performance. And then especially if it gets abused like i abuse them by flying them to a too low voltage. Thats how i rate the brands of batteries. If they last long enough while i abuse them, they are the best in my book 😁. Thanks for these valuable tests anyway, i love your spreadsheet.
They are built different. The black series have plastic plates protecting them while the ministars have metal plates. The solder tabs are also different. I found that the ministars have better quality solder tabs and seem to be built better overall.
That black Friday sale was mauudddd, 15 dollar 6s 1100 mahs, from European warehouse fast and free shipping. Can't beat it. That and the colour scheme is great!
I know you hate people saying how a given battery "feels", subjectiv results vs hard data. But I don't have a fancy test rig. So all I can say is I've been flying with CNHL happily. Bought one batch, then went back for more. They're good batteries.
Of course to put this up 2 days after I just bought some more batteries... thanks alot. :) I had to replace my CNHL that works perfect until it hits 3.6 volts or so then immediately drops to 1v and my quad falls out of the sky.... fun!
Amazing job with the testing, and how you present the results and explain how to interpret the different figures. Thanks as well for making the database viewable. Mike
Great data. I think it is worth noting that the Tattu R-Line 1550 outperformed both batteries in the high load test. It is listed as a 1550, not a 1500, but it is nevertheless lighter than the other two batteries. Real downside is that it is $10-$12 more than the other two, so really takes a hit in value.
I remember when I bought the black battery when I held it in my hand I couldn’t believe how light it was I couldn’t believe like that this was actually a success pack well I had a success pack but so anyways yeah these black batteries are fucking the works oh my God I love these batteries there’s nothing else like them and thank you for testing all these batteries you work your ass off now I really appreciate what you do for us
I have both of these batteries, and the Orange ones are still holding strong years later. The black ones all went bad on me months ago, and I’ve had the orange ones longer.
Ministar has been my go to battery since I started earlier this year. They have been solid and have given me no reason to want to try any other. Im intrested and happy to hear they teat well.
I added a few of the 1500 blacks to my bag of 1500 RDQ and was shocked at how good they seemed. I assumed it was just because my older batteries were getting on a bit. Glad to have some data to back up my impressions of how good they are.
@Joshua Bardwell: I've been flying both for about half a year now and if you really run them on the edge, the black ones definitely sag out a bit earlier than the minister. Tested on my 4s Racer which can draws up to 180 amps, which is exactly 120c@1500mah
I sense a bit of a TH-cam testers/reviewers existential crisis in that opening monologue. If its any consolation, your efforts are loved my man. Happy holidays 🎄🎀🎉🎊
Thank you Joshua. Great info. I recently bought 5 Cnhl black packs, 2 dropped a cell within the first 10 cycles. Not the same cell, so not a charger issue.
I have been using the Blacks in my Wizard for a couple months. They work perfectly. I recently just got 2 Ministars and they work wonders as well. Although the Volts on the Ministar dont seem to bounce back up after landing when my battery alarm starts going off. When the Blacks get low and set off the alarm once I land the Black seems to cool down a bit and retain some Voktage back. Not the Ministars. Once they drop they stay low. That's the difference I have noticed. Still love them both
@@verofpv6152 i was using 1500 and no. I have graduated to 6s with my Nazgul and custom builds. I still have them but they are only backups for field charging my Skyzone batteries 2s. I am using Ovonic 1000mah 6s primarily now and loving them!
Ministars seems to have smaller internal resistance. Noticeable voltage rising when battery voltage drop after punches is a sign of larger voltage sag in battery which is not so good. Better is to have merrier voltage drop.
Finally! I've waited so long for these two batteries to be tested ;). BTW, do I have the possibility to support you with affiliate links in german stores?
Been flying the ministars since the beginning nice to see I've been saving money bigtime! I have been flying the Ovonic 1500 4s and the 1300 5s(output linit) both would be a tossup with the ministar.. Love your outro. lol
I have both the Black and MiniStars in 6S form. I can't tell any difference in them while flying. The big difference on the 6S side is the shape of the packs. The 1100mah 6S Black is shaped like a normal pack. The 1000mah 6S MiniStar is short and wide. Almost makes for a "toilet tank" configuration. I like them both, and grab whichever ones CNHL runs a sale on when I'm wanting new batteries.
I use MiniStar 1500's...lots of them. You're not missing anything -- they're that good. Also, they're so cheap I don't bother field charging; I just carry 20 or so packs -- much easier. The 5s 1500mAh 120C is also excellent.
I'm super happy with my cnhl black label lipos.. Got 5 for a good price, from aliexpress, shipped within eu. Super cheap shipping, great price, great performance, quick delivery.. Perfect
@@larsschroder4797 they still perform fine. They perform a lot better than some of the cheap lipos i have bought. And doesn't degrade as much over time.
My black series lipos are absolutely grande in terms of performance, especially compared to my tattu race lines. When I tested a mini star lipo it was impossible to get it sagging much, I'd say those results make sense as those batteries are superb, especially at that price.
In our local group we found out orange ones perform bit better since spring till autumn, however blacks are not far behind and perform well during winter temperatures as well, while oranges are seriously lacking with temperatures near 0.
