Cheap LiFePO4 100AH Battery $88

[Junger]

Amazon has a no frills (no bluetooth, no temperature protection), no brand name Li 100AH battery for $88. Time to upgrade if your lead acid is on the fritz. Not much risk for $88.

 

https://www.techbargains.com/deals/asturnu-lfp100-100ah-lithium-battery

 

*disclaimer: That website gets a small click through commission with Amazon, I have no affiliation with them.

[casts_by_fly]

Wow. For under $100 I’m contemplating a spare. The code is legit if you follow the directions. 

[airshot]

Double that amount and get a good battery with a good reputation and the BMS system.  It is for a boat....no place to skimp and ruin your day.  If an extra 88 bucks is a problem, consider another hobby.

[Tennessee Boy]

On 10/11/2024 at 3:01 PM, Junger said:

Amazon has a no frills (no bluetooth, no temperature protection), no brand name Li 100AH battery for $88.

According to the description on Amazon the BMS does have temperature protection and all of the basic BMS protections.   I would be a little concerned that the product and the company selling it has zero reviews.   Maybe they are offering a discount to establish a reputation on Amazon or maybe it’s a scam.  If I was in the market I would consider buying it.  These no name Chinese made LifePo4 batteries are becoming a commodity and generally get good reviews.  

[WRB]

All I ask before buying Chinese Lithium batteries is read Cobalt Red to understand the child slave labor used to mine the cobalt used to make these batteries.

Every Lithium battery cell is made in China, some of the cases and components are made and assembled domestically. 
Tom

[gim]

12 minutes ago, WRB said:

Every Lithium battery cell is made in China, some of the cases and components are made and assembled domestically. 

 

There isn't a single lithium brand out there made domestically??

[MN Fisher]

45 minutes ago, gimruis said:

 

There isn't a single lithium brand out there made domestically??

Final assembly maybe....but as noted, all the cells are coming out of China.

[Tennessee Boy]

2 hours ago, gimruis said:

There isn't a single lithium brand out there made domestically??

Battleborn is the closest you can get.  They are engineered and assembled in the US and use Chinese cells.  They have a unique design and clear advantages over the cheap Chinese batteries.   They also cost $900.   I have one but don’t think I will be buying another one unless the price comes way down.  I think lithium batteries have become like AAA batteries.  You buy them, use them and replace them when they’re dead.   It doesn’t matter much what brand they are.

[gim]

17 minutes ago, Tennessee Boy said:

You buy them, use them and replace them when they’re dead.

 

Don't most of them have a warranty though?  I hear of some having a 10 year warranty.

 

I don't buy batteries willy nilly off the internet.  I buy mine from a reputable local source.  Quality and local ease of purchase/warranty claim is more important to me than cost here.

[Tennessee Boy]

3 hours ago, gimruis said:

Don't most of them have a warranty though?  I hear of some having a 10 year warranty.

 

I don't buy batteries willy nilly off the internet.  I buy mine from a reputable local source. 

Everyone will have to make up their own mind on how much risk they are willing to take.   There are certainly some risk given that the batteries are expensive to ship back.   Battle Born has 84% five star ratings on Amazon and cost $925.  Li Time has 78% five star ratings and cost $199.  Will any of these companies be around in 10 years to service a warranty? Will you want to mess with a warranty in ten years if you can buy a better battery for $50.

[Junk Fisherman]

Thanks for the tip.  I've been considering getting another battery just to run some electronics and take the burden off my cranker.  I definitely was going the Amazon route.  There is so much markup based on advertising with the well-known brands.  I've read about many people having great results with knock-offs.  The worst thing that will happen is that it craps out on the water and I can't use Livescope for the day.  I'll live.  

[gim]

1 hour ago, Tennessee Boy said:

Everyone will have to make up their own mind on how much risk they are willing to take.   There is certainly some risk given that the batteries are expensive to ship back.   Battle Born has 84% five star ratings on Amazon and cost $925.  Li Time has 78% five star ratings and cost $199.  Will any of these companies be around in 10 years to service a warranty? Will you want to mess with a warranty in ten years if you can buy a better battery for $50.

 

So are you saying that the majority of battery buyers are making purchases without giving a hoot about a warranty or quality of a battery now?

 

If the expectation is that each Chinese battery company is going to be out of business in a few years, then I guess that's reasonable.  So you just buy, recycle/discard, and buy another.  Is that what people are doing now?

[Tennessee Boy]

18 minutes ago, gimruis said:

So are you saying that the majority of battery buyers are making purchases without giving a hoot about a warranty or quality of a battery now?

I don’t pretend to know what motivates buyers.  I’m just sharing how I think about it.  These batteries are actually pretty simple.   If I had one that failed I would consider fixing it myself.

[Darren.]

Looks like the deal is over. Just attempted and entered the

discount code they offer on the listed site, no dice.

