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Ordered 8x272ah Lishen Cells from Amy at Shenzhen Luyuan

Unfortunately, my 16 Lishen 272 cells from Luyuan have been sitting in Long Beach, CA since Feb 1st (shipped out of China late last year). They had supposedly cleared customs at that time, but FedEx has yet to pick them up. I mention this just in case others have also been waiting.
 
Seems like prices are going up - Amy quoting me $115 per cell. That is quite a big jump from $78 - almost 50% increase
 
Depends on your requirements.

Yes, if you want to archieve the best capacity / dimensions.

No, for me... I'm happy to have 'only' 265Ah or so in worst case instead of the rated 280Ah due to not fully matched cells).

I'm not willing to pay +50% for +<10% more capacity.

If you're continuously pulling high currents, matched cells might be an better option, unmatched cells have more impact on the actual usage capacity, but for 'low' loads, in my opinion it's not worth the price difference
 
Unfortunately, my 16 Lishen 272 cells from Luyuan have been sitting in Long Beach, CA since Feb 1st (shipped out of China late last year). They had supposedly cleared customs at that time, but FedEx has yet to pick them up. I mention this just in case others have also been waiting.
Update (after Chinese New Year shutdown) : I was told that there had been a container fire, and that the cargo needs to be inspected and re-packaged. It has already been 67 days since I paid for the batteries. Looks like I'll be waiting another 3-4 weeks.
I am reminded of something I was once told : "If you pray for patience, then you will be given many opportunities to practice it"
 
The matched cells will perform better & more closely together throughout their operational range, they will also deviate less between each other allowing for a more full charge without having a runner clobber the top side or a weakling hit LVD before the others. Yes, it does mean there is a capacity gain but better manageability with the BMS etc as well.

The bulk cells do wander & deviate more and runners always appear at the top & bottom of the voltage curves. This is a good deal, typically if a 3rd party does such matching it will add 50% of the cell cost on top, Luyuan has a Direct Supply Contract with EVE and others who do this at the factory for Batch Lots, Luyuan no longer sources cells from Battery Brokers.
 
Accurate as swiss watch - 45days sharp and got them @LV. Can't await giving a proper try.-fs87sq.jpg
 
Accurate as swiss watch - 45days sharp and got them @LV. Can't await giving a proper try.
Shipping was quick, but the quality ... questionable. Threads at angle/studs not going in direct :( - as few others have pointed out already on different suppliers

Amy promised to include a thread check in the future QC process. If there is an option, ask for laser welded
 

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Seems like a fairly large batch of these Lishen Cells got buggered up threads and Luyuan is not the only vendor that got these either as some have reported cells from Basen and a couple of other vendors have the same issue. I only bought EVE cells from the older stock of Bulk/Commodity cells and just received some of the new versions with studs and never encountered such an issue.

IF POSSIBLE try to get cells with laser welded studs which are pretty much impossible to mess up with.

My "Suspicion" is that these Lishen cells came from a Battery Broker. They get cells that are edge case grade cells and B-Grade's but they also get overstock or old stock as well as damaged cells. IMO, These Lishens were likely prepared for a large client and when the screw up was discovered they were dumped to a Broker or two as that would not make any commercial spec at all.

Normally LFP cells will leave a factory with Blank Contacts as different buyers have varying requirements, some may want Laser Welded studs, others would want to Drill & Tap threads for screws/bolts while others would match & batch cells and laser weld busbars and a factory generally won't do such unless it's a "significant" order.

Few options to fix such a defect.
- Redrill the holes straight & Tap in threads, possibly M8. This is a bit tricky but doable with serious patience and care with the right equipment.
- Laser Weld studs over the holes (most likely best option) but cannot be done DIY !
- Install a stud with LocTite or JBW to secure it and then try to "bend" the stud so it sits at 45°.
* Might be easier to put a stud in the hole, mark the tread where it comes to the surface, then extract the stud and put nuts over the area that goes into the cell and then bend the stud while using nuts to protect the thread with just 1-2mm where the bolt will be bent. Would have to mark the line which would go up out of the cell when it is screwed into the hole so that it aligns upright when installed into the cell.

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This would certainly require a few practice pieces to make sure the alignment works.
Each cell would have to be done separately because orientations will vary from hole to hole.




Quite a quandary to work out.
 
Thank You Steve for such a thoughtful reply! I guess, eventually I will go with the redrill&tap M8 option ... just a little harder to get to a friends with decent drill press.

