If you do a Google search on "Lipo break-in" you get a million answers...like who was first: the chicken or the egg ???
Fact is: Lipo's got a limited life-time and therefore can only be charged a certain amoount of times (between 200x and 300x)....depending on the Lipo quality. By cycling you might get a few seconds more flight-time, but you are cutting down on your charging "counter". If it puts your mind to rest, cycle them before the first use and treat them "resectfully" afterwards, which means: Store them in a cool, dry place....if you store them, make shure they are charged not more than ~60% - 70%, don't charge them more than 1C (a 4500 mAh Lipo should be charged with no more than 4,5 Amps)....
Make it a rule to check the connectors of EVERY new LiPo pack...many times they are not soldered correctly and might come off during flight....gravity always wins, warm them up before flying in the cold.....if you stick to that, they will last you very long.
As for plugs/connectors, I only use these up to 4S:
http://www.ebay.at/itm/10-Stuck-5-P...809500651?pt=RC_Modellbau&hash=item231cf25beb
and from 5S up these:
http://www.ebay.at/itm/1-Set-8-0mm-...956645971?pt=RC_Modellbau&hash=item2325b79e53
In any case you need a good charger...don't go for cheap.
I use this charger / power supply combo:
http://www.world-of-heli.de/elektronik/ladegeraete/netzteil-efuel-1200.html
http://www.world-of-heli.de/elektronik/ladegeraete/robbe/power-peak-twin-eq-bid-1000w.html
The big advantage of this charger is the "BID-chip":
http://www.world-of-heli.de/elektronik/ladegeraete/robbe/bid-chip.html ....just 11 mm x 15 mm, and it stores all your charging settings
Since I have always a bunch of Lipo's with me, its hard to keep emty and full ones apart...here is the solution:
http://www.world-of-heli.de/akkus-lipos/lipo-zubehoer/akku-ladeanzeige-4-stueck.html
The best way to prevent fire while charging LiPo's is this:
http://shop.lindinger.at/product_info.php?cPath=1726&products_id=9700457
http://shop.lindinger.at/product_info.php?cPath=1726&products_id=9700456
If you are concerned about fire during transport or storage, you can get this:
http://shop.lindinger.at/product_info.php?cPath=1726&products_id=89843
http://shop.lindinger.at/product_info.php?cPath=1726&products_id=91984
NEVER LET THEM CHARGE UNATTENDED.....and have a bucket full of sand next to your charging station....comes in handy when you see the "holy smoke" going up....but I have to say that after 15 yrs. of RC experience and 100s of LiPo's, I have never had any problems with LiPo's catching fire.....
In general, Lipo's don't start to burn just for fun....normally it's either because they get hit or punctured, they have a short (loose connectors), or they get stored in a much too hot enviroment....Lipos are on display in every hobby shop, so if the chances are that high to catch fire, hoppy-stores would toss them away in a fire-proof safe.
Here is some additional LiPo reading: (much more on the net...)
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=209187
http://www.chargedrc.com.au/Battery-Stuff/read-before-you-charge-your-lipo.html
Hope this helps for the beginning...
Chris