 

[Junger]

I’ll post more if I see them. 

[Scherbacj]

I would be a little weary of that thing catching fire and burning down my boat. While I agree that some of the big names cost is burnt up in marketing and advertising, there are also different levels of quality even for two products that are both made in China. Just like anywhere, there companies in China who make a quality product, and there are companies in China that flow with the buying trends, making products as cheap as they can and cutting every corner they can, and who know they will rename or rebrand or whatever once people catch on to their crap quality. 
 

It’s a separate subject, but it really makes me sick that this is the way our world is moving. Companies competing for cheapest price knowing quality doesn’t matter because there’s nothing we can do about it since they are in a different country and will just rebrand. It’s even worse that most of these “innovations” come from other places, get ripped off by China, but Amazon and our politicians are happy to take their “cut” while everyone else gets screwed. Sorry to sound political, it’s really not since both sides and everyone in between do it. Personally, I stay away from this type of crap unless it’s something I will only use once or it’s something like dog toys. But if it’s something that matters, especially that matters to the things I enjoy doing, I won’t let them rob me of my money and my enjoyment when their crap products leave me hanging. 
 

Plus, I deal a lot with power tools, and you can barely make a decent 5.0ah Lithium battery for a power tool for $88. There is no way you can get a true Lithium(LifePO4) battery that is properly made and has the proper protections for that little money. Hell, if they could actually make quality cells for that cheap, why make small 12V batteries, they could dominate the EV market by making the first one to cost $15K. 

[MN Fisher]

21 minutes ago, Scherbacj said:

I would be a little weary of that thing catching fire and burning down my boat.

That was a big danger with Lithium-Ion batteries, but LiFePo4 batteries are by nature, much safer...I wouldn't worry about fires even from a 'cheap' LiFePo4 battery.

[AlabamaSpothunter]

I'm going to order a Li Time 12v 100ah battery tomorrow.   On sale for $200, and lots of reviews and serious testing videos on YT.   

 

 

[Scherbacj]

1 hour ago, MN Fisher said:

That was a big danger with Lithium-Ion batteries, but LiFePo4 batteries are by nature, much safer...I wouldn't worry about fires even from a 'cheap' LiFePo4 battery.

True….but is it really LifePO4? Did they sub out an element for another one that is cheaper but reacts the same? Has anybody ripped into one to confirm that it is what they say it is? Have enough random samples, not hand picked ones for “reviews”, been inspected and tested to verify its correct? 
 

All I am saying is it’s pretty rare to have a product come out that is 25% of the average cost and it’s actually what it claims. There are only so many things you can do to lower costs. They might be more efficient and therefore able to make it for less, but even if they can make it for 75% less, why sell it for 75% less? You sell it for less to attract customers, but you don’t have to sell it for 75% less to do that. A 25% difference is enough to get people to come to you instead of other places. 
 

“You get what you pay for” and “it’s too good to be true” are actually correct quite often. Yes, some products have a higher value to cost ratio, but those items usually aren’t the bottom dollar ones, they are the mid range who make a good product but don’t get overly fancy or cosmetic. Skepticism of bottom dollar products is usually well earned. 
 

 

[Tennessee Boy]

The battery sells for $194.   That’s in-line with similar batteries.  They offered a discount making it $88 for a short time which is clearly below cost.   The question is why.   

[gim]

Think I'll stick with tried and trusted Duracells from Batteries Plus.

 

Usually if it appears to good to be true, it is.

[MN Fisher]

7 hours ago, gimruis said:

Think I'll stick with tried and trusted Duracells from Batteries Plus.

I'll get the Mighty Max through Home Depot...

[T-Billy]

I have a few years on my 200ah Ampere Time now. I'm 100% happy with it. I just fished about 15hrs over two days in a 15-25 mph blow and it still doesn't need charged. + It weighs less than 50#. There is no going back to lead acid.

 Just do some research before buying. I watched several YT vids including one where a guy opened up several to look at build quality. I knew my battery doesn't have low temp charging protection, but was otherwise well built before buying, so I just make sure I don't charge it in below freezing temps and all is well with it. 

[casts_by_fly]

21 hours ago, Scherbacj said:

Hell, if they could actually make quality cells for that cheap, why make small 12V batteries, they could dominate the EV market by making the first one to cost $15K. 

a tesla model x battery is 1000 kWh. 
 

A 100 ah 12 v battery is 1200 Wh. That’s basically 1000 times the power capacity. 
 

if a battery is $100 for a trolling motor that’s $100k scaled up to a car battery. Price is linear with capacity. 

[Tennessee Boy]

This battery is now showing up at the top of listings as a sponsored listing and with a $50 off coupon brings the price down to $144.   
 

None of us know anything about this battery or the company selling it.  It looks to me like they are trying to build a reputation on Amazon and are doing so by selling at a loss.