LiFePo4 battery recommendations

[Brother_Bluto]

Check out Will Prowse on youtube - he tears down quite a few LiFePo4 batteries. SOK seems to be his main standard to compare the others against.

[Jammer]

If anyone is still looking for a very decent battery, the AOLithium battery is on sale thru their direct site for 419.00 US. That's a very good battery with bluetooth and high/low charge protection which gets good reviews by several on YouTube. I just ordered 3 to install in the spring, which by the way can't get here soon enough.

[powerscol]

Happy day after Christmas. Hoping some will share their experiences with lower cost LiFePo4 batteries. We are on the road this winter and getting tired of our wet batteries running out over night while dry camping. I know Battle Born are the best and my heart says Yes, but my wallet has other ideas. Looking for owners with good luck with lower cost options. Thank you all.

I ave been following Will Prowse reviews and in particular SOK 205AH I currently run 4 -6V Crown CR260 (520 AH 12v bank). However a word of caution. For winter camping you will need a heated lithium battery as most will not charge below freezing and have low temperature limitations of producing power too, so read the specifications. Trying to charge or draw power from a lithium below the battery temperature limits can cause damage. You may be better off looking into high capacity flooded battery's for your winter camping with a high amp DC-DC charger and solar to keep them charged when traveling.

[Okanoganjim]

After much contemplation, ended up buying 2-12V 100Ah Smart Lithium Iron Phosphate Batteries.

[sajohnson]

Happy day after Christmas. Hoping some will share their experiences with lower cost LiFePo4 batteries. We are on the road this winter and getting tired of our wet batteries running out over night while dry camping. I know Battle Born are the best and my heart says Yes, but my wallet has other ideas. Looking for owners with good luck with lower cost options. Thank you all.

Check out Will Prouse's videos: https://www.youtube.com/@WillProwse

If you look through them you'll find a few where he tests and compares inexpensive LiFePO4 batteries.

He even opens them up to check the quality of construction -- cutting them open if necessary.

That should give you some good options.

Battle Born batteries are very good. One difference between them and most others is that their terminals are very strong. Many LiFePO4 batteries have physically weak terminals -- including our Lion UT1300 batteries. They are lame, but I got them to work.

Another difference is the case. Battleborn uses a tough, hermetically sealed case. Others, like our UT1300s, do not.

That said, for $700 each at Costco (incl. all of the Costco 'perks') the UT1300s were a decent deal. The Battle Born batteries were $1,050 each at the time -- so $700 more per pair, and the Lions have/had better specs in some ways. One that was important to us was 150A continuous output -- 300A for the pair. That provided plenty of buffer when running the microwave, or other heavy load. Most others are 100A continuous.

Lastly -- anyone considering LiFePO4 batteries should be aware that they are absolutely NOT "Plug and Play":

1) They do not have golf cart (GC) battery style terminals. In fact, many use tiny M6 hardware and are designed for small ring terminals. You will need: new cables, new terminals, junction blocks, etc.
2) Most cannot be charged below ~32*, which may be a problem dep. on where they are mounted and the ambient temp.
3) They are typically smaller than GC batteries and require different hold-down hardware.
4) If they are to be charged from the alternator, a DC-to-DC charger is required to control current (to protect the alternator) and raise the voltage to ~14.5 volts.
5) A battery monitor is absolutely necessary because a lithium battery's SOC cannot be determined by voltage.
6) We had a difficult time getting our Magnum Energy MS2000 inverter/charger to charge the UT1300s properly, even though I am a technician, and I contacted both Lion and Magnum Energy and followed their advice for custom settings to the letter.
7) The MS2000 is now working but the BMS in the UT1300 must open due to low voltage (very low SOC) before the MS2000 charger will turn on. With our previous Crown CR-260 GC batteries, the charger would keep them topped off. The only way to manually charge the UT1300 batteries is to force the MS2000 into "equalize" (EQ) mode.

Bottom line -- do not fall for the mfr/vendor marketing hype. Lithium batteries do have significant advantages, but they are NOT "Drop in replacements" for lead-acid batteries. Not even close. Plan on doing a lot of work and paying hundreds of dollars for additional equipment.

