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New distributor company (Shenzhen Starmax) and battery manufacturer (Ruipu or Rept)?

synergicity

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I have been shopping on Alibaba and since asking for the first quote for cells have been inundated with other quotes. One came from Shenzhen Starmax Energy Technology Co; I have been chatting with Enya Shao. She quoted me for 8 pieces of 280ah at $735 and 230ah at $649 to N. California. The manufacturer is Ruipu Energy Co., Ltd. but the website is chinarept.com and is also mentioned as REPT Energy Co., Ltd. If you click Products it will take you to the page where the LiFePO4 cells are listed. I've attached the spec sheet for the 280AH cells that Enya sent me and a picture of the 230AH cells (The 230AH have welded studs).

I searched the forums for any mention of any of these companies and came up empty. Can anyone give feedback or more info? The prices seem great. I am not able to find out much else.

Thanks!
 

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I noticed on the website they rate the battery at 2000 cycles, seems a bit low.
 
Check to see if that price is DDP, which includes all import fees, taxes, etc. Otherwise, you're on the hook for that separately.

If I was going to buy more cells, I would be using the source that I bought my first set from. I trust her with my money. I would be very reluctant to use a source that hasn't had at least a few reviews on the forum. With an unknown source, you don't know if the cells you're getting are good quality or not. You don't know if the shipping is good or not.

This the salesperson (Amy) that I bought my cells from:

 
I have been shopping on Alibaba and since asking for the first quote for cells have been inundated with other quotes. One came from Shenzhen Starmax Energy Technology Co; I have been chatting with Enya Shao. She quoted me for 8 pieces of 280ah at $735 and 230ah at $649 to N. California. The manufacturer is Ruipu Energy Co., Ltd. but the website is chinarept.com and is also mentioned as REPT Energy Co., Ltd. If you click Products it will take you to the page where the LiFePO4 cells are listed. I've attached the spec sheet for the 280AH cells that Enya sent me and a picture of the 230AH cells (The 230AH have welded studs).

I searched the forums for any mention of any of these companies and came up empty. Can anyone give feedback or more info? The prices seem great. I am not able to find out much else.

Thanks!
I would be surprised if that price includes DDP shipping...but who knows? Personally I have never heard of the company and they were established in 2017. I would request a spec sheet from the supplier for those cells. Would be interesting.

Since you live in the US I would request a quote from @Michael B Caro. Check out his group buy thread and if interested send him a PM.
 
I have heard of Starmax, but not aware of anyone that has dealt with them. From looking at their Alibaba page I would guess they are legit.
Their cells that I recognize the names of, and I have dealt in, they have priced higher than I would charge.
I assume you are talking about their Repe cells which, as someone mentioned, are 2,000 cycles. Very low number of cycles.
Good quality, new, fresh, grade A (or A- if you will) cells should be 3,500 to 5,000 cycles.
Also, those same cells with express shipping, which would be DDP, they want $1,440.00 for.
If you look in the title, it says 3,500 cycles but if you look down below at the description it says 2,000 cycles....could be just the fact that they suck at writing descriptions, or it could be a bait and switch kind of thing hoping you don't look to closely at the description below.
I have dealt with dozens of suppliers now and been pitched untold numbers of different cells and never heard or Repe cells. Which doesn't mean much except that they must not be too plentiful.
I am not aware of any brand 270ah-280ah cell that you can get for that kind of money unless it is grade B at best. Not saying it is not possible there are some out there, but I have spent sooooooo much time researching cells at this point that I would be very surprised if there was one worth having that is that cheap and none of the suppliers has tried to pitch them to me.
 
