I have different experiences with cheap vs. brand name LiPOs, but mostly I didn't have serious problems with LiPOs puffing. I do take care of my packs, always store them when I know I will not use them for more than a week, always charge with balancer. I never go crazy with charging them, mostly at 1C, sometimes at 2C, even though the charger is capable of 20 Amp. I also time my runs for 6 minutes (heat lasts for 6 minutes 10.5T boosted). I only had problems with one pack, it was a brand name LiPO. It puffed after one season, but I must admit I used it extensively, charged it more times a day without letting it rest for 30 minutes- I didn't have many packs back then. It is now still puffed and the performance has dropped, so now I use it to power my projects such as work in progress tire truer etc. - I am afraid to use it in a car though. Many people at my track had problems with top line LiPOs with them puffing very soon in their life, although I don't know their charging habits. I have one such pack with no problems. Note I have now my first, almost 4 year old LiPO still working perfectly, it is a no name chinese pack
It doesnt have performance figures that match todays electronics standards so I dont use it in my racing car, however it is still good enough for my hobby cars. I don't like to go with names due to bad publicity, but if anyone wants to know names of problematic packs from my experience, feel free to send me a PM