I bought 8 lipo 6s 1100 black series I was really happy with these batteries only in these weeks one after the other they are dying one after the other ... I did about 70 charge cycles and I always squeezed them well so I can't complain ... battery life 6min and 30 sec cruising and 4 min and 3o sec fly hard ... after these flights and flying even in summer with high temperatures they performed well .. these weeks had a collapse and for a moment to the other they died doing only 50 sec of flight and the average voltage drops to 3 v immediately ... I ask a question .. how many charge cycles can these black series batteries do? now i bought 8 more mini stars and i will do the comparison
@@erikvf7 hello Erik yes for the price I will continue with the black series .. i bought some ministar It s ok but the black series for me it s better .. I bought also other 8 speddypizza 1200mah 6s but I m not so happy .. next time continue with black ..sometimes there a good offer buy one and one get free .. This is good
There’s always a chance that these actually are the same cells internally. The slight difference in size could be due to a different assembly line or vacuum sealer being used but internally they could use the same materials/compounds. The slight IR differences could be due to manufacturing tolerances for the two lines or the sources for the electrolyte, or anode/cathode compounds. Or even just two batches were done, each ending up slightly different so they branded them differently to give the impression of a bigger product line. I’ve seen stranger things than that being done by the China cell wrapping companies and pack assemblers.
Andddd... he let the secret out. Queue out of stock messages now. Bought a few different brands myself over the past few months and those CNHLs just worked damn great.
Well ya. Temperatures change how the batteries chemistry reacts. Cold batteries will ALWAYS perform worse than warm batteries. Hot batteries will decrease in performance but room temperature to warm batteries is what you want for optimal performance. Think of maple syrup in the fridge vs room temp vs heated. Viscosity is how the manufacturer intended at room temp. Too hot it is runny and refrigerated it is slow to move
Do a video on how to connect and set up tracer on the x9lite and beta flight setup for radio and how use open tx to get that working.. i could use help. My x9lite doesn't have csfr. Yet tbs says it'll work with x9lite. I'm sure other first time pilots are having the same prob maybe. Thanks Joshua. Hope I learn something soon.
I use Chnl black and they haven't failed me yet. I've always wanted to see a comparison between the Lumenier N20 and each of these. I'm unable to import the Lumenier N20 as I'm in Australia, but perfect video to learn I'm using something very much equivalent, considering price difference. Thanks Josh 🤙
I just picked up two 6s 1100mAh from their black line of products. This will be the first time trying any 6s battery because I just moved up to 5-in. I figured two of them for $43 was cheap enough for my first set of 6s batteries. I mean can you really go wrong with two 6s 1100mAh batteries for $43? Thank you again for the content.
I have many of the Ministar and Black in different mAh, cell count, and C rating. Anecdotally, I've found that the Blacks perform really well but start to degrade faster. The Ministars stay pretty consistent with their performance over time. I have more of the Black batteries in my junk pile than Ministars at this point. I'll bet you that you notice the performance of the Black battery drop off over 20+ cycles.
Hey Joshua, I use both. In 5S the 1300 Ministar is slightly heavier. But real world use I find they are very similar but I prefer the ministar. I feel like it sags just a tiny bit less for my type of flying
The best thing about the black CNHL is. You get 4x 1500mAh 4S 100C for $59.96 I have been using CNHL for 2 years now and they are simply the best for the price. Better is only Tattu R line
With a sample size of one this the real question is did you get a really good ministar or a really bad black? It would be expensive to buy many batteries of the same type and size from the same manufacture. One way to do it might be to setup a resale program. eg Buy the batteries then resell them to the community. Assuming they weren't destroyed in testing I would take a few 'tested' batteries around cost. Slap a JB tested sticker on it and people might wait in line for them.
Absolutely Epic introduction! :-D Can you please also include the Turnigy Graphene Panther 75C lipos? I know they work well - but would like to see how they stack up in a uniformed test.
My son and I both fly 5" quads and with a 17 year pushing the limits we damage batteries from time to time. So I pull out bad cells and replace with good cells. To form another good 4 cell pack. I started buying CNHL a couple years ago when I noticed NURK only flying them. And I believe that's before he got a sponsor ship from them. But what I've noticed is the only difference between the two batteries is the ministar has wider thicker metal tabs coming out of the battery and the BLACK has smaller and what seems to be aluminum tabs coming out. Open them up and take a look.
I'm actually about to replace some cells in a couple I'll try and take a pic of the internals and post them so you don't have to risk life and battery checking it out.
I got some of these (the black ones), so much better than the GNB and Tattu ones I had been using. A brand new GNB sagged so much it set off the low voltage buzzer on a punchout, did the same move with the black and it didn't even squeak.
Cool to see, I bought some of the 1500 mAh CNHL black and am waiting for them to arrive. Maybe want to measure the internal resistance during the high current test since temperature will affect the internal resistance.
I've always been vouching for CNHL batteries because of their good price to performance ratio. This video just blows my mind because of how good the CNHL's truely are. What is the point of buying any LiPo other than the CNHL. I guess we'll have to wait for more test results, but im not sure if the CNHL price to performance is beatable.
Possibly the charging rate being different for a given C rating? Maybe that would effect the longevity of the packs? Possibly the take away for this instance 🤷♂️
all i run is the CNHL Black. 4s, 5s, and 6s. they hold up the best out of all my batteries. better than rdq, which i think are ghb, tattu doesnt even come close. these are the only batteries i personally run. they just keep dishing out the power untill you kill them. i have found the ministars to be slightly heavier in the 5s and 6s packs.
cool beans, i bought a 2 pack of cnhl black when i first started fpv stuff last month, i had no idea going in they were good i just got them cause they looked good lol so happy i picked a good pack
I've been flying the MiniStar's for about 18 months now, love them, I'd be curious to see the white ones in this test as well, I've had pretty good results with them too and gives a different option for shape (longer and skinnier).
I have a straight answer for your, Joshua, but it may or may not apply to the exact batteries you have. I've been flying CNHL batteries ever since I switched to 6S. I fly them because they're always on sale. I don't think I've paid more than $18 for a 6S CNHL, and the 6S 1100 mah were just on sale for $14.99 each. They're so cheap, and they fly great. I started buying the ministar 1,000 mah 6S. They are the stupidest shape. They are wide and not very long. It is almost impossible to get two battery straps over these batteries. I'm flying the 1,100 mah 6S black batteries now. They aren't wide and short. They're regular size. You can get two battery straps on them just fine. The ministar 1,000 are 1/2" wider than the 1,100 mah black batteries. I really wish they made a 1,000 mah black battery. The difference in weight is 182g vs 205g. I wouldn't mind clawing back those 23 grams, but I just don't want to give up my $15 to $18 batteries.
