LiFePO4 Batteries - Are the Cheapies worth the risk?

[AndreasR]

There seems to be a flood of cheap LiFePO4 batteries on the SA market recently. Ingle, Navastar are two brands that I have seen. They are about half price of more established brands.

Is it wise to buy these cheaper brands? The last thing i want is to be left without power in the bush , or for my car to go up in flames due to a faulty battery.

What do you think?

[Mad Manny]

I personally would not go for an unknown brand.
I've heard of Navasolar, but not Ingle.
But Blue Nova, Freedom Won, Hubble, Revov, Mecer etc need to drop thier prices....

Ingle R4450 at Leroy Merlin
Freedom Won is over R10000....

[AndreasR]

Ingle R3899 at Bobshop.

[HenriSteyn]

One never knows what quality is out there, especially directly from China.

Not camping related, but battery related, my house solar system was purchased based on reviews and warranty period.

I would certainly apply that to any battery purchase.

[grips]

Ingle Batteries are around for quite some time. As from what I have learned from Chinese products it is the same, same. You will most properly find the same inners in a Freedom Won or even some of the batteries made in other countries. Very few electronic and electric products of late does not have components made in China.

Think it might be worth giving it a try.

[Disco Nic]

Ingle R3899 at Bobshop.

I paid about that for my Gel Battery… Would be worthwhile testing this out.

[BushWacker]

… think Li batteries need more supporting accessories,
for My Revov 200AH :

MPPT solar unit
IP65 charger 220v step down
Battery Protector 65A
In-line fuse or DC-Breaker
I havent bought HPTC equiv car charger
as I dont foresee really needing it.

Need equipment thats applicable to Li Batteries
Li Batteries more vulnerable than Pb-Acids
esp wrt temp ranges, vibration and Amp overdraw
My stuff above nearly all Victron

I also have old resilient AMGs which are OK for
short camping weekends etc

[Mad Manny]

Chas, thanks for telling us all stuff we knew years ago.

This Thread is actually about certain brands of Lifepo4 batteries that are now not much more than a Gel or AGM battery and whether it's a good idea to buy these cheapies...

Please try keep up.

[BushWacker]

Chas, thanks for telling us all stuff we knew years ago.

This Thread is actuly about certain brands of Lifepo4 batteries that are now not much more than a Gel or AGM battery and whether it's a good idea to buy these cheapies...

Please try keep up.

... you need consider such batteries in the full context
of actually deploying/using them , which you will probably inevitably discover with time;
... but maybe try and catch up now ?

[BushWacker]

... speaking of which,
I seem to recall the OP buying 2 Blue Novas
before going to Zambia a year or so back ;
... as matter of interest, what happened to them ?

[AndreasR]

Chas that is exactly the point. Those batteries have served me very well and are still going strong after some really hectic trips and being off grid in high temps for extended trips. I have two in my trailer (probably done 20 000Km) and one in my car (done 50 000km). They are fantastic batteries. They have been exposed to all sorts of scenarios and have handled them all very well. I think the Battery Management Systems play a huge role in protecting these batteries. Will the cheaper batteries be protected as well?


Why i am interested in the sensibility of buying the cheaper options on the market now is because the one I had in my car i have given to my daughter as a back up load shedding solution.

Now i want to buy two batteries to replace that one to give extra capacity. I have two fridges and a Nespresso machine in the car so the extra battery capacity will come in handy. Buying two makes the cheaper options worth a look because of the savings but they must also be reliable.

i had a cursory look at the specs of the cheaper type batteries and they do not seem to have the same specs of the Blue Nova. I suspect the cheaper options may lack in longevity but being new on the market there is not much info out there.

I will investigate further before investing.

[BushWacker]

…

[BushWacker]

… yes … like some above I also think many of the
Li battery Brands have fairly standard and common cells
but cant comment on the merits or performance of the BMS software between them.
Below is screen of my Fong Kong one ,
shows cell balance , SoC, Temp etc
and evidently has some protective capability.

[Bugger]

Victron at the camping show had Lifepo4 batteries for R5k
Half the price I pd for my 1

Even if they do not have 90% spec of expensive ones
I would say buying 2 and run them parallel should give you a good Duty cycle for the Espresso machine