I wonder, how bad is it to use as is for the time being? Will be causing extra stress&strain to the thread and wear out faster (=need to redrill anyways); bus bars not getting symetric/full pressure from the nut (though I'm in static installation and not going above 0.25C level with everything on); anything else?
 
Shipping was quick, but the quality ... questionable. Threads at angle/studs not going in direct :( - as few others have pointed out already on different suppliers

Amy promised to include a thread check in the future QC process. If there is an option, ask for laser welded
not good man no excuse for this one
 
Update (after Chinese New Year shutdown) : I was told that there had been a container fire, and that the cargo needs to be inspected and re-packaged. It has already been 67 days since I paid for the batteries. Looks like I'll be waiting another 3-4 weeks.
I am reminded of something I was once told : "If you pray for patience, then you will be given many opportunities to practice it"
Another update : I do not have the batteries yet, but I just got the automated Alibaba email that gets sent out 60 days after the (sea) shipment started. Not very efficient on the part of Alibaba Trade Assurance to list the shipment as complete, without checking the FedEx tracking number to see if the boxes have even been picked up, yet. They could have at least sent an early-warning email that time is running out.
"We acknowledge that you are satisfied with the shipping information for the Trade Assurance Order nnnnnnnnnnnnnn (as you neither confirm the shipment nor request a refund within the given time period). Now we suppose the goods shipment has been completed, and the supplier’s Assurance Amount of xxxx.xx for this order has been unfrozen."
 
Cinergy just put up a Video Resource on retapping cells which shows how screwy studs could be fixed.
It does not deal with "Angled" stud holes which would more than likely require stepping up to a 5/16-M8 bolt but that is simply a guess as it depends on how much angle there is to correct.

Link Here:
 
Another update : I do not have the batteries yet, but I just got the automated Alibaba email that gets sent out 60 days after the (sea) shipment started. Not very efficient on the part of Alibaba Trade Assurance to list the shipment as complete, without checking the FedEx tracking number to see if the boxes have even been picked up, yet. They could have at least sent an early-warning email that time is running out.
"We acknowledge that you are satisfied with the shipping information for the Trade Assurance Order nnnnnnnnnnnnnn (as you neither confirm the shipment nor request a refund within the given time period). Now we suppose the goods shipment has been completed, and the supplier’s Assurance Amount of xxxx.xx for this order has been unfrozen."
Update (a cautionary tale) : from the other threads, it looks like I was not the only victim of the container fire incident in Dec/Jan. Most of the cells arrived 3 months after payment (not a complaint), but whoever did the repackaging in California was a complete moron. They taped 1" foam pads to each block of 2 cells, then put them in an empty (original?) box that had 3 times the volume of this jury-rigged 24-pound "cube". It must not have taken long for the tape to break (or the batteries to slip out) and let the cells float freely within the box. As a result, most of my cells had crush damage, severe dents (some with jagged metal), and some even had scorch marks and pitting from shorting against one another. One of the boxes had a gaping hole, and a cell was missing. The last of the boxes arrived two weeks later. Of the cells ordered, half were usable (and I think I am taking a risk with some of these). The refund offer was 33% of the original price. I decided to accept it, because "something" is better than "nothing".
The container fire was out of Amy's control, as were the delays in the port of Long Beach. She was also very responsive throughout the ordeal, and I'm pretty sure that she is actually a nice person. That being said, any seller has to bear some responsibility for their choice of logistics companies, and any subsequent lack of care.
 
I wouldn't have accepted the loss. Don't take this wrong , but, does that kind of money have so little value it isn't worth the fight?
I've spent almost 9k on batteries. I didn't order damages goods. Therefore , seller needs to make whole. This isn't a charity that we have going. Everyone that lets the Chinese sellers off the hook , sets presidance for them to do it again.
No , I'm not being racist here. That goes for all sellers, but this Alibaba cra is getting worse. He'll , just think about the name .
I have the same problem importing fireworks. Quality is great , the next year they send cra and say , so sorry. We do better on next 10 containers. They do , for 1 or 2 shipments , then same game. Now we fly to China for spit checks.

Sorry , rant over.
 
I hear what you are saying. I went into this thinking that Alibaba is some fly-by-night "crap from China" company, but I thought I'd take a gamble anyway. I guess I wasn't far off the mark, because the (non optional) Alibaba Trade Assurance I paid for wasn't worth it.
 
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