Kinda splitting hairs. Both of these batteries can't be beat for the money. I (think) I prefer the Ministars. They feel more lively. But the Blacks are soooooo close. And seem more solid. Like all CNHL batteries, you get some clunkers. And the Ministars seem to be damaged very easily. But you're pretty much only every going to find me flying one or both of these. Nobody comes close to CNHLs combination of performance and price. Even if you have to buy 5 to get 4 good ones. I've always felt these two batteries were just fantastic, but I'm glad the science has vindicated me. Thanks for this Josh!
I really appreciate the testing you have been doing but I really wish you had a bit more brand variety. I've been flying for 4 years and I personally have yet to meet anyone flying lumenier packs, cnhl is hit and miss but it's far from the norm of the pilots I meet. GNB, OVONIC, THUNDERPOWER, and TALON, are the brands I see in my "real world" experience. I hate to speak on behalf of all other pilots but right now I think what people want to see is testing for GNB 6s 1100 130c packs, lunar landers, and in general more budget shipped from US options like OVONIC. Maybe I'm wrong but i figured it would be worth mentioning.
I would also love to see testing for the coddar seven minus seven 130c packs. I personally have purchased a few of these and they are the best batteries in my pack by a fairly large margin. I want to see how they stack compared to lunar landers and gnb 130c packs.
I have tested every single pack I have received. We can't afford to buy all the packs in the world so we rely on manufacturers to share packs with us. Some manufacturers aren't interested in having an independent 3rd party test their packs though. All the RDQ packs in this test are GNB. RDQ are just re-labeled GNB.
@@JoshuaBardwell I've heard the gnb rdq thing as well but are you saying the c ratings of 130 on the newer gnb packs are not any different? The weights alone on the packs from what I recall are different enough to make me think otherwise. Personally I have been debating buying a couple packs of each to do my own seat of my pants testing but if you are willing to test I could mail out the new packs to you to test if u don't mind shipping them back to me, not sure if that sounds reasonable to you but I really like your testing and am more than willing to help provide test samples. Maybe I'll shoot u an email and we can discuss further?
I use both batteries and dont notice any difference. I always buy them on flash sale and just get the cheaper ones whichever it is. For what its worth i have had one chnl black drop a cell, but never a mini star. That black is a solid 3s pack now that i use for my kids😉
I've ran them both on my hawk for 4months. Black doesn't last as many cycles. But honestly there's just not much in it, I put about 100 or so cycles on them so far for 2min per flight on avg. They always come down scorching hot but they are lasting considering the abuse.
It would be interesting to see, but not really feasible because it would take a year, which packs actually lasted. I have had some highly rated packs (Tattu, sugar rush...etc..) that dropped a cell, died or simply puffed out after just a dozen flights or so. Maybe the CNHL die in 2 months and the Lumenier lasts a year. Hence making the Lumenier pack a far better value for the money.
Tough time passes tough people simply live on. Love you and your content brother though ill never buy these battries but i love to see you talk. Love and lots of pryers from pakistan 🇵🇰
Good video..thanks Joshua! Personally, I'm running the MiniStar CNHL's (great battery for the price). The only thing your testing is missing is *IMPACT TESTING* (LOL) 😉😉 Unfortunately, have had to toss more than 1 MiniStar due user error while I'm learning to fly FPV. Love the spreadsheets...right up my alley. Maybe you can hire an 'assistant' to hit them with a hammer at various impact levels to see when they're no longer usable. 😉😉😉 Good time! Just get them to sign waiver first....😉
I bought 6 4s 1500 ministars a while back on sale. They are fantastic and "feel" significantly better than some of the other name brand batts I have. Def less sag.
@@larsschroder4797 they've held up well. I put these batteries through hell. Crashes, over discharges, all that jazz. Internal resistance still around 5ohms or lower on most of the cells. IMHO, for the price, these are the batts to have
For me the difference was that the 6S blacks were available on black friday sale and the ministars weren't. 20$ for 6S 1300mah and 15$ for 4S 1550 mah. Great deal for either of these
A playlist for these vids (or consistent titles) would be really handy. I share them everywhere in my adventures with not-quad-rc (eg rc cars) to educate people on lipos. An easy to access list about all things magic battery tester would be great.
something I dont hear talked about is the fact that if you go with a lower C rated battery, they can be a lot lighter, and so, for example, instead of a 1500mah 100c pack you can get a much higher mah pack at lower c at about the same weight, and therefore get longer flight times. You're not doing freestyle, but nonetheless. I've tried this with a cheap 4000mah multistar pack and got 12+ mins on a 5 inch. They're not efficient really, but the idea is at least more mah for ~same weight. Sorta the same concept as the li-ion packs for micro long range, though I understand the li-ions can be discharged way lower, but nonetheless.
Did you buy the Batteries, or get them as promotion? In the latter case I suspect that they just sent you their best batteries and re-labeled them. Possibly they did not know that you get two for testing...
