diy solar

diy solar

fyi warning about liitokala varicore flagship store aliexpress..do not buy

Lol, yeah..

Tail light warranty is usually on second hand products.. not new.

At least, I've never seen that in Europe!!
 
Wish I had done more research before buying. Bought from this seller in May, received tracking almost immediately, but tracking shows number was created but not actually shipped. I thought it had been shipped, and was in transit to FedEx here in the states and thus not showing shipped on our side. Did some more digging, tracked it on the China side, and it's not been shipped on the China side either. Just tracking number created. A month left and I can claim a refund. I should look into the group buy here in the mean time.
 
My Liitokala took 60 days to arrive in the US. Yes the FedEx tracking number delay is normal and ordinary.
 
@OM617YOTA
You might be able to cancel the order of not yet been shipped.

It's sadly not uncommon to wait 4-6 weeks before really sending out.
And later blame the transport or covid or ....

As their delivery window is smaller now, they might be willing to cancel to avoid problems.

It's worth a try.

If it is shipped, but not able to get the transport status, they will inform you and you know that they most likely will arrive within 4 weeks.
 
Thanks folks. If they'll arrive eventually and be in good condition, I don't mind waiting. Just hate the idea of receiving potentially degraded cells and getting a "discount" in return - I'd rather pay full price and get good cells.
 
Hi , i ordered VariCore 3.2v 135ah lifepo4 Rechargeable Battery DIY 12v 24v 36v 48v
From LiitokalaVariCoreFlagship Store
I received cells with terminal voltages

1 = 1.422v

2 = 1.417 v

3 = 1.505v

& 4 = 1.634v

which is no where near the advertised terminal voltage of 3.2v and all well under the 2.5v considered low voltage for safe DOD of this type of cell , i expect these are damaged and useless for the purpose they were purchased for. The reviews are misleading or at worst deceptive they all quote greater than 3.2v / cell i used this information to choose this product I feel insulted and dissapointed so opened dispute.
 
Last edited:
Hi , i ordered VariCore 3.2v 135ah lifepo4 Rechargeable Battery DIY 12v 24v 36v 48v
From LiitokalaVariCoreFlagship Store
I received cells with terminal voltages

1 = 1.422v

2 = 1.417 v

3 = 1.505v

& 4 = 1.634v

which is no where near the advertised terminal voltage of 3.2v and all well under the 2.5v considered low voltage for safe DOD of this type of cell , i expect these are damaged and useless for the purpose they were purchased for. The reviews are misleading or at worst deceptive they all quote greater than 3.2v / cell i used this information to choose this product I feel insulted and dissapointed so opened dispute.
wow, I would be highly suspect of those cells, they are all well below the low voltage dmg point.

sadly all you can do is charge them up, measure capacity, and use what they have left. While possible, the odds of you getting anything back from varicore are really low. Good luck...
 
Hi , i ordered VariCore 3.2v 135ah lifepo4 Rechargeable Battery DIY 12v 24v 36v 48v
From LiitokalaVariCoreFlagship Store
I received cells with terminal voltages

1 = 1.422v

2 = 1.417 v

3 = 1.505v

& 4 = 1.634v

which is no where near the advertised terminal voltage of 3.2v and all well under the 2.5v considered low voltage for safe DOD of this type of cell , i expect these are damaged and useless for the purpose they were purchased for. The reviews are misleading or at worst deceptive they all quote greater than 3.2v / cell i used this information to choose this product I feel insulted and dissapointed so opened dispute.

Really low cell voltages, but confirm you didn't have poor contact with the probes. Pierce surface of the aluminum terminal with point of probe to be sure. I sometimes get poor contact on some surfaces with lead-acid batteries, bolts, terminals.
 
Hi , i ordered VariCore 3.2v 135ah lifepo4 Rechargeable Battery DIY 12v 24v 36v 48v
From LiitokalaVariCoreFlagship Store
I received cells with terminal voltages

1 = 1.422v

2 = 1.417 v

3 = 1.505v

& 4 = 1.634v

which is no where near the advertised terminal voltage of 3.2v and all well under the 2.5v considered low voltage for safe DOD of this type of cell , i expect these are damaged and useless for the purpose they were purchased for. The reviews are misleading or at worst deceptive they all quote greater than 3.2v / cell i used this information to choose this product I feel insulted and dissapointed so opened dispute.
Have to ask. Did you verify your DMM is working correctly and is set to DC voltage?
 
