Premium Lithium Battery Brands Worth It?
Posted by muhburneracct@reddit | overlanding | View on Reddit | 37 comments
Are premium batteries like the redarc worth the price delta over a well reviewed budget battery like Litime? The 165ah litime is self heating and has a bms much like the redarc and costs more than $1000 less.
I see redarcs on “premium” builds like xoverland and all the 4x4 shop builds.
I don’t mind paying for good equipment but would feel foolish paying for something that didn’t provide actual tangible benefits.
According-Tax-1433@reddit
I mean... i've been using HumSienk temu rebrands for 2 years now w/ temu 400w solar. I've met 2 people who have had issues w/ redarch on the road. I've had issues w/ litime & victron dc2dc quitting. so??? I'm fine w/ renogy dc2dc/solar w/ temu stuff. proper gauge wire is important. Been in the desert when it was super hot and -10 degs. So it worked out for me.
JCDU@reddit
I'm still not seeing how any of these give you $$$ better performance than a dirt simple AGM lead-acid, never mind one being $1000 more than another.
Drummer123456789@reddit
Lithium batteries can discharge completely and recharge without getting a bad cell. Lead acid batteries whether AGM or not are not designed to be regularly discharged in this manner. Some of them handle it better but they are not designed to do it. Lithium batteries are
JCDU@reddit
But if you correctly spec the battery / capacity it's not an issue, people have been running lead acid / AGM batteries for decades with no problems.
bloodzkull@reddit
Weight, longevity, and usable power. These factors may not be worth it for you, but they are for a lot of people.
shadow247@reddit
I would need twice as much reserve capacity to run my fridge for more than 24 hours without charging even at 79 degrees ambient average..... I can go nearly 36 hours on a 100ah lithium. I get about 20 on a 100ah AGM DEEP CYCLE MARINE.
wilderadventures@reddit
People rode horses for a long time too 🤷
FlyingBasset@reddit
The well reviewed budget brands are fine. Just don't buy a no-name off AliExpress.
I have two 150AH eco worthy batteries and no issues over 2 years.
JCDU@reddit
Eco Worthy seem to make good stuff with honest specs.
SwordfishAncient@reddit
Replaced my faulty litines with ecoworthy. Litime ain't great. Uses crappy cells.
muhburneracct@reddit (OP)
What happened?
SwordfishAncient@reddit
their build quality is good and i watched them torn down by prowse. My battery is under 2 years old and cell is at 84% capacity. hasnt been cycled much and living inside my RV. I read lots of recent reviews of similar experiences.. They shouldnt degrade this fast. I have some EG4 stuff that is holding up much better.
Thin-Telephone2240@reddit
Check out the information from Will Prowse's websites and YouTube videos. This guy buys solar and battery products with his own money, tests them, takes them apart reports what he finds.
DIY Solar Power with Will Prowse: https://www.youtube.com/@WillProwse
My Off-grid Solar Blueprints: https://www.mobile-solarpower.com/
Join the DIY Solar Forum!: https://diysolarforum.com/
DCITim@reddit
If you follow Will's advice, you'll stay out of trouble and have a bunch more money for other projects.
My truck house battery and teardrop batteries are all LiTime. Just ordered Dumfume for our van.
DudeWhereIsMyDuduk@reddit
I'm just going with bog-standard Odyssey AGMs when I put in the dual battery system next year, but I also don't have that much in the way of power needs.
211logos@reddit
Sometimes you get what you pay for. Sometimes not.
And many more costly batteries have features you may not need; I don't need a bluetooth connection for example.
A big factor for me is warranty. Basically it's the manufacturer guess as to how long it will for sure last. And in my experience, sadly sometimes they're right. Not always though. So a battery that's say 60% more expensive but with a 6 year warranty might be a better investment than a cheaper one with a 3 year warranty, if the 3 year fails early.
And the warranty doesn't mean much if it's a giant PITA to ship it somewhere overseas, etc. So a local to your country source like say Australia for Redarc might be a big plus.
Also, some of the Redarcs etc probably don't cost the builders and shops the same as they do individual consumers. Or maybe the customer of those shops doesn't have a choice. The shops probably choose high end for various reasons that might not apply to you.