I have heard of Starmax, but not aware of anyone that has dealt with them. From looking at their Alibaba page I would guess they are legit.
Their cells that I recognize the names of, and I have dealt in, they have priced higher than I would charge.
I assume you are talking about their Repe cells which, as someone mentioned, are 2,000 cycles. Very low number of cycles.
Good quality, new, fresh, grade A (or A- if you will) cells should be 3,500 to 5,000 cycles.
Also, those same cells with express shipping, which would be DDP, they want $1,440.00 for.
If you look in the title, it says 3,500 cycles but if you look down below at the description it says 2,000 cycles....could be just the fact that they suck at writing descriptions, or it could be a bait and switch kind of thing hoping you don't look to closely at the description below.
I have dealt with dozens of suppliers now and been pitched untold numbers of different cells and never heard or Repe cells. Which doesn't mean much except that they must not be too plentiful.
I am not aware of any brand 270ah-280ah cell that you can get for that kind of money unless it is grade B at best. Not saying it is not possible there are some out there, but I have spent sooooooo much time researching cells at this point that I would be very surprised if there was one worth having that is that cheap and none of the suppliers has tried to pitch them to me.
Thanks for the feedback. I noticed the cycles but then I also noticed on a Lishen spec sheet they said we could charge the cells down to -10 C so I am not sure how much to trust those. I ended up being too uncertain and passed them by.

The price was definitely to my door, all fees paid. I was annoying repetitious to ensure that. I have since purchased cells from Xuba for about $100 more, also to my door. I have no need for express shipping. It's not my first rodeo with alibaba, just the first with LFP cells.
 
I noticed the cycles but then I also noticed on a Lishen spec sheet they said we could charge the cells down to -10 C so I am not sure how much to trust those.
What spec sheet referenced -10 C?

The spec sheet I have for the 272ah Lishen lists charge temps as follows:

c) The charge temperature range is 0℃~ 65℃. The charge must be stopped when any part of
the cell reach to 65℃.

d) Optimal charge temperature range is 15℃ ~ 35℃。Do not charge for a long time in the
temperature less than 15℃.

This is why I always suggest asking the supplier for the manufacturers spec sheet.
 
I was not exactly correct. It was a Lishen 202ah data sheet and the low temp charge limit was -20 C. I've attached that page. I have spent so much time essentially interviewing these sales reps that I confused the different files I had stashed away and the weird facts I noted about them. This one came from Xuba a couple weeks ago.
 

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  • Pages 3 from lishen 202ah data sheet.pdf
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I have spent so much time essentially interviewing these sales reps that I confused the different files I had stashed away and the weird facts I noted about them. This one came from Xuba a couple weeks ago.
I have been known to get confused...lol. Yeah in fact the -20C temp was discussed in this thread. I think it was also discussed in one of the Big Battery threads.
 
Discharge down to -20C seems unlikely.
Well that's the lowest temp Lishen claims the 202ah cell can be charged at. The only cell I know of that can be charged at sub freezing temps without damage is the Winston cells..... if one wants to believe their claims.
 
Well that's the lowest temp Lishen claims the 202ah cell can be charged at. The only cell I know of that can be charged at sub freezing temps without damage is the Winston cells..... if one wants to believe their claims.

As I recall, Winston gets that rating due to the Yttrium component. Regular LiFePO4 doesn't get that additive.
 
As I recall, Winston gets that rating due to the Yttrium component. Regular LiFePO4 doesn't get that additive.
Yes that's true. My valence batteries are special too because of the magnesium component. :p

It's possible Winstons claims are true due to the Yttrium. Just out of curiosity I would like to see an independent test done charging one of the cells at -45C.
 
On cycle life:
I personally don't pay too much attention to cycle life claims (not because they are not important, but because I'm not confident in them being comparable between manufacturers). Some very reputable companies (including CALB which is known for conservative ratings) state cycle life of >2000. CALB CA and SE are rated for >2000 cycles, Frey (rebranded as Fortune and Overkill Solar in the US) state >2500, Sinopoly states >2000, ETC states >2000 cycles for their newest iteration, and if you recall EVE states 2500 cycles without compression. On the other hand you have examples like Lishen, CATL, EVE with compression and CALB L series, at >3500 or so (>4000 in the case of the newly released CALB cells).

