Avoid AliExpress "LiitokalaVariCoreFlagship Store" from "$433 280Ah LiFePO4 Cells Tested: Cheaper than lead acid!" video

Short_Shot · Sep 2, 2021

NMNeil said:
We do make cells here. Not prismatic I know, but the technology is much the same.

Panasonic to expand battery capacity at Tesla Gigafactory | TechCrunch

Panasonic is adding another production line to the massive factory it operates with Tesla in Nevada, an expansion that will increase battery cell capacity

techcrunch.com

Yeah that's very different.

And tesla isn't exactly a shining example. The reason for them doing it here is not to put some battery packs in the hands of the DIY crowd.

Just John · Sep 2, 2021

NMNeil said:
We do make cells here. Not prismatic I know, but the technology is much the same.

Panasonic to expand battery capacity at Tesla Gigafactory | TechCrunch

Panasonic is adding another production line to the massive factory it operates with Tesla in Nevada, an expansion that will increase battery cell capacity

techcrunch.com

The technology is much the same, however, the chemistry is different. Tesla is using cells with a much greater energy density, not LiFePo4 chemistry. This is because of the weight of LiFePo4, which has less energy density (a very important consideration for a vehicle). For our purposes (stationary) the energy density is not as important, the chemistry is. LiFePo4 is actually much safer. Prismatic, pouch or cylindrical cells are not as important for stationary systems, safety is. Tesla packs have built-in heating and cooling systems as well, very important for high C rates.

OM617YOTA · Sep 2, 2021

Seller is trying to pull the same thing on me, saying sure 100% refund if I send the batteries back at my expense. As that's a valid response, AliExpress has closed the issue, and the ball's in my court about whether I send the batteries back.

I've already opened a dispute with my credit card company, they're contacting AliExpres, but they've refunded my money as a preliminary measure. Not doing anything with it until it's finalized.

time2roll · Sep 2, 2021

Solar123456 said:
AliExpress offered me 30% so far. I’m not sure if they offered that because that was my initial proposal or what there reasoning was but before they offered it I had raised it higher. I prob would of been fine with that if the seller had acknowledged the issue and apologized but instead the seller responded in a very shiesty way. AliExpress quickly said all my claims were valid 1) delivery outside guarantee window 2) defective product because 4 cells have crooked threads 3) several cells are lower capacity.
AliExpress gave me two options take the 30 percent or fully refund if I ship product back, just rejected both and am waiting to hear back again.

If you offered 30% as a settlement And they agreed I would think you should accept and confirm.

carl2591 · Sep 2, 2021

So i ordered some advertised 310 ah viracore cell for 12v. hope they are not crap but we shall see.

my question was on orientation of cell.. i was thinking you can put them on side like AGMs but have read some stuff that says to keep them terminals up.. I can do that but be tight.. vs on side gives me a 1/2" more space to work with..

SO,, up or on side. which is OK.. both or up only. ??

Solar123456 · Sep 2, 2021

Perhaps. The buyer rejected my initial proposal of 30 percent and countered with 0 or ship them back for an 90% refund. Upon reflection, I should asked for more in the beginning since the lower capacity cells are going to lower the overall capacity of the entire pack if I were to keep them and use them and it would cost close to that much to replace them with the cost of shipping.

Even after that, I still have to figure how fix the crooked threads on 4 of the other 8 cells which is going to take time to research, labor and materials. Could I live with 30 percent sure but I’d rather of paid extra to more reputable vendor for a better quality product that I thought I was getting.

Just John · Sep 2, 2021

carl2591 said:
So i ordered some advertised 310 ah viracore cell for 12v. hope they are not crap but we shall see.

my question was on orientation of cell.. i was thinking you can put them on side like AGMs but have read some stuff that says to keep them terminals up.. I can do that but be tight.. vs on side gives me a 1/2" more space to work with..

SO,, up or on side. which is OK.. both or up only. ??

The manufacturer says side is fine. Personally, I want that cell over pressure valve pointed up, and it also is the way it was designed to evenly distribute the electrolyte.

robby · Sep 2, 2021

time2roll said:
If you offered 30% as a settlement And they agreed I would think you should accept and confirm.

I don't even know how you guys ship back batteries. The one experience I had at DHL and they rejected the batteries for shipment. I would just take a sizeable discount and then just flip them to someone who wants them at the lower price and is happy with what they are getting.

carl2591 · Sep 2, 2021

Just John said:
The manufacturer says side is fine. Personally, I want that cell over pressure valve pointed up, and it also is the way it was designed to evenly distribute the electrolyte.

cool,, has any testing been done to show one way or the other?? if the manufacturer says ok are they just sucking up or know that as true from testing.. they will be installed in rv under sofa so need to know it not a problem.

Just John · Sep 2, 2021

carl2591 said:
cool,, has any testing been done to show one way or the other?? if the manufacturer says ok are they just sucking up or know that as true from testing.. they will be installed in rv under sofa so need to know it not a problem.

Read the Big Battery thread on leaking Lishen 170AH cells.

Leaking Electrolyte from Bigbattery Powerblock

Just my luck as always. I contacted poison control and they think I will be fine. No symptoms so far. I am pretty sure it is due to cell configuration. 92 pounds of cells stacked in this manner does not seem like a good idea. Second to bottom cell has gas inside and you can hear the...

diysolarforum.com

Coyak2 · Sep 2, 2021

Martijn said:
Did you lift the black covers yet? At the negative pole, there could be a scratched QR code with perhaps some text left that has the rated capacity.

