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diy solar

Would you opt for a miniature LiFePO4 pouch cell over a standard LiFePO4 prismatic battery?

cs1234 said:
Not being a jerk or anything, how do you know it's the lowest price on Amazon? I find Amazon's search features to be absolutely horrific, but maybe I'm missing something.
Click to expand...

I use this for a search "+12v+100ah+lifepo4+battery" , get decent result after sorting by price.
 
For me, a compelling use case is landscape ligthing and little things around the yard that need a little bit of power. A camera that draws 10-15W that I could just hook up to a 100W panel and battery rather than having to deal with running power out to it as an example.
 
Solar Guppy said:
I use this for a search "+12v+100ah+lifepo4+battery" , get decent result after sorting by price.
Click to expand...

I tried that, got a bunch of junk, but then told it only $200 plus and I found this beauty.. $205 with free shipping.


 
cs1234 said:
I tried that, got a bunch of junk, but then told it only $200 plus and I found this beauty.. $205 with free shipping.


Click to expand...
When looking at the very cheap I get worried you are going to get something with a bunch of fake cells etc that can deliver power but for a very limited time etc.
 
MartinBe said:
Alright, I'm currently in the market for a 100AH battery that's both affordable and reliable. I've come across some positive reviews and even watched a few videos where Will mentions that these batteries are essentially clones but exceptionally well-made and perform quite decently. However, I'd like to avoid getting into a debate about this.

I'm at a point where I need to make a decision, and if both versions offer similar performance and safety, I'm willing to invest an extra $20 to go with the mini version. My concern is that the mini version is relatively new, only around for about a year or so, and I haven't come across many long-term user reviews yet. Furthermore, I have concerns about the safety of the mini version, particularly regarding the potential for overheating, burning, or even exploding.

So, I'm curious to know if anyone has any personal experiences or stories to share about the mini version that might sway my decision away from the prismatic version.

Here are the links for reference:
Mini Version:
Link to the Mini Version
Prismatic version:
Link to the Prismatic version
Click to expand...
Whichever option you go with if you are ordering soon then I'd suggest the Redodos from Amazon as the mini is at $299 with 10% coupon on top.

I also had concerns about the pouch designs being more prone to some kind of disaster but after doing some reading it seems the only real risk is if the cells are physically penetrated. Which would require some kind of car crash or very violent impact as the casing is pretty solid. And even then it isn't going to do a runaway fire like a lithium ion pouch cell could do if overcharged etc.
 
cs1234 said:
Hmmm.. I was digging around some more for giggles..

Same brand has a mini with bluetooth for $289.99. Has a $40 coupon, but they threw $40 of shipping on there. Still, unlike the other mini brands, it has bluetooth monitoring.
Click to expand...
Yeap once I got Bluetooth in my batteries I'll never go without that again.

Regarding pouch cells DeWalt is using them in the power stack batteries and they do achieve an impressive power density versus the 18650s and 21700s
 
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SupraSPL said:
Yeap once I got Bluetooth in my batteries I'll never go without that again.

Regarding pouch cells DeWalt is using them in the power stack batteries and they do achieve an amazing power density versus the 18650s and 21700s
Click to expand...
Yeah, but the manly men using DeWalt tools can handle their tools bursting into flames and keep on going without slowing down. :ROFLMAO:
 
cs1234 said:
Yeah, but the manly men using DeWalt tools can handle their tools bursting into flames and keep on going without slowing down. :ROFLMAO:
Click to expand...
Well when they pee themselves when they see the flames flickering at their feet it's a self extinguishing system. Prob totally "UL approved".

FfgckieWIAAcRGj.jpg_large.jpg
 
SupraSPL said:
Yeap once I got Bluetooth in my batteries I'll never go without that again.

Regarding pouch cells DeWalt is using them in the power stack batteries and they do achieve an amazing power density versus the 18650s and 21700s
Click to expand...
There's not a huge difference in capacity but there is in total power output. I have a Stihl AP500S battery that uses ten stacked pouches, it has a capacity of 337Wh, 4lbs. The 21700 based AP300S has 288Wh, 3.8 lbs. So 20% bump in capacity.

Max output in the msa 300 battery chainsaw is 3kW versus I think 2.2kW with the ap300s

But the ap500 is rated for 2500 cycles versus half that for ap300s. Ap500s also has Bluetooth to track runtime for the day and lifetime, charge level, location tracking etc.
 
Brucey said:
ax output in the msa 300 battery chainsaw is 3kW versus I think 2.2kW with the ap300s

But the ap500 is rated for 2500 cycles versus half that for ap300s. Ap500s also has Bluetooth to track runtime for the day and lifetime, charge level, location tracking etc.
Click to expand...
Well that is quite frankly bad ass! I use the ego 56V and for homeowner use it is amazing but 2000W+ 2500 cycles and bluetooth never hurts! 2500 cycles implies lifepo4?
 
Last edited:
SupraSPL said:
Well that is quite frankly bad ass! I use the ego 56V and for homeowner use it is amazing but 2000W+ 2500 cycles and bluetooth never hurts! 2500 cycles implies lifepo4?
Click to expand...
Stihl never explains it, just referring to it as "power laminate" tech. I'm guessing it's still NCM li ion as it's 20% more capacity than the 21700 ap300s in the same physical form factor. But with the pouch style and bigger tabs maybe that's good enough for the doubling of cycles.
 
MartinBe said:
Alright, I'm currently in the market for a 100AH battery that's both affordable and reliable. I've come across some positive reviews and even watched a few videos where Will mentions that these batteries are essentially clones but exceptionally well-made and perform quite decently. However, I'd like to avoid getting into a debate about this.

I'm at a point where I need to make a decision, and if both versions offer similar performance and safety, I'm willing to invest an extra $20 to go with the mini version. My concern is that the mini version is relatively new, only around for about a year or so, and I haven't come across many long-term user reviews yet. Furthermore, I have concerns about the safety of the mini version, particularly regarding the potential for overheating, burning, or even exploding.

So, I'm curious to know if anyone has any personal experiences or stories to share about the mini version that might sway my decision away from the prismatic version.

Here are the links for reference:
Mini Version:
Link to the Mini Version
Prismatic version:
Link to the Prismatic version
Click to expand...

IMO, if you’re intending to use the battery in a mobile situation where there are a lot of bumps and vibrations, a bigger dimensioned battery with prismatic cells and plenty of foam as “filler” (which doubles as cushioning) is a better fit. But in a stationary situation, smaller might be better especially in tight spaces. But most of the tight spaces seem to be in vans and RVs and boats, all high vibration environments.
 
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