Points being (1) >2000 is actually not out of the norm, resellers often overstate cycle life claims, (2) personally, because its hard to tell what are legitimate and real differences in lifespan, what are differences in how conservatively or how 'optimistically' a manufacturer rates their cells, and what small or large differences there are in test conditions, I tend to not focus on stated cycle life too much. This is just my 2c and could just be ignorance on my part, its hard to say. A spec that takes years to decades to test is had to verify. :)

On Starmax and REPT Ruipu,
Never heard of either, I'm skeptical of the latter, but then that's my natural state of being (so thats not surprising), more so with Chinese companies claiming to be "manufacturers" let us know what you find out.
 
I've been talking with them (Shenzhen Starmax/Enya) for a while. I'll likely get a batch to try them out.

With regards to the cells, here is what it looks like: We've entered the age of LFP "IP as a license". Think ARM and their business model. Happens in pharmaceuticals all the time. R&D lab produces a solid product, then they license the rights to produce their IP as hardware. That's very likely what's happening here. Anyone else notice how similar they all are? ETC, Lishen, EVE, Ruipu?

At this point it's down to QC. Which of those companies considers what A grade? And how do they price the various grades they produce? Only time and testing will tell.
 
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Attached is the datasheet for the 280AH from REPT.

Edit: In my haste, I didn't realize it was already posted at the top of the thread.
 

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  • 71173200-280Ah产品规格书(铁锂).pdf
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Last edited:
I've been talking with them (Shenzhen Starmax/Enya) for a while. I'll likely get a batch to try them out.

With regards to the cells, here is what it looks like: We've entered the age of LFP "IP as a license". Think ARM and their business model. Happens in pharmaceuticals all the time. R&D lab produces a solid product, then they license the rights to produce their IP as hardware. That's very likely what's happening here. Anyone else notice how similar they all are? ETC, Lishen, EVE, Ruipu?
This is something I've pondered for a while (such slight differences between the aluminum commodity cells--with the exception of Frey and maybe a couple others). On the other hand I've seen no actual evidence of this, have you? If this were to be the case who is the IP holder?


At this point it's down to QC. Which of those companies considers what A grade? And how do they price the various grades they produce? Only time and testing will tell.
Are you buying (or planning to buy) from the manufacturers or through official distribution channels? If you are buying through the grey market sellers like most here, that adds a whole 'nother large layer of complexity and opacity.
 
This is something I've pondered for a while (such slight differences between the aluminum commodity cells--with the exception of Frey and maybe a couple others). On the other hand I've seen no actual evidence of this, have you? If this were to be the case who is the IP holder?
Exactly. No proof on my end, just too many "coincidences" with regards to the size of the cells and the rated cycles at 1C etc. Identifing the IP holder would resolve quite a bit.

Are you buying (or planning to buy) from the manufacturers or through official distribution channels? If you are buying through the grey market sellers like most here, that adds a whole 'nother large layer of complexity and opacity.

If you're talking about me, I'm just buying on the market ATM. If I felt I could move the quantities that one of these manufacturers would be interested in, I would go straight to the source. For example, I'm currently talking with DEYE directly about buying inverters. Apparently they have sizes (up to 12KW split-phase, same as SOL-ARK) that the none of wholesalers I have spoken with offer or carry. I have a suspicion it's a company policy at Deye but I could be wrong.
 
I have been shopping on Alibaba and since asking for the first quote for cells have been inundated with other quotes. One came from Shenzhen Starmax Energy Technology Co; I have been chatting with Enya Shao. She quoted me for 8 pieces of 280ah at $735 and 230ah at $649 to N. California. The manufacturer is Ruipu Energy Co., Ltd. but the website is chinarept.com and is also mentioned as REPT Energy Co., Ltd. If you click Products it will take you to the page where the LiFePO4 cells are listed. I've attached the spec sheet for the 280AH cells that Enya sent me and a picture of the 230AH cells (The 230AH have welded studs).

I searched the forums for any mention of any of these companies and came up empty. Can anyone give feedback or more info? The prices seem great. I am not able to find out much else.

Thanks!
Did you later pull the trigger on this?.
How are the cells?.
Am considering the 271ah or 310ah CATL cells
 
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