It's odd but I'm sure I've seen a gal Kraemer video showing the cnhl blacks being really bad, I'll have to dig it out. That video is what's stopped me buying these
Not all Ministars are 120c some are 70c like the 6s 1250 packs. Also I'm unsure about Ministars and Blacks but, the whites have a solid pcb sandwich pates on both sides that makes it a bit heavier and they are larger but, also very durable. I've never owned Ministars or Blacks but, I have taken apart the whites so I can vouch for this first hand :)
I've been using the Ministar orange packs for about 1 1/2 years and have been pretty happy with them. I've got a couple that have been pulled all the way down into the mid-low 2V/cell range (for various reasons), which I'll label as "Low" or "Killed" and they've recovered just fine without puffing and seem to deliver full power and runtime. I also have the bad habit of storing some of my packs fully charged, and they're not degrading as fast as some other much more expensive packs that have endured the same treatment. In fact that's generally how I distinguish "good" packs from "won't buy again". How long they survive after I abuse them (low voltage or storing fully charged). These are "good" packs.
For those who want a concise description of the test procedure, here is our Terms of Reference document. docs.google.com/document/d/1zmSSUDvmY1XUUGYf3DCkgjc3zisdNqENEo_FVSDYsQc/edit?usp=sharing
The internal resistance only comes into play at high drain, is has no effect at 1C.
The higher the C rating the higher the drain has to be during test to see the difference.
Batteries with very low IR have to be tested at very high currents.
They lasted 2 minutes, that means they ware discharged at about 30c, you will not see the difference between 100c and 120c (real c) battery at 30c
Push them harder, there WILL be a difference if they really have different IR
The difference you're trying to figure out is in fact anode composition - the higher silicon content electrodes perform a touch better in energy density and weight terms, and also produce lower internal resistance when new. For the first 20-30 cycles, they'll handily outperform the higher graphene content options, then as they start seeing more cycles (or are driven at higher constant power draw), the higher graphene content versions will nudge ahead.
For racing, I'd take the Black series over MiniStar every time, but freestyle the MiniStar gives you more pop, and edges out performance in everything but punch-outs.
It also comes down to the sizes available - the CNHL Black 5S 1100mAh is an amazing battery size, and nobody else offers anything that exact size near the price.
Don't even need to watch this (but I'm gonna anyway)....CNHL 120C all the way!
As a bonus, that orange shrink wrap makes it super easy to find an ejected lipo
I wonder if the two batteries are actually the same battery but CNHL tests them and the ones that come out of the factory with lower resistance get the orange label and those with higher resistance get the black label. Total speculation on my part though, I have no real info and always wondered what the difference was.
So black is better ?
@@kevincarbajal1220 I think he might be suggesting that CHNL may use a system similar to chip manufacturers where there is enough variance in their process that some batteries are slightly better than others from the same line. The better ones get one label while the lesser ones get the other label. In such a scenario, It is conceivable that many of the Black batteries could be close to the more expensive battery because it effectively is the same battery.
I love my 1300 Blacks. Tattu's Fun Fly (1300) work well too for he price and both are better than the GoldBat (1500) and Zeee (1300) batteries I also run. (iFlight Protek 35, 8-blade HQProp, Hero Session 5)
That totally makes sense imo
@@kevincarbajal1220 Oranges give teeny tiny better punch. And blacks are tanks which may withstand quite reckless piloting with broken frame arms and smashed cameras ;) Pick your poison.
I've just bought 6 MiniStars so fingers crossed as I sit down to watch 😆
The black ones have two plasticy sheets on either side where the labels are (around 2-3 millimeter thick and fairly rigid). To protect the cells from damage/punctures. They do look still like new after several harder crashes with no deformation whatsoever (compared to the Tattus which don‘t look so good anymore). Really liking the Black Series!
CNHL battery indeed have protective sheet layer. It resemble Turnigy Graphene battery impact protection, however CNHL batteries have better C ratings. Both are quite resilient against bashing during freestyle and races. Tattu R-Line are lighter and give better performance though, but crash against hard ground or pavement most certainly will kill them. Killed two R-Line 6S batteries at last week on hard landing against pavement. CNHL-s in such occasion doesn't care.
I'm a huge fan of these "armor plates".
Killed a Tattu (non-R) that way, then went to Floureon which uses little aluminum plates for the same purpose.
Haven't killed one yet, and I'm far from a skilled pilot. Although you're paying for it in the Floureons as I'm sure those plates are comparatively heavy.
Not that I'm good enough for it to matter yet. ^.^;;
I got tattu rlines and they beat up. Even indented from my strap
I use the blacks and they have performed flawlessly. Really good on punch outs.
Got them because of the price, and I had other cnhl that I liked. Good to see they are good performers.
I bought the blacks also and they perform better than the RDQ and the goldbats I have.
I also use the CNHL blacks, the 1300mah 6s packs, and I love them. They have less sag than other batteries i have just tried here and there. And they're cheap!
It would be cool to test how they perform on more cycles, like a comparison between cycle 10, 20 and 50
Agree, but even a small variation of ambient temperature after those many cycles, creates a difference in its own, so it would not be fair to compare them without a chamber to hold the temperature all the time... It gets expensive really fast to go this route. But maybe this is closer to reality them I think, as I could not image a TH-camr doing such tests like Joshua an year ago, it was always ripping drones and checking the osd, the worst scientific way possible. 😉
It heavily depends from flying style and charging habits. Without reckless bashing and being (dis)charged to storage after use they may last 2+ seasons.
I have over twenty of them (6S 1300mah and 1100mah blacks), after the first season they all still work almost like new, over 50 charges each.I bought them because they were much cheaper than Tattu batteries, considered the best in my country. I hope that cnhl batteries will last one more season. Thank you Joshua for the test, I didn't expect this result.
I took 12 CNHL 🍕pizza packs and All the lipo's preform different some better than others, even though its the same battery.😮 Some even get a bit more flight time. I tested them at the same throttle postion and amp output when flying. 😮
What I’m missing in the testing (and i understand why), is how many cycles is a lijpo capable of running before it begins to decline in performance. And then especially if it gets abused like i abuse them by flying them to a too low voltage. Thats how i rate the brands of batteries. If they last long enough while i abuse them, they are the best in my book 😁. Thanks for these valuable tests anyway, i love your spreadsheet.
