Stripped-envelope supernovae (SE-SNe) represent the final step in the evolution of massive stars and are among the most luminous and energetic events in the Universe. Canonically, they fall into several sub-types; IIb, Ib, Ic/broad-lined Ic/gamma-ray burst (GRB) SNe, where the degree of stripping becomes progressively more severe. The evolution of the core, as per the main-sequence mass of the progenitor, and the final envelope mass has a significant effect on the light curves of these SNe. In this work we construct and examine the optical/near-infrared bolometric light curves of 85 SE-SNe, investigating their physical and temporal characteristics. We find that there is diversity amongst the rise times of the SN sub-types, with the more luminous and energetic events (GRB-SNe/Ic-BL) rising quicker than their Ic/Ib/IIb counterparts. We also find that the more energetic events typically synthesise twice the amount of nickel during the explosion. Tantalisingly the most luminous event, SN 2011kl associated with ultra-long GRB 111209A, can be better explained by energy input from a magnetar. This indicates there is a 'tipping point' between nickel powered and compact-object powered SNe light curves in the luminosity space between -19 mag and -21 mag, which is the transition region between standard SE-SNe/GRB-SNe and super-luminous supernovae.