Sadly my test equipment and technique are both correct , that was the first thing i checked after rubbing my eyes and cleaning my glasses.
I heeded diysolar123 advise and attempted a top balance of the cells.
At rest they now read
1 = (1.422v ) 3.308

2 = (1.417v ) 3.297

3 = (1.505v ) 3.280

& 4 = (1.634v ) 3.304

From my understanding of these cells this result confirms my initial expectation that they are damaged and beyond repair.
I have had no response from Aliexpress or
LiitokalaVariCoreFlagship Store.
If i could help prevent others from the loss and dissapointment i have experienced from this purchase then that would be one positive from what i expect will be a sorry tale.

fyi warning about liitokala varicore flagship store aliexpress..do not buy​

 
Sadly my test equipment and technique are both correct , that was the first thing i checked after rubbing my eyes and cleaning my glasses.
I heeded diysolar123 advise and attempted a top balance of the cells.
At rest they now read
1 = (1.422v ) 3.308

2 = (1.417v ) 3.297

3 = (1.505v ) 3.280

& 4 = (1.634v ) 3.304

From my understanding of these cells this result confirms my initial expectation that they are damaged and beyond repair.
I have had no response from Aliexpress or
LiitokalaVariCoreFlagship Store.
If i could help prevent others from the loss and dissapointment i have experienced from this purchase then that would be one positive from what i expect will be a sorry tale.

fyi warning about liitokala varicore flagship store aliexpress..do not buy​

If you didn't have a load on the cells and the voltages dropped that much fairly quickly then that's definitely not good. The fact the cells arrived with those low voltages is very concerning. If you paid with a credit card then I suggest you dispute the charge. Good luck.
 
Thanks Gazoo , The fact the cells SHIPPED with those low voltages is very concerning.
It seems to me i paid hard earned $ to now deal with LiitokalaVariCoreFlagship's waste.
At this point i hope it was a honest mistake and sanity will pevail otherwise this must have been their intention from the outset knowing that they enjoy protection from legitimate claims of fraud.
I understand the concept of caveat emptor and feel embarrassed that i was so naive to beleive at the time of purchase that these cells were new (as indicated on the question and answer part of the description ) , thinking that surely aliexpress would require sellers to clearly identify products that are used / secondhand ?
I hope that at some stage i get the opportunity to give feedback on my purchase at this point i have no option to give feedback it would seem i am censored.
Screenshot_20210710-123011_AliExpress.jpg
 
I understand the concept of caveat emptor and feel embarrassed that i was so naive to beleive at the time of purchase that these cells were new
No need to feel embarassed. :) Many have been tricked but still some are happy considering the cost per kwh. Many including myself have received new old stock cells that were advertised as new. I get 272ah's of capacity out of my weakest 280ah EVE cell. I can live with that considering what I paid for them and all 8 cells are performing well. So I am happy. But your cells received with voltages that low is unacceptable and I hope that one way or the other you get all of your money back as you are entitled to.
 
Hello, I ordered 4 cells with 310Ah from the MEIBrandauthorized Store. In reality, the cells had the following capacity, 252Ah, 271Ah, 272Ah and 270Ah In my eyes, the provider is a fraud. I can not recommend anyone to buy from this store! I also suspect that it generally affects "VariCore" "SMALL DEN" and "Liitokala", but I still lack the evidence.
 
Hi G8N , From what i have read on diysolarforum i would not buy from any of these also
Global Battery Charger Store
OYE store
SANBEN Global Battery
I dont seem to be able to find a list that aggreagates those that do the wrong thing , it might be a valuble resource for prospective buyers.

I have received confirmation from the dispute department ( see attatched screenshot) that i have a legitamate claim however its a hollow victory as aliexpress impose unreasonable terms for the return of the goods , more smoke and mirrors and unfair trading practices in favour of their mates , the fox is in charge of the henhouse.

I will explore the chargeback option but suspect because i purchased other componets from other sellers in the same transaction that may make the case somewhat problematic.
 

Attachments

  • Screenshot_20210711-191707_AliExpress.jpg
    Screenshot_20210711-191707_AliExpress.jpg
    145 KB · Views: 24
I ordered 16 3.2v 280AH cells from liitokala but only received 12. I was planning on building 2 24v batteries. Can I purchase 280ah cells from a us supplier and mix them in with these cells?
 
I ordered 16 3.2v 280AH cells from liitokala but only received 12. I was planning on building 2 24v batteries. Can I purchase 280ah cells from a us supplier and mix them in with these cells?
When did you receive the 12 cells? Are you sure another box isn't coming?
 
When did you receive the 12 cells? Are you sure another box isn't coming?
LOL I received them on the July 7th. I ordered back on April 12th. But actually just received the last box about 1 minute ago. Had I not received the last box, what could I have done.
 
LOL I received them on the July 7th. I ordered back on April 12th. But actually just received the last box about 1 minute ago. Had I not received the last box, what could I have done.
You don't have to worry about that now. :) Glad the remaining box came today.
 
LOL I received them on the July 7th. I ordered back on April 12th. But actually just received the last box about 1 minute ago. Had I not received the last box, what could I have done.
Great! Hope to see follow -up on the test and if any of the cells are damaged during shipping or not. May be you should start a thread about your batteries test results. Thanks.
 
Back
Top