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Old 21-09-2016, 04:54   #1
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Firefly Oasis Carbon Foam AGM Batteries

I am just about to pull the trigger on my solar install and I need to replace my 4 Exide Nautilus 31MDC Deep Cycle with something better.

I have been told that the Firefly Oasis Carbon Foam AGM Batteries are the ultimate upgrade for people that don't want to change all their charging sources to convert to LiFePO4.

They claim you can discharge them 100% without damage to the batteries. They also claim it can be recharged faster.

It almost sounds too good to be true but I did some digging and they seem legit.

Firefly Oasis Battery - Carbon Foam AGM

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Old 21-09-2016, 05:02   #2
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Re: Firefly Oasis Carbon Foam AGM Batteries

There are a few threads here -- or maybe on trawlerforum.com (sister site) -- about Firefly batteries. One of those is an after-one-year review...

Search Firefly...



As far as I know, Bruce is still a member on both forums...


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Old 21-09-2016, 05:36   #3
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Re: Firefly Oasis Carbon Foam AGM Batteries

According to their website, they are the best AGMs you can buy. They are also priced as such.

It's pretty common for manufacturers to claim that their product is better than everyone else's product. I'm not sure I'm ready to pay the premium for these batteries without proof that they meet the claims. Proof from other than the manufacturer.


Also, how available are they? Can you buy them locally or do you have to have them shipped? And what about warranty exchanges?


My AGMs are from Sears. There's one or more in every town so they are easy and quick to buy. I am open to improvements if they are really improvements.
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Old 21-09-2016, 05:49   #4
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Re: Firefly Oasis Carbon Foam AGM Batteries

Quote:
Originally Posted by ranger42c View Post
There are a few threads here -- or maybe on trawlerforum.com (sister site) -- about Firefly batteries. One of those is an after-one-year review...
-Chris
Found it!

Carbon Foam Batteries 1 Year Later - Trawler Forum

This post is excellent:
http://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s...1&postcount=32
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Old 21-09-2016, 05:51   #5
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Re: Firefly Oasis Carbon Foam AGM Batteries

I think Nigel Calder's testimonial sums up what is unknow about these batteries perfectly. More data needed...


http://fireflyenergy.com/wp-content/...ne_article.pdf

Testimonial:
“In preliminary testing I worked the Firefly batteries hard in a real-world (onboard, while cruising off the west coast of Scotland) partial state of charge operation. The goal was to minimize engine run times and optimize electrical system performance in an ‘off-the-grid’ situation with limited recharging opportunities. The kind of operating regime I followed spells death for most lead-acid batteries. In contrast, after two months of intensive cycling the Firefly batteries tested out with 100% of the capacity with which they started. These are encouraging results which, if substantiated over longer periods of time, represent a ‘game changer’ in terms of lead-acid technology and boat electrical systems design. I look forward to collecting more data.” – Nigel


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Old 21-09-2016, 05:52   #6
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Re: Firefly Oasis Carbon Foam AGM Batteries

Ps I'm hoping they are ground breaking...


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Old 21-09-2016, 07:04   #7
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Re: Firefly Oasis Carbon Foam AGM Batteries

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Originally Posted by epiic View Post

CMS (there) posts as MaineSail here. Search on those for useful threads on a whole bunch of stuff, and his Compass Marine website is also excellent.

-Chris
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Old 21-09-2016, 08:14   #8
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Re: Firefly Oasis Carbon Foam AGM Batteries

I bit the bullet on them myself. So far so good. then again, only been a few months!

I have killed more batteries due to sulfation and poor battery charging.

The Practical Sailor article on them, and other sites, convinced me that this would give me a fighting chance. From what I understand, they have been around a while, however, it is just recently making it's way to the recreational market.

This winter, I will do a maintenance charge and do a capacity test to see if they survived my real life torture test.
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Old 21-09-2016, 08:28   #9
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Re: Firefly Oasis Carbon Foam AGM Batteries

I put 5 on the boat last winter and so far so good. We never used more than 25 % of total capacity (according to link 10). We have 3 refrigeration units and about 550 watts of solar. Batteries came up very quickly.
We will see this year
Ps you can air freight them
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Old 21-09-2016, 11:43   #10
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Re: Firefly Oasis Carbon Foam AGM Batteries

Excellent!

I am adding 5 Solara 140w (700w total) Ultra-S solar panels to my boat next month and I have been searching for batteries to replace my original lead acids.

I only have space for 4 of them but I will see if I can free up some space for more.
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Old 21-09-2016, 15:47   #11
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Re: Firefly Oasis Carbon Foam AGM Batteries

Epiic, thanks mate for the links and finding these..a bit on the pricey side...keep us posted as to your real world usage. I think Nigel is a man I have always admired and trusted. It that is what he is saying...what more needs to be said?
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Old 21-09-2016, 16:27   #12
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Re: Firefly Oasis Carbon Foam AGM Batteries

I decided against them due to (1) no charge acceptance rate improvement over my presently installed AGMs (2) the presumed ability to handle PSOC (partial state of charge cycling) better is of no value since we fully recharge every 7-10 days as dictated by the manufacturer for long life. This is all too easily achieved by active boater given typical sailing/motoring ratios. And if you read the Practical Sailor article carefully, their test cases represent a level of extreme abuse not likely to be seen by anyone who cares enough about batteries to research them. my 2 cents.


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Old 21-09-2016, 17:32   #13
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Re: Firefly Oasis Carbon Foam AGM Batteries

Quote:
Originally Posted by rwidman View Post
According to their website, they are the best AGMs you can buy. They are also priced as such.

It's pretty common for manufacturers to claim that their product is better than everyone else's product. I'm not sure I'm ready to pay the premium for these batteries without proof that they meet the claims. Proof from other than the manufacturer.


Also, how available are they? Can you buy them locally or do you have to have them shipped? And what about warranty exchanges?


My AGMs are from Sears. There's one or more in every town so they are easy and quick to buy. I am open to improvements if they are really improvements.

I acquired one for my 2007 Chevrolet Silverado. Just replaced it yesterday. Had it for a 19 months. I replaced it with an original Delco. I do not think that I will ever go with an AGM again. Did not last and the cost was more that regular battery.
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Old 21-09-2016, 17:44   #14
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Re: Firefly Oasis Carbon Foam AGM Batteries

"....for people that don't want to change all their charging sources to convert to LiFePO4."

I don't want to hijack this thread for lithiums, but I think it worth a very short rebuttal of the above statement. All I am saying is, don't assume you necessarily have to change anything in the supply side of your power just because you fit lithiums. I replaced my AGMs with LiFeP04 batteries a couple of years ago and I didn't have to make any changes at all to the charging sources (alternator and solars) or their regulators, just plug-and-play. Maybe that's because I bought lithiums already made up in 12V blocks, with their own regulators, and I am not pushing my electrical system to its limits.
Good luck with the carbon foam batteries.
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Old 21-09-2016, 17:48   #15
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Re: Firefly Oasis Carbon Foam AGM Batteries

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Also, how available are they? .
we are selling them faster then we can source them. so they are not too available... we buy them by the pallet. put 8 in one boat last week.
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