Lithium Phosphate cells?

[chilledoutuk]

Was checking out my lipo suppliers website and found these cells made by saphion.

http://www.e-flight.co.uk/shopexd.asp?id=418

what do people think about these i am a little confused as it says the cells can be charged with standard lithium cells but but the packs have non litium cell voltages like 9.6v for a 3 cell pack.

They are said to be safe though and do not have the risk of exploading if overcharged.

[tcolesen]

I have been reading up on those cells over at http://www.rcgroups.com Here is another website on the Saphion cells:
http://www.power-motion.com/

These cells are 3.2v nominal, Lipos are 3.7v nominal. According to the guy on RC Groups, these cells can be charged up to 4.2v just like a regular Lipo cell. Besides, there are no dedicated chargers for these cells.

This new technology is good, but in my own comparisons with the Saphion cells and Lipo cells, I have found Lipo to be better. It isn't as safe (which is the main strong point with the Saphion cells). But, it seems like Lipo can supply voltage under load (lower resistance), Lipo is lighter, and its nominal voltage is .5volts higher. Prices seem to be that the Saphion cells are the same or more expensive than Lipos (of course depending upon the quality/company). The Saphion cells can be discharged low like NiMh/NiCd, but like NiMh, shouldn't be completely discharged. Something like 2.5v is a good low-voltage cutoff for these cells.