Are the cheap Lifepo4 batteries ok?

[Rhylsailer99]

12V 100Ah LiFePO4 Lithium Battery Rechargeable 3000+ Deep Cycle Solar Panel RV | eBay

I have seen a few on ebay less than £190 for 100ah lithium battery.

 

[Minerva]

I probably wouldn’t go for no-name ones. From what I can tell, EcoWorthy / Renology / Frogstar are from reputable companies and aren’t hugely more expensive.

 

[B27]

The OP links to an ebay seller called ailinbattery.

Could be apt?

 

[webcraft]

I bought a 60Ah Kepworth from Amazon Spain back in April, seems good value at 176 Euros

- W

 

[geem]

I probably wouldn’t go for no-name ones. From what I can tell, EcoWorthy / Renology / Frogstar are from reputable companies and aren’t hugely more expensive.

I would put Fogstar as a premium battery. Ecoworthy and Ronogy are not in the same league. Fogstar have high quality cells and premium BMS with Bluetooth. Ecoworthy have no Bluetooth and who knows what cheap cells. I am not fond of anything Renogy but I understand they use pouch cells. These don't seem to have the same life as prismatic cells and there are questions about durability of such cells.

 

[Trident]

I have used lots of Renogy batteries and they're great - if you buy the Smart version.

Pouch cells are fine and lighter than others and will last 25 years - Renogy are actually the only manufacturer that have every certification you can think of for their batteries. I've got some for sale on here that have been in daily use for 4 years doing everything including cooking and have lost 1% of capacity in that time and been flawless even at high amp loads .

Fogstar are great - I just bought a ton of EVE cells from them and BMS at very good prices. I have a trade account which helps

Many unknown brands have poor quality cells - these are not in and of themselves bad or dangerous but may not last so long
Many fancy brands also have poor quality cells - one of the best known UK brands with the stroppiest staff I would not touch with a 50 foot pole.

The bigger issue however is normally the cheap BMS that these cheap batteries use - very low charge and discharge rates, inadequate wire sizes for the draw, poor levels of protection etc.

My premium BMS is literally 50% of the cost of the cells for a 12V battery (ok I said literally but actually is 47%)

Probably best to steer clear of bargains with things like batteries

 

[geem]

I have used lots of Renogy batteries and they're great - if you buy the Smart version.

Pouch cells are fine and lighter than others and will last 25 years - Renogy are actually the only manufacturer that have every certification you can think of for their batteries. I've got some for sale on here that have been in daily use for 4 years doing everything including cooking and have lost 1% of capacity in that time and been flawless even at high amp loads .

Fogstar are great - I just bought a ton of EVE cells from them and BMS at very good prices. I have a trade account which helps

Many unknown brands have poor quality cells - these are not in and of themselves bad or dangerous but may not last so long
Many fancy brands also have poor quality cells - one of the best known UK brands with the stroppiest staff I would not touch with a 50 foot pole.

The bigger issue however is normally the cheap BMS that these cheap batteries use - very low charge and discharge rates, inadequate wire sizes for the draw, poor levels of protection etc.

My premium BMS is literally 50% of the cost of the cells for a 12V battery (ok I said literally but actually is 47%)

Probably best to steer clear of bargains with things like batteries

I can find more suggestions that pouch cells will have a shorter life than prismatic cells on the Internet, than the other way around. May be see how yours are going in 25 years if we are still alive

 

[Neeves]

May be see how yours are going in 25 years if we are still alive

Be more optimistic of our lives

I hope to still be here, I'll try to check Trident and, his cells, and let you know.

Jonathan