[COGrandDes]

Check out Will Prouse's videos: https://www.youtube.com/@WillProwse

If you look through them you'll find a few where he tests and compares inexpensive LiFePO4 batteries.

He even opens them up to check the quality of construction -- cutting them open if necessary.

That should give you some good options.

Battle Born batteries are very good. One difference between them and most others is that their terminals are very strong. Many LiFePO4 batteries have physically weak terminals -- including our Lion UT1300 batteries. They are lame, but I got them to work.

Another difference is the case. Battleborn uses a tough, hermetically sealed case. Others, like our UT1300s, do not.

That said, for $700 each at Costco (incl. all of the Costco 'perks') the UT1300s were a decent deal. The Battle Born batteries were $1,050 each at the time -- so $700 more per pair, and the Lions have/had better specs in some ways. One that was important to us was 150A continuous output -- 300A for the pair. That provided plenty of buffer when running the microwave, or other heavy load. Most others are 100A continuous.

Lastly -- anyone considering LiFePO4 batteries should be aware that they are absolutely NOT "Plug and Play":

1) They do not have golf cart (GC) battery style terminals. In fact, many use tiny M6 hardware and are designed for small ring terminals. You will need: new cables, new terminals, junction blocks, etc.
2) Most cannot be charged below ~32*, which may be a problem dep. on where they are mounted and the ambient temp.
3) They are typically smaller than GC batteries and require different hold-down hardware.
4) If they are to be charged from the alternator, a DC-to-DC charger is required to control current (to protect the alternator) and raise the voltage to ~14.5 volts.
5) A battery monitor is absolutely necessary because a lithium battery's SOC cannot be determined by voltage.
6) We had a difficult time getting our Magnum Energy MS2000 inverter/charger to charge the UT1300s properly, even though I am a technician, and I contacted both Lion and Magnum Energy and followed their advice for custom settings to the letter.
7) The MS2000 is now working but the BMS in the UT1300 must open due to low voltage (very low SOC) before the MS2000 charger will turn on. With our previous Crown CR-260 GC batteries, the charger would keep them topped off. The only way to manually charge the UT1300 batteries is to force the MS2000 into "equalize" (EQ) mode.

Bottom line -- do not fall for the mfr/vendor marketing hype. Lithium batteries do have significant advantages, but they are NOT "Drop in replacements" for lead-acid batteries. Not even close. Plan on doing a lot of work and paying hundreds of dollars for additional equipment.

Some of the reasons you noted drove me to the Big Battery brand. They have many advantages over the other brands including an individual power switch for each battery, Anderson connections that are plug and play, and a BMS that allows low temp discharge. They have great hardened cases, handles, and a digital readout on the front. I have them for my camper (560aH) and my 48v Golf Cart and love them. Great buy for the money and investment. Customer service is second to none!

[sajohnson]

Some of the reasons you noted drove me to the Big Battery brand. They have many advantages over the other brands including an individual power switch for each battery, Anderson connections that are plug and play, and a BMS that allows low temp discharge. They have great hardened cases, handles, and a digital readout on the front. I have them for my camper (560aH) and my 48v Golf Cart and love them. Great buy for the money and investment. Customer service is second to none!

Coincidentally, I was just looking at a Will Prowse video review of the Big Battery with a friend who is going to be switching from GC to LiFePO4. It is a very impressive battery. He is very interested in them.

To be clear, the definition of 'plug and play' that I am familiar with is that the buyer does not have to make any alterations or modifications. Literally plug the device in (or connect it in this case) and it's ready to use.

For example, there are AGM batteries that are direct replacements for GC batteries (true plug & play). Same dimensions; same charging requirements; same terminals; no need for a DC/DC (aka B2B) charger; no need for a battery monitor; no need to be concerned about temperature, etc.

That is not the case with any LiFePO4 battery that is replacing a lead-acid battery. That's not a deal killer. We have the UT1300s because the advantages of lithium outweigh the disadvantages. I like them. I'm just calling out mfrs and vendors who mislead potential buyers pretend that their lithium batteries are a direct replacement for a GC battery. That's simply not true.