That's quite hard to test in reasonable time though...
They are built different. The black series have plastic plates protecting them while the ministars have metal plates. The solder tabs are also different. I found that the ministars have better quality solder tabs and seem to be built better overall.
I've "disassembled" three ministar batteries and haven't found any metal protection plates, only plastic ones.
Just checked and CNHL is definitely plastic, but is Ministar really metal?
What metal?
I have disassembled one of my CNHL Black 6S 1300mAh and found aluminum plate covering top and bottom side of battery.
I've had really good experiences with CNHL batteries on the whole. Guess the secret is out now! Thanks a lot, Joshua! ;)
Thought that was an Orange amp head in the thumbnail... Was like, "Josh is doing music gear reviews now?" lol
I love my blacks! Got 8 packs for 100 bucks during their sale and they are great. Thanks Joshua!
That black Friday sale was mauudddd, 15 dollar 6s 1100 mahs, from European warehouse fast and free shipping. Can't beat it. That and the colour scheme is great!
I love that you do battery testing.. This is very important for our hobby!! I personally like to use Tattu’s R-Line batteries whenever possible..
I know you hate people saying how a given battery "feels", subjectiv results vs hard data. But I don't have a fancy test rig. So all I can say is I've been flying with CNHL happily. Bought one batch, then went back for more. They're good batteries.
All i run are the ministar. Can't beat them for price vs performance
Appreacite you sharing your Friday with us
Of course to put this up 2 days after I just bought some more batteries... thanks alot. :) I had to replace my CNHL that works perfect until it hits 3.6 volts or so then immediately drops to 1v and my quad falls out of the sky.... fun!
Amazing job with the testing, and how you present the results and explain how to interpret the different figures. Thanks as well for making the database viewable. Mike
A long waited review. I already have 3 black CNHL but didnt put them on a test yet. Thanks man!
Extra points for enthusiasm on the opening 🙌🏿 love it
YES!! I was always so confused with cnhl naming etc. :) also pls test gnb lipos
Find the original video about testing batteries. GNB batteries are the same as RDQ. Didn't know this too until a few days back 😂
Would love to see gnb tests, theyre the most available for me here in Canada.
Thank you for Testing all these batteries for us man you work your ass off for us you are appreciated by me that’s for sure
Been using the 2s and 3s mini star for awhile now and love them!!!!!!
Replayed the intro twice, hahahah, Thank you Mr. Bardwell
Great data. I think it is worth noting that the Tattu R-Line 1550 outperformed both batteries in the high load test. It is listed as a 1550, not a 1500, but it is nevertheless lighter than the other two batteries. Real downside is that it is $10-$12 more than the other two, so really takes a hit in value.
I remember when I bought the black battery when I held it in my hand I couldn’t believe how light it was I couldn’t believe like that this was actually a success pack well I had a success pack but so anyways yeah these black batteries are fucking the works oh my God I love these batteries there’s nothing else like them and thank you for testing all these batteries you work your ass off now I really appreciate what you do for us
I also have tested all my batteries and all I now use is the CNHL Ministars or Blacks......excellent batteries!!
I have both of these batteries, and the Orange ones are still holding strong years later. The black ones all went bad on me months ago, and I’ve had the orange ones longer.
gotta give the black 1 point cause it looks good :)
Yeah! Imo, they're the most aesthetic lipos besides the lunar landers.
Ministar has been my go to battery since I started earlier this year. They have been solid and have given me no reason to want to try any other. Im intrested and happy to hear they teat well.
I added a few of the 1500 blacks to my bag of 1500 RDQ and was shocked at how good they seemed. I assumed it was just because my older batteries were getting on a bit. Glad to have some data to back up my impressions of how good they are.
@Joshua Bardwell: I've been flying both for about half a year now and if you really run them on the edge, the black ones definitely sag out a bit earlier than the minister. Tested on my 4s Racer which can draws up to 180 amps, which is exactly 120c@1500mah
Hi! How is the performance over time?
@@larsschroder4797 still great, don't know how often I've charged them but flown a LOT 😁
I sense a bit of a TH-cam testers/reviewers existential crisis in that opening monologue. If its any consolation, your efforts are loved my man. Happy holidays 🎄🎀🎉🎊
Thank you Joshua. Great info. I recently bought 5 Cnhl black packs, 2 dropped a cell within the first 10 cycles. Not the same cell, so not a charger issue.
Exactly the same issues I've found with them they either turn up with a bad cell or it has 1 or sometimes 2 fail within the first 15 cycles
should contact them and see if they'll replace them, I've been flying them for at least two year
@@ugpfpv361 I will try that, thanks
@@ParanoiaTheDJ I'm curious, did you contact them and did they do anything about you bad batts?
@@brynearson they are 5 months old now. At the time I wasn't really worried about it.
Basically identical batteries. I’d go with the Blacks just because I typically keep my quads black and silver as a color theme.
The cnhl blacks are one of the most aesthetic lipos imo!
The all black and metallic pink colour scheme is so great I love it
@@stevenhaines1105 orange ones are cool too! and being able to see them easier is a nice bonus. Plus on bardwells test they perofrm a bit better :)
Cheer up my friend!!!! 2020 has kicked us all in a tender place. But I definitely feel you.
@MAD GRUMPYMAN I second that very very much!!👍👍👍👍
I have been using the Blacks in my Wizard for a couple months. They work perfectly. I recently just got 2 Ministars and they work wonders as well. Although the Volts on the Ministar dont seem to bounce back up after landing when my battery alarm starts going off. When the Blacks get low and set off the alarm once I land the Black seems to cool down a bit and retain some Voktage back. Not the Ministars. Once they drop they stay low. That's the difference I have noticed. Still love them both
Wondering if you used the 1300mah or 1500mah on the wizard ? And are they still kicking ?