I checked under a couple covers but I should probably check the others to see if there is info relevant to the dispute.
AliExpress responded:

The capacity is not as described

Valid

-

Seeing that you have tried your best to test, we believe that this is not a solar cell, so you should fully charge it and try to test the battery pack after assembly (because of the different load). The above is easy to be questioned by the seller. ___The main problem is that we have only identified four battery issues. Please upload all the test pictures (numbers) to the dispute.

Offered two options:
Option 1: Partial refund 204.41 USD without returning goods
Option 2: Return goods Full refund 1533.45 USD ( Buyer pays the returning shipping fee)

It appears option 1 may increase if I add additional pics, vids, and do further testing on the assembled "battery pack" - which really doesn't make sense as I have data on each cell.

NVS · Sep 14, 2021

I'm currently in the same boat with the Varicore 280ah cells. My 280ah cells tested at 245ah. I top balanced cells before building the battery with a Daly BMS. My biggest concern is I wanted to buy 4 more to build a 560ah 4s battery for my RV. But now I will my next 4 be higher or lower capacity? I currently have a dispute open so I'll see what they offer.

SmartSelect_20210912-133932_SMART BMS.jpg

SmartSelect_20210911-155014_SMART BMS.jpg

SmartSelect_20210910-164810_SMART BMS.jpg

Solar123456 · Sep 14, 2021

If you do buy more cells and still try to use these ones your overall usable capacity will be lower because of the low rated cells. If your ok with that then I’d order the next for from a more reputable vendor, I know there are a few in this forum.

Dispute is a bit of a crapshoot with aliexpress typically siding with the seller. If after the dispute you aren’t satisfied with judgement you can dispute with credit card if you paid that way or pay pal if you paid that way but if not, you may be stuck with whatever the results are.

Martijn · Sep 14, 2021

NVS said:
I'm currently in the same boat with the Varicore 280ah cells. My 280ah cells tested at 245ah. I top balanced cells before building the battery with a Daly BMS. My biggest concern is I wanted to buy 4 more to build a 560ah 4s battery for my RV. But now I will my next 4 be higher or lower capacity? I currently have a dispute open so I'll see what they offer.

Can you lift the black covers to see if there's a (scratched out) QR code with capacity specifications? If so, what does it say?

NVS · Sep 15, 2021

Martijn said:
Can you lift the black covers to see if there's a (scratched out) QR code with capacity specifications? If so, what does it say?

I did, and there was nothing under them.

Solar123456 · Sep 15, 2021

NVS said:
I did, and there was nothing under them.

I took mine all the way off. Some of them were harder to get to but they were there and easy to put back on.

NVS · Sep 15, 2021

Solar123456 said:
I took mine all the way off. Some of them were harder to get to but they were there and easy to put back on.

Ok, I will do this tomorrow. And post what I find.

FYI, I also filed a complaint with PayPal today as well. I sent the the links to this forum with all the threads talking about this seller.

Martijn · Sep 15, 2021

NVS said:
Ok, I will do this tomorrow. And post what I find.

FYI, I also filed a complaint with PayPal today as well. I sent the the links to this forum with all the threads talking about this seller.

Don't forget to write up a review at the AliExpress page for the product as well.

NVS · Sep 17, 2021

Here's the original scratched out QR codes. Hope someone can make sense of them.

Martijn · Sep 18, 2021

Ha, they didn't even bother scratching our the QR code, they just removed the capacity! What a vendor...

Short_Shot · Sep 23, 2021

So far so good, but capacity test will have to come soon. At least they're flat and undamaged.

OM617YOTA · Sep 23, 2021

Short_Shot said:
So far so good, but capacity test will have to come soon. At least they're flat and undamaged.

That's how mine arrived, cosmetically just about perfect, but 7 out of 8 were 230ah. I don't have the equipment to test the cells individually, so no clue what the last one was.

Good luck!

NVS · Sep 23, 2021

Short_Shot said:
So far so good, but capacity test will have to come soon. At least they're flat and undamaged.

View attachment 65993
View attachment 65992
View attachment 65991

Good luck. Make sure you weigh them. Take pictures of all your test results. 2 more days on my claim with PayPal, with no response from the seller yet.

Now there's a seller with 4 - 320ah batteries for $150 with free shipping.

US $56.40 25%OFF | 100% New Lifepo4 320Ah 4-16PCS 3.2V Grade A 48V 310AH Battery Pack DIY RV Cell And Solar Energy Storage System EU US Tax Free

56.4US $ 25% OFF|100% New Lifepo4 320Ah 4 16PCS 3.2V Grade A 48V 310AH Battery Pack DIY RV Cell And Solar Energy Storage System EU US Tax Free|Battery Packs| - AliExpress

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

a.aliexpress.com

Short_Shot · Sep 23, 2021

OM617YOTA said:
That's how mine arrived, cosmetically just about perfect, but 7 out of 8 were 230ah. I don't have the equipment to test the cells individually, so no clue what the last one was.

Good luck!

If I get 230 I'll be annoyed, but they will still be usable for my application.

It just means I'll have to try for a refund and will probably order a set from a US distributor now that we've got some in Texas that are allegedly good.

Short_Shot · Sep 23, 2021

I got ~5.1kg per cell. Give or take some margin of error from my Fitbit scale.

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