CML Carisma - LiPo Choice

It's an interesting one this as the Carisma is designed to be ran with saddle pack LiPos.  However, these are not easy to come by as Mat North explains in a post on UK Micro RC:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I've spent a lot of time searching for batteries, gone 16-17 pages deep on google searches and called al of the major OEM UK based lipo manufacturers and this is what i have found;


Saddle Packs

UK based;

Carisma 2000mAh Lipo pack - avail from CML distributors soon price not known at the moment.

International;

MaxAmps 1720mAh saddle packs - designed for4 the mini inferno, these look to be a perfect fit @ 49mm long
Expensive as they list @ $49.99 plus a min of $14 p+p, get caught at customs and these could be really expensive!!
avail from www.maxamps.com


Single Packs

UK Based;

Storm 800mah 35C - avail from Logic RC, these packs are listed @ 54mm, but are out of stock so i've not had a chance to measure them. cost less than £10

Overlander Extreme 800mah 40C - These packs were very popular in the sharks a year ago and i'm confident they will fit. (the curent 60C packs are way too long!)

However, the 40C's are no longer in production. I've called Overlander and spoken to several guys there. Although they cannot supply these packs again with their current manufacturer, they are investigating whether something can be done in the future - more as and when i hear back from them.

Loong Max Tipple 800Mah 20-30C - an amusingly named lipo available from www.giantcod.co.uk, @ 54mm long it looks to be the right size. cost less than £10

I have one of these on the way and will Measure it as soon as i get it.
My worry is wether 20C will be enough.

HobbiesRuz 800mah 25C - listed @ 52mm long and £12 inc postage from www.hobbiesruz.co.uk

again i have one of these on the way and do worry about the 25C rating.

International;

Maxamps 1290mah 2s lipo - 49mm long so perfect, but expensive again at $35 + $14 p+p

interestingly Maxamps don't list C rating and claim 100C, which is a bit silly. they have a good rep though so i'm sure they will be powerfull enough


Right, that's it so far, worth noting is that most manufacturers seems to be moving to longer cells to aid heat dissipation so out challenge is a big one.

it's also worth noting that a lot of sites will list the CELL SIZE and not the PACK SIZE!!
There are some cheap 800mah Kokam lipos on ebay listed @ 49mm, but the pack is over 58mm long, trust me i bought one and have returned it.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Will this be a stumbling block which will halt the introduction at the UK National Scene or will drivers be able to source them.  There is always the alternative of running the NiMh's that come with it but that would surely be taking a backward step in terms of technology, backward by about 3 years.