@@verofpv6152 i was using 1500 and no. I have graduated to 6s with my Nazgul and custom builds. I still have them but they are only backups for field charging my Skyzone batteries 2s. I am using Ovonic 1000mah 6s primarily now and loving them!
@@velkrofpv6654 great thanks I was going for the 1500mah as i think the wizard is fairly power hungry, cheers
Ministars seems to have smaller internal resistance. Noticeable voltage rising when battery voltage drop after punches is a sign of larger voltage sag in battery which is not so good. Better is to have merrier voltage drop.
You should also be able to save a copy of a read only spreadsheet and be able to use all the filtering and editing features
Finally! I've waited so long for these two batteries to be tested ;). BTW, do I have the possibility to support you with affiliate links in german stores?
Been flying the ministars since the beginning nice to see I've been saving money bigtime! I have been flying the Ovonic 1500 4s and the 1300 5s(output linit) both would be a tossup with the ministar.. Love your outro. lol
Intro, O yeah living the life. Thanks for all the good content you do bring.
I have both the Black and MiniStars in 6S form. I can't tell any difference in them while flying. The big difference on the 6S side is the shape of the packs. The 1100mah 6S Black is shaped like a normal pack. The 1000mah 6S MiniStar is short and wide. Almost makes for a "toilet tank" configuration. I like them both, and grab whichever ones CNHL runs a sale on when I'm wanting new batteries.
I use MiniStar 1500's...lots of them. You're not missing anything -- they're that good. Also, they're so cheap I don't bother field charging; I just carry 20 or so packs -- much easier. The 5s 1500mAh 120C is also excellent.
I'm super happy with my cnhl black label lipos.. Got 5 for a good price, from aliexpress, shipped within eu. Super cheap shipping, great price, great performance, quick delivery.. Perfect
Hi! How is the performance over time?
@@larsschroder4797 they still perform fine. They perform a lot better than some of the cheap lipos i have bought. And doesn't degrade as much over time.
My black series lipos are absolutely grande in terms of performance, especially compared to my tattu race lines. When I tested a mini star lipo it was impossible to get it sagging much, I'd say those results make sense as those batteries are superb, especially at that price.
In our local group we found out orange ones perform bit better since spring till autumn, however blacks are not far behind and perform well during winter temperatures as well, while oranges are seriously lacking with temperatures near 0.
So freaking new to this hobby. I race tc cars an still did not know about all this on lipos really informative
I bought 8 lipo 6s 1100 black series I was really happy with these batteries only in these weeks one after the other they are dying one after the other ... I did about 70 charge cycles and I always squeezed them well so I can't complain ... battery life 6min and 30 sec cruising and 4 min and 3o sec fly hard ... after these flights and flying even in summer with high temperatures they performed well .. these weeks had a collapse and for a moment to the other they died doing only 50 sec of flight and the average voltage drops to 3 v immediately ...
I ask a question .. how many charge cycles can these black series batteries do? now i bought 8 more mini stars and i will do the comparison
Hello, were you able to compare both? Do you still recommend the black ones? Because they are a little cheaper than the ministars and other brands.
@@erikvf7 hello Erik yes for the price I will continue with the black series .. i bought some ministar It s ok but the black series for me it s better .. I bought also other 8 speddypizza 1200mah 6s but I m not so happy .. next time continue with black ..sometimes there a good offer buy one and one get free .. This is good
There’s always a chance that these actually are the same cells internally. The slight difference in size could be due to a different assembly line or vacuum sealer being used but internally they could use the same materials/compounds. The slight IR differences could be due to manufacturing tolerances for the two lines or the sources for the electrolyte, or anode/cathode compounds. Or even just two batches were done, each ending up slightly different so they branded them differently to give the impression of a bigger product line. I’ve seen stranger things than that being done by the China cell wrapping companies and pack assemblers.
Good to see mooch up in this direction! Mooch we need you to bring us info on these lipos ! You've done so much good for the li lion s.
Andddd... he let the secret out. Queue out of stock messages now. Bought a few different brands myself over the past few months and those CNHLs just worked damn great.
Test one after being in the freezer or fridge, and after sitting on the dash board of a hot car. I believe they work best hot!!
Daniel Baker they do. I insulate my batteries when in cold environments
Well ya. Temperatures change how the batteries chemistry reacts. Cold batteries will ALWAYS perform worse than warm batteries. Hot batteries will decrease in performance but room temperature to warm batteries is what you want for optimal performance. Think of maple syrup in the fridge vs room temp vs heated. Viscosity is how the manufacturer intended at room temp. Too hot it is runny and refrigerated it is slow to move
Welcome to getting older...Exciting Friday nights! LOL
I just got a couple of the blacks. Really please with them. Way better than my aging graphene batts
Do a video on how to connect and set up tracer on the x9lite and beta flight setup for radio and how use open tx to get that working.. i could use help. My x9lite doesn't have csfr. Yet tbs says it'll work with x9lite. I'm sure other first time pilots are having the same prob maybe. Thanks Joshua. Hope I learn something soon.
I use Chnl black and they haven't failed me yet. I've always wanted to see a comparison between the Lumenier N20 and each of these. I'm unable to import the Lumenier N20 as I'm in Australia, but perfect video to learn I'm using something very much equivalent, considering price difference. Thanks Josh 🤙
Fantastic testing, Joshua! Thanks a lot! 😃
Pretty interesting results indeed!
Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊
I just picked up two 6s 1100mAh from their black line of products. This will be the first time trying any 6s battery because I just moved up to 5-in. I figured two of them for $43 was cheap enough for my first set of 6s batteries. I mean can you really go wrong with two 6s 1100mAh batteries for $43? Thank you again for the content.
