CATL LF280 280Ah from DOCAN

What else do you expect when you buy “top grade”.

Seems pretty honest to me.

Alkaline said:

As for Docan, they are just making up stories, they bought these at auction from CATL, who like EVE, REPT, GANFENG sell off the cells that fail testing in auction, they are bought up by 1-2 grade B whole sallers, who apply the fake QR code and sell to people like Docan, Basen, QSO e.t.c.

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Stick to the facts. If you can't prove such a statement make an explicit comment that this is your point of view.

What can be proven is that these "top-grade" no QR code cells are better in terms of capacity compared to cells coming from other sellers. And the Wh price is a pretty good one.

It is a fact that any cell sold without an official manufacturer test report that LIST EACH CELL individually, is a rejected failed cell. THAT IS THE FACTS, PERIOD, END OF DISCUSSION.

Sorry if that comes off as harsh, but too many sellers and just as many buyers like to murky this up and make up there own realities. Trying to argue this is like trying to tell your wife/gf that the $50.00 Gucci bag you bought from the corner of the street is just as good as the $1100 from the boutique store.?

We still don't even know if these are really CATL 280, could just as easily be CATL 302 being sold as 280. Either way, that QR CODE on the side is completely bogus. It's the same one that is put on reject REPT CELLS, so what I can say the auctioneer that buys these form CATL also buys them from REPT and he does the lasering.

Ask around on Chinese forums, in Shenzen he goes by the name "The Big Guy" and QSO, BASEN, Dounggan Lighting, Docan all buy from, probably Gobel as well.

I get it, on the surface these seem amazing, cheaper than EV grade A EVE 280K and getting higher capacity, but on the same time they could be degraded 302, and no one can say otherwise because the original qr code was scratched off.

Its the same with this as it has always been, its a gamble with grade B, hopefully you'll get good stuff, but be prepared to be disappointed as well, normally I would say buy more than you need, but now I'd say buy from 1-2 vendors to hedge your bets.

And just to clarify: If these CATL 280s are really 280s and are just shy of being grade A, then they are a FAR better value then the $193/cell I paid for my luyuan 280Ks.

But I also know how these things go, these Chinese vendors always have good stock in the beginning, they cherry pick the good ones to get the word out, then when the orders start flooding in they start sending the meh grade and the crap grade.

I got the tail end of supply of the xuba & basen cells, so another factor to consider is the timing, buy them quick don't wait or you may get the back of the pack.

16 more of these cells. I've just unpacked them and tested the IR. All cells are within 0.22-0.24mOhm and are within 1mV difference. The IR was expected to be a bit higher than the stated one because cells are at ~8 degree Celsius.

I'll have some capacity numbers in a month or two. These will first go in the compression enclosure and then be tested.

There are 32 more that are still unpacked but they are for a friend of mine. If I get any data for them I'll post it here.

brum said:

16 more of these cells. I've just unpacked them and tested the IR. All cells are within 0.22-0.24mOhm and are within 1mV difference. The IR was expected to be a bit higher than the stated one because cells are at ~8 degree Celsius.

I'll have some capacity numbers in a month or two. These will first go in the compression enclosure and then be tested.

There are 32 more that are still unpacked but they are for a friend of mine. If I get any data for them I'll post it here.

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Interesting they shipped in 4 pack boxes.. these came from Docan as well?

nhanus09 said:

Interesting they shipped in 4 pack boxes.. these came from Docan as well?

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Lmk how you build your enclosure for your 16s pack.. ill be building the first 4s pack next week.. SFK kit enclosure with JK BMS

nhanus09 said:

Lmk how you build your enclosure for your 16s pack

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Alkaline said:

I get it, on the surface these seem amazing, cheaper than EV grade A EVE 280K and getting higher capacity, but on the same time they could be degraded 302, and no one can say otherwise because the original qr code was scratched off.

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Couldn't you just check the actual weight? I would think there would be a slight difference..

Without a doubt, buying batteries can be a crap shoot, but isn't everything that way now? There are ways to keep the odds in your favor. Usually, it costs a few dollars more.

Just finished the capacity testing. All cells are 295 to 299ah. Given my crude methods I'd say they are all close enough. I'm going to top balance and assemble my pack.
So far I'm pleased with what I've got.
Just bumping the undercharged cells to match the rest.

Butcher said:

Couldn't you just check the actual weight? I would think there would be a slight difference..

Without a doubt, buying batteries can be a crap shoot, but isn't everything that way now? There are ways to keep the odds in your favor. Usually, it costs a few dollars more.

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The weight checks with the spec for 280ah cell. 302 are heavier according to what I found online.

what is the weight of the 302 vs the 280?

5.34kg - 280ah, 5.51kg - 302ah.
It also states +/- ~300g so I guess you could say they could be within a error margin. ?
I still think I got what I paid for.

ghostimage said:

Just finished the capacity testing. All cells are 295 to 299ah. Given my crude methods I'd say they are all close enough. I'm going to top balance and assemble my pack.
So far I'm pleased with what I've got.
Just bumping the undercharged cells to match the rest.View attachment 123494

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The 6 I tested so far were 297 to 299 . I broke the connector for the display on my test bms. Had to solder the wires on . Not easy

ghostimage said:

5.34kg - 280ah, 5.51kg - 302ah.
It also states +/- ~300g so I guess you could say they could be within a error margin. ?
I still think I got what I paid for.

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Ahh,

yeah I wouldn't worry about it, use them and rock on.

Although a 300gram margin of error seems very strange, that's a lot actually...

Haha, I have just received another Docan CATL 280 batch from Chinese warehouse. And noticed one cell with original QR code instead of small ones.
And it is ..... it is .... CATL 302

nvbt said:

Haha, I have just received another Docan CATL 280 batch from Chinese warehouse. And noticed one cell with original QR code instead of small ones.
And it is ..... it is .... CATL 302

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Ahh haha the plot thickens.. I notice yours says 302ah @ 966wh. Many of my cells test above 966wh.. in fact 966wh was the lowest iv seen.. they usually test 971wh to 973wh but iv seen as high as 989wh.. but none tested above 299ah. The important thing to remember is that these cells are rates for .5P not C on discharge. P is based on degraded power output over life per the spec sheet so don't use them in 4s 12v packs if you plan on pushing them hard. If you do, plan on using 2x packs in parallel to share the load of say a 3000w inverter. In larger packs 8s and up should be ok. Generally speaking..

nvbt said:

Haha, I have just received another Docan CATL 280 batch from Chinese warehouse. And noticed one cell with original QR code instead of small ones.
And it is ..... it is .... CATL 302

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Not sure if this is a good, or not so good thing. Is 280ah an actual battery size, or are all 280ah just poor performing 302?

Kornbread said:

Not sure if this is a good, or not so good thing. Is 280ah an actual battery size, or are all 280ah just poor performing 302?

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probably the latter, which still gets you more ah than you paid for, but i would not be happy regardless

I wonder if it has to do with the date, I remember Eve started doing the B thing in early 2022, maybe other manufacturers did the same, so mid 2022 the qr code is hidden but before it is available.

so Nhanus09 you got 280s that tested to 966, but nvbt got 302 that are testing to 966?

Maybe they were all 302 being sold as 280?