So at one end you can have Dakota Lithium with an 11 year warranty. Or some of the marine lithiums that are similarly high priced with long warranties. Great investments, but someone who buys a Litime with a 5yar might do a lot better over those 10 years.
And check customer service reports. Eg Litime: https://www.airforums.com/threads/returned-2-pairs-of-litime-100ah-batteries-%E2%80%A6-what-now.1453304/
And things change. I had a Battle Born when they first came out. 10 year warranty, great battery (and not any alternatives then except even more scarce and pricey marine ones). Got it at their factory. But since then? oof. They were sold, and now all kinds of issues.
Good luck.
Neardood@reddit
Redarc is a rip-off. Most mass produced lithium batteries use lower tier cells for cost saving reasons. If you want the best, its possible to get proper A grade cells from smaller suppliers.
muhburneracct@reddit (OP)
Which one?
Neardood@reddit
https://www.12volt.com.au/batteries/lifepo4-lithium-batteries/12vs-custom-batteries/
Quick_Leader6139@reddit
Not the batteries in themselves. But as your 12V system becomes larger and more sophisticated (eg. AC inverter, more 12V devices, larger DCDC charger, multiple solar inputs, etc), it is worth considering keeping it all in the same ecosystem for better monitoring and protection, which is going to push you to the bigger brand names. If you are just running a fridge and some 12V lighting, keep it simple and save your pennies.
PonyThug@reddit
All my electronics are Renogy and then my batteries are a local Utah company.
If I was going to do it over again I’d buy all the same Renogy stuff and LiTime batteries.
Blarghnog@reddit
As long as they are UL listed. If you’re asking this question, do NOT go unlisted. Otherwise go for it.
edanfr@reddit
I have a kings 100ah lithium that works perfectly
Big_Nebula_2604@reddit
I’ve seen enough teardowns to know that most of these LFP cells come from the same handful of highend manufacturers anyway. LiTime has become a bit of a cult favorite because their build quality is surprisingly solid for the price. I’ve seen people beat on them in off-grid setups for years without issues. The premium brands like Redarc usually charge that massive premium for their ruggedized casing and warranty support, which matters if you’re doing hardcore washboard roads every single day. But for a standard canopy or camper build, the LiTime 165Ah with self-heating is a tank
muhburneracct@reddit (OP)
Is there anything special about the redarc casing that makes it better than the litime on rough roads? I see the warranty is the same for both brands.
Reasonable_Egg0168@reddit
I’ve been very happy with my 165Ah LiTime, but mine is self-heating.
muhburneracct@reddit (OP)
Where is yours installed? Has it seen its fair share of bumpy roads?
shadow247@reddit
EcoFlow seems to be a great price point for a name brand.
liftedlimo@reddit
Look at Will Prowse on YouTube. He takes batteries and gives them an in depth testing regime and then cuts them open.
Dieselfumes_tech@reddit
I have a battleborn 300ah in my rig, I bought it at release for over $2500.
The battery kicks ass and can handle insane loads. I’ve run a 15k btu air conditioner while running a bottle washer for my son at the same time through my victron multiplus.
I wouldn’t spend that kind of money again considering a lot of no name brand batteries have been getting wayyyy better than they were.
muhburneracct@reddit (OP)
There’s been some recent negative reviews on battle borns by will prowse. Haven’t looked into it but just fyi.
https://youtu.be/GIE1-hIhbvM?si=xWXYReAOfc93jX5h
Dieselfumes_tech@reddit
I’m well aware of those,
I have installed over 188 battleborn batteries in my shop, and about 24 renogy batteries.
I have a 50% comeback rate on the renogy. I’ve had 1 Battleborn battery fail.
I’ll take my personal experience over a YouTube video until Battleborn issues some sort of recall.
clauderbaugh@reddit
Yeah battleborn has some problems. And what’s worse is instead of addressing the issues they are doubling down on their stance of everything’s fine. Product aside that’s a shitty thing for a company to do.
Assorted_Garbage@reddit
No experience with them, but have heard some negatives about battleborn stuff aswell
williaty@reddit
The battleborns are now known to be defective and a fire risk for your rig. You need to get rid of them immediately because their design is so dangerous.
clauderbaugh@reddit
I’ve used renogy for my past three builds. Renogy for the batteries and the DC-DC / controller (not inverter) and they’ve taken a beating and have been flawless.
Shmokesshweed@reddit
No.