I have many of the Ministar and Black in different mAh, cell count, and C rating. Anecdotally, I've found that the Blacks perform really well but start to degrade faster. The Ministars stay pretty consistent with their performance over time. I have more of the Black batteries in my junk pile than Ministars at this point. I'll bet you that you notice the performance of the Black battery drop off over 20+ cycles.
Hey Joshua,
I use both. In 5S the 1300 Ministar is slightly heavier. But real world use I find they are very similar but I prefer the ministar. I feel like it sags just a tiny bit less for my type of flying
Hi! How is the performance over time?
The best thing about the black CNHL is.
You get 4x 1500mAh 4S 100C for $59.96
I have been using CNHL for 2 years now and they are simply the best for the price. Better is only Tattu R line
With a sample size of one this the real question is did you get a really good ministar or a really bad black? It would be expensive to buy many batteries of the same type and size from the same manufacture. One way to do it might be to setup a resale program. eg Buy the batteries then resell them to the community. Assuming they weren't destroyed in testing I would take a few 'tested' batteries around cost. Slap a JB tested sticker on it and people might wait in line for them.
Absolutely Epic introduction! :-D Can you please also include the Turnigy Graphene Panther 75C lipos? I know they work well - but would like to see how they stack up in a uniformed test.
My son and I both fly 5" quads and with a 17 year pushing the limits we damage batteries from time to time. So I pull out bad cells and replace with good cells. To form another good 4 cell pack. I started buying CNHL a couple years ago when I noticed NURK only flying them. And I believe that's before he got a sponsor ship from them. But what I've noticed is the only difference between the two batteries is the ministar has wider thicker metal tabs coming out of the battery and the BLACK has smaller and what seems to be aluminum tabs coming out. Open them up and take a look.
I'm actually about to replace some cells in a couple I'll try and take a pic of the internals and post them so you don't have to risk life and battery checking it out.
I got some of these (the black ones), so much better than the GNB and Tattu ones I had been using. A brand new GNB sagged so much it set off the low voltage buzzer on a punchout, did the same move with the black and it didn't even squeak.
I was just wondering what's the best battery of these two !
You read on my brain or what ?? 🤔😂
Thank you JB, much appreciated. Once again I leave with more knowledge then when I came in. Merry Christmas
i religiously buy ythe CNHL black -- you cannot beat the price... once you go black, you dont go back ;)
I've only heard good things about the cnhl blacks
Cool to see, I bought some of the 1500 mAh CNHL black and am waiting for them to arrive. Maybe want to measure the internal resistance during the high current test since temperature will affect the internal resistance.
Hi! How is the performance over time?
I've always been vouching for CNHL batteries because of their good price to performance ratio. This video just blows my mind because of how good the CNHL's truely are. What is the point of buying any LiPo other than the CNHL. I guess we'll have to wait for more test results, but im not sure if the CNHL price to performance is beatable.
Possibly the charging rate being different for a given C rating? Maybe that would effect the longevity of the packs? Possibly the take away for this instance 🤷♂️
Nice job. I would just add one more column, add the cost of the battery. I know it'll fluctuate, but still gives an idea.
all i run is the CNHL Black. 4s, 5s, and 6s. they hold up the best out of all my batteries. better than rdq, which i think are ghb, tattu doesnt even come close. these are the only batteries i personally run. they just keep dishing out the power untill you kill them. i have found the ministars to be slightly heavier in the 5s and 6s packs.
I really like the HRB lipo batteries personally. Long runtimes and good power with the 4S 1500mah packs.
you could look at temperature of battery at end of high discharge test to get some idea of longevity? thanks hope you see this JB!
Temperature is essentially proportional to IR
cool beans, i bought a 2 pack of cnhl black when i first started fpv stuff last month, i had no idea going in they were good i just got them cause they looked good lol so happy i picked a good pack
I've been flying the MiniStar's for about 18 months now, love them, I'd be curious to see the white ones in this test as well, I've had pretty good results with them too and gives a different option for shape (longer and skinnier).
th-cam.com/video/9keDpXlQWYA/w-d-xo.html
I know it was years ago but nonetheless
What timing! been looking at some batteries for the past hour.
I have a straight answer for your, Joshua, but it may or may not apply to the exact batteries you have. I've been flying CNHL batteries ever since I switched to 6S. I fly them because they're always on sale. I don't think I've paid more than $18 for a 6S CNHL, and the 6S 1100 mah were just on sale for $14.99 each. They're so cheap, and they fly great.
I started buying the ministar 1,000 mah 6S. They are the stupidest shape. They are wide and not very long. It is almost impossible to get two battery straps over these batteries. I'm flying the 1,100 mah 6S black batteries now. They aren't wide and short. They're regular size. You can get two battery straps on them just fine.
The ministar 1,000 are 1/2" wider than the 1,100 mah black batteries.
I really wish they made a 1,000 mah black battery. The difference in weight is 182g vs 205g. I wouldn't mind clawing back those 23 grams, but I just don't want to give up my $15 to $18 batteries.
Kinda splitting hairs. Both of these batteries can't be beat for the money. I (think) I prefer the Ministars. They feel more lively. But the Blacks are soooooo close. And seem more solid. Like all CNHL batteries, you get some clunkers. And the Ministars seem to be damaged very easily. But you're pretty much only every going to find me flying one or both of these. Nobody comes close to CNHLs combination of performance and price. Even if you have to buy 5 to get 4 good ones. I've always felt these two batteries were just fantastic, but I'm glad the science has vindicated me. Thanks for this Josh!
I really appreciate the testing you have been doing but I really wish you had a bit more brand variety. I've been flying for 4 years and I personally have yet to meet anyone flying lumenier packs, cnhl is hit and miss but it's far from the norm of the pilots I meet. GNB, OVONIC, THUNDERPOWER, and TALON, are the brands I see in my "real world" experience.
