LiFePo battery opinions sought...

[Simon G]

OK, I'm ready for war...
Which LiFePo batteries are 'best'? Fogstar, Renogy, Offgrid's own, EcoTree, Titan, Eco-Worthy...or even AliExpress and/or Temu?? To be clear, I'm looking for plug & play replacement for the current (dead) LA's. Already have DC-DC/B2B (yes, I know it's the same thing...) and Li compatible mains charger.
Have at it...

 

[Simon G]

Thanks all. As always, a lot of good advice in amongst the 'I like what I bought' answers. I may even come back and tell you what I buy... Love this forum

 

[Peregrinator]

OK, I'm ready for war...
Which LiFePo batteries are 'best'? Fogstar, Renogy, Offgrid's own, EcoTree, Titan, Eco-Worthy...or even AliExpress and/or Temu?? To be clear, I'm looking for plug & play replacement for the current (dead) LA's. Already have DC-DC/B2B (yes, I know it's the same thing...) and Li compatible mains charger.
Have at it...

Installed Fogstar Energy 12v DIY Kit, they are Grade B certification with 8000 cycles, They have been tested, and they are top spec, not yet finished, as I am installing 2500w inverter, Kit comes with 4 Envision LiFePO4 315Ah Prismatic Cells, Smart (Bluetooth) BMS JK-B2A8S20P with Active Balancer 200A (4S-8S)
and a very heavy well made case, £349.99 https://www.fogstar.co.uk/products/fogstar-energy-12v-diy-kit-envision-grade-b-315ah

 

[Fazerstorm]

Agreed fitted my KS Energy four years ago too and they have performed flawlessly..

I fitted a 120ah super series over 2 years ago. It was good as it had a 150a bms,. The app was not good though, as it never read below 80%, but would suddenly die. I installed a shunt, which was spot on. I recently updated to a280ah fogstar, which seems to work fine, with the app mirroring the charge state.
Note KS batteries are now extremely expense, comparatively.

 

[delia]

I have 2 x 300 amp KS energy used extensively for over 2 years. They have performed flawlessly and also I have found the bluetooth app always really works well right down to low battery level showing balance between cells, discharge and charge rates. Expensive at the time I agree but well worth it so far.

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[Tim P]

Another thumbs up for fogstar drift. I have 2 x 105Ah batteries ( they were on sale at the time) and 100w solar + 1500w inverter and upgraded charger/b2b all good here but thinking about adding another 100w solar. If not why not....however I think I need a new set of boots soon, (×5) thinking of upgrading to 3 mountain graded all season jobbies, but that's a different subject altogether!

 

[Dent]

Being new to this Forum(this is my first post) I read and re-read most of the articles posted regarding lithium batteries. You lot are nothing short of brilliant, many thanks for all the advice. Today I had two 280AH Fogstar Drifts fitted with a Victron 3000 inverter, battery charger and Bluetooth dongle. Many thanks to those awesome chaps, Roger and Nigel at Offgrid solutions who did a really brilliant job. Can’t wait to go off grid now.

 

[JockandRita]

Another Fogstar punter here, but with 2 x 305Ah Drift Eco batteries, (no heaters or Bluetooth req'd), mated up to Victron equipment in the way of a smart shunt, 2 x MPPT solar controllers, and (very recently) to their Orion XS B2B 50A charger, which replaced a burnt out Sterling 60A B2B.
We are all blue now, and it's working a treat supplying a 2500w PSW inverter.

I too wasn't happy about buying from Temu and Ali Express, etc, nor about buying brands with no UK backup.

Cheers,

Jock.

 

[dogster]

As someone earlier said, I can only comment on what I have experienced so far. I fitted a Renogy 100ah (no heater or BT) a few months back. Also a renogy shunt and B2B 50A charger with MPPT, as well as Fogstar Li mains charger. Not fitted the panel yet as waiting for warmer weather and I only get weekends to tinker.

Feedback is battery seems to work fine and soon charges with the engine supplying 50A reported by bluetooth app.

I've not really used EHU much since as the engine keeps it full.

The Renogy apps are awful. Shunt data is unreliable at best and always needs to be reset.

Conclusions based on experience:
Battery does it's job. Would I get a larger on or one with BT access, maybe, but it works fine.

I can leave it all to get on with things and it does work (so far), not run out of power yet.

If starting again would I choose Victron components for the DC, shunt and solar charger, at a lot more £, probably as I'd like apps that work.

An update for anyone interested in Renogy gear.

I've since fitted a Renogy ONE display unit and a 200W flexible solar panel.
Both work very well, and the battery is now maintained pretty much permanently - proper road test over the long weekend. I can now leave the wifi/router permanently on and monitor the system remotely.

The Renogy ONE seems to solve all the application issues, and now it is paired with the app, I get reliable and consistent readings from both the shunt and DC/DC charger.

This is one occasion where I took a risk and threw good money after bad with positive results....

Conculsion - apps on their own are flaky, via Renogy ONE hub they are fine. System seems a good setup and the flexible solar addition has finished it nicely - certainly in the recent bright weather. Time will tell in the darker months.

 

[LithiumConvert]

I posted some time ago that I had upgraded my mobility scooter to LiFePO4 usiing Ecotree batteries.
Well, after a couple of years, I am very impressed with them. (Plug and Play - simple to charge)

For the motorhome, my five year old Sterling Power LiFePO4 are still behaving flawlessly with the B2B and EBL chargers as factory fitted by Hymer.