Since our previous batteries were GC batteries, my preference would be LiFePO4 batteries that have the same terminals and case size. I have yet to see one -- but I haven't been paying close attention to what's available.

That said, I do like Anderson connectors. They are not a plug and play replacement for traditional battery terminals, but they are reliable. They are preferable to the tiny, weak terminals on most LiFePO4 batteries, including our Lion UT1300s.

One potential issue that my friend is concerned with, is that in his particular situation the battery box was designed with top terminal GC batteries in mind. He currently has 4 GC batteries, and enough room for four (4) Bir Batteries, but he said it would be a tight fit and he does not have room for the Anderson connectors. That is an an example one way a battery may not be a drop-in replacement (for some people).

Finally, don't shoot the messenger, but after reviewing my friend's email just now, and after my positive comments above, I was reminded that Prowse has the following statement below his video review:

"After multiple problems with bigbattery, I am no longer linking to them or recommending their products."

I had forgotten he wrote that.

Of course, Prowse is not the ultimate authority on LiFePO4 batteries, but he is a respected reviewer. I'm curious what he means by "multiple problems"? Perhaps he is referring to the company itself. That's how it sounds.

[huntindog]

Agree that they are not 100% plug and play. But the issues are not insurmountable. In My case, I have heated batteries, as I may need that from time to time. Got the proper converter, but passed on the DC to DC charger. Since opinions on it's necessity are all over the map, and I have a healthy solar system, and rarely tow at night...I just pulled the TV charge fuse and let the Solar /Batteries handle it. It has been working great, even powering the propane fridge on elec which is about 55 amps

[Gregmisc]

Coincidentally, I was just looking at a Will Prowse video review of the Big Battery with a friend who is going to be switching from GC to LiFePO4. It is a very impressive battery. He is very interested in them.

To be clear, the definition of 'plug and play' that I am familiar with is that the buyer does not have to make any alterations or modifications. Literally plug the device in (or connect it in this case) and it's ready to use.

For example, there are AGM batteries that are direct replacements for GC batteries (true plug & play). Same dimensions; same charging requirements; same terminals; no need for a DC/DC (aka B2B) charger; no need for a battery monitor; no need to be concerned about temperature, etc.

That is not the case with any LiFePO4 battery that is replacing a lead-acid battery. That's not a deal killer. We have the UT1300s because the advantages of lithium outweigh the disadvantages. I like them. I'm just calling out mfrs and vendors who mislead potential buyers pretend that their lithium batteries are a direct replacement for a GC battery. That's simply not true.

Since our previous batteries were GC batteries, my preference would be LiFePO4 batteries that have the same terminals and case size. I have yet to see one -- but I haven't been paying close attention to what's available.

That said, I do like Anderson connectors. They are not a plug and play replacement for traditional battery terminals, but they are reliable. They are preferable to the tiny, weak terminals on most LiFePO4 batteries, including our Lion UT1300s.

One potential issue that my friend is concerned with, is that in his particular situation the battery box was designed with top terminal GC batteries in mind. He currently has 4 GC batteries, and enough room for four (4) Bir Batteries, but he said it would be a tight fit and he does not have room for the Anderson connectors. That is an an example one way a battery may not be a drop-in replacement (for some people).

Finally, don't shoot the messenger, but after reviewing my friend's email just now, and after my positive comments above, I was reminded that Prowse has the following statement below his video review:

"After multiple problems with bigbattery, I am no longer linking to them or recommending their products."

I had forgotten he wrote that.

Of course, Prowse is not the ultimate authority on LiFePO4 batteries, but he is a respected reviewer. I'm curious what he means by "multiple problems"? Perhaps he is referring to the company itself. That's how it sounds.

What is a GC battery?

[Ynot4me2]

What is a GC battery?

Golf Cart battery, 6v batteries. Using 2 to get 12v, they provide more usable AH then a regular battery but are larger and heavier.