I hate to speak on behalf of all other pilots but right now I think what people want to see is testing for GNB 6s 1100 130c packs, lunar landers, and in general more budget shipped from US options like OVONIC. Maybe I'm wrong but i figured it would be worth mentioning.
I would also love to see testing for the coddar seven minus seven 130c packs. I personally have purchased a few of these and they are the best batteries in my pack by a fairly large margin. I want to see how they stack compared to lunar landers and gnb 130c packs.
I have tested every single pack I have received. We can't afford to buy all the packs in the world so we rely on manufacturers to share packs with us. Some manufacturers aren't interested in having an independent 3rd party test their packs though.
All the RDQ packs in this test are GNB. RDQ are just re-labeled GNB.
@@JoshuaBardwell I've heard the gnb rdq thing as well but are you saying the c ratings of 130 on the newer gnb packs are not any different? The weights alone on the packs from what I recall are different enough to make me think otherwise.
Personally I have been debating buying a couple packs of each to do my own seat of my pants testing but if you are willing to test I could mail out the new packs to you to test if u don't mind shipping them back to me, not sure if that sounds reasonable to you but I really like your testing and am more than willing to help provide test samples. Maybe I'll shoot u an email and we can discuss further?
If there is a new GNB pack that does not match up with an RDQ pack then I haven't tested it.
I use both batteries and dont notice any difference. I always buy them on flash sale and just get the cheaper ones whichever it is. For what its worth i have had one chnl black drop a cell, but never a mini star. That black is a solid 3s pack now that i use for my kids😉
I've ran them both on my hawk for 4months. Black doesn't last as many cycles. But honestly there's just not much in it, I put about 100 or so cycles on them so far for 2min per flight on avg. They always come down scorching hot but they are lasting considering the abuse.
It would be interesting to see, but not really feasible because it would take a year, which packs actually lasted. I have had some highly rated packs (Tattu, sugar rush...etc..) that dropped a cell, died or simply puffed out after just a dozen flights or so. Maybe the CNHL die in 2 months and the Lumenier lasts a year. Hence making the Lumenier pack a far better value for the money.
You good Josh, it sounds like you need a break
I can see it in his eyes
I used to run off of four Zeee 4s 1,500mAh batts, but a couple days ago I bought four chnl black 1500mAh. They seem quite nice so far
Tough time passes tough people simply live on. Love you and your content brother though ill never buy these battries but i love to see you talk. Love and lots of pryers from pakistan 🇵🇰
🇵🇰fpv pilot here ✋
Good video..thanks Joshua! Personally, I'm running the MiniStar CNHL's (great battery for the price). The only thing your testing is missing is *IMPACT TESTING* (LOL) 😉😉 Unfortunately, have had to toss more than 1 MiniStar due user error while I'm learning to fly FPV. Love the spreadsheets...right up my alley. Maybe you can hire an 'assistant' to hit them with a hammer at various impact levels to see when they're no longer usable. 😉😉😉 Good time! Just get them to sign waiver first....😉
I bought 6 4s 1500 ministars a while back on sale. They are fantastic and "feel" significantly better than some of the other name brand batts I have. Def less sag.
Hi! How is the performance over time?
@@larsschroder4797 they've held up well. I put these batteries through hell. Crashes, over discharges, all that jazz. Internal resistance still around 5ohms or lower on most of the cells. IMHO, for the price, these are the batts to have
For me the difference was that the 6S blacks were available on black friday sale and the ministars weren't. 20$ for 6S 1300mah and 15$ for 4S 1550 mah. Great deal for either of these
A playlist for these vids (or consistent titles) would be really handy. I share them everywhere in my adventures with not-quad-rc (eg rc cars) to educate people on lipos. An easy to access list about all things magic battery tester would be great.
Great test video! Are you going to add the GNB lipo's to this sheet?
The fpvknowitall does it again. 👍👍.
something I dont hear talked about is the fact that if you go with a lower C rated battery, they can be a lot lighter, and so, for example, instead of a 1500mah 100c pack you can get a much higher mah pack at lower c at about the same weight, and therefore get longer flight times. You're not doing freestyle, but nonetheless. I've tried this with a cheap 4000mah multistar pack and got 12+ mins on a 5 inch. They're not efficient really, but the idea is at least more mah for ~same weight. Sorta the same concept as the li-ion packs for micro long range, though I understand the li-ions can be discharged way lower, but nonetheless.
Did you buy the Batteries, or get them as promotion?
In the latter case I suspect that they just sent you their best batteries and re-labeled them. Possibly they did not know that you get two for testing...
It's odd but I'm sure I've seen a gal Kraemer video showing the cnhl blacks being really bad, I'll have to dig it out. That video is what's stopped me buying these
Ministar also uses upgraded XT60U connector
Not all Ministars are 120c some are 70c like the 6s 1250 packs. Also I'm unsure about Ministars and Blacks but, the whites have a solid pcb sandwich pates on both sides that makes it a bit heavier and they are larger but, also very durable. I've never owned Ministars or Blacks but, I have taken apart the whites so I can vouch for this first hand :)
I've been using the Ministar orange packs for about 1 1/2 years and have been pretty happy with them.
I've got a couple that have been pulled all the way down into the mid-low 2V/cell range (for various reasons), which I'll label as "Low" or "Killed" and they've recovered just fine without puffing and seem to deliver full power and runtime. I also have the bad habit of storing some of my packs fully charged, and they're not degrading as fast as some other much more expensive packs that have endured the same treatment. In fact that's generally how I distinguish "good" packs from "won't buy again". How long they survive after I abuse them (low voltage or storing fully charged). These are "good" packs.