AGM battery brands

[Simi 60]

At some stage in the future our cheap 8 X 220ah "Yum Cha" battery bank will die so am sniffing around at what is available.
I doubt I'd be buying from the below company, it's just to give an idea.


Many say Fullriver are great but at $1000 each they'd have to be better than great.
https://www.springers.com.au/shop/pr...m-battery-9881

They also have these Fullriver 260ah for less coin?
Why? Pretty blue more expensive than drab grey?
https://www.springers.com.au/shop/pr...m-battery-9927

But what about Victron? I would have thought they'd be the better brand?
And $677 is appealing. ($736 for 240ah)

https://www.springers.com.au/shop/pr...cycle-agm-3409

Thoughts?



Not after a lithium vs AGM vs lead discussion in this post
And it's Australia based, so freight is high, pointless pointing to cheap US Costco buys

[rslifkin]

For the Fullrivers, the DC series are a heavier duty deep cycle than the HGL. I've got a pair of the DC400-6 in my house bank, but they're apparently quite a bit cheaper in the US than what you're finding.

[BillKny]

Consider Firefly AGM.

We replaced our old Lifelines with Firefly and consider it a significant upgrade. Of course, time will tell, but over the first 8 months of full time cruising use, full draw down capacity tests show they have about 5% MORE capacity then when new. So the trend is good!

[Pegu Club]

Originally Posted by BillKny

Consider Firefly AGM.

We replaced our old Lifelines with Firefly and consider it a significant upgrade. Of course, time will tell, but over the first 8 months of full time cruising use, full draw down capacity tests show they have about 5% MORE capacity then when new. So the trend is good!

This^^^

We have had two Firefly group 31s, now going into year four, they have been as advertised for us, they are essentially plug and play, we charge them with two 100 watt Renergy solar panels each with there own MPPT controllers, that and when we motor. They are pretty much the poor mans lithium batteries as I like to say.

Fair winds,

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by Simi 60

At some stage in the future our cheap 8 X 220ah "Yum Cha" battery bank will die so am sniffing around at what is available.
I doubt I'd be buying from the below company, it's just to give an idea.


Many say Fullriver are great but at $1000 each they'd have to be better than great.
https://www.springers.com.au/shop/pr...m-battery-9881

They also have these Fullriver 260ah for less coin?
Why? Pretty blue more expensive than drab grey?
https://www.springers.com.au/shop/pr...m-battery-9927

But what about Victron? I would have thought they'd be the better brand?
And $677 is appealing. ($736 for 240ah)

https://www.springers.com.au/shop/pr...cycle-agm-3409

Thoughts?



Not after a lithium vs AGM vs lead discussion in this post
And it's Australia based, so freight is high, pointless pointing to cheap US Costco buys

A mate is having the same conversation. We looked at what was available in Tassie and spoke with a shipload of suppliers.

All the sales guys gave us a lot of dubious information but we finally found one who knew his stuff and I believe he gave us the inside story i.e. what goes inside the battery determines the quality but the is a law of diminishing returns. Also manufacturers tweak the insides and don't always make it clear what they have done. It they make it cheaper (i.e. poorer), they keep quiet but if they make it a bit better, they change the model number (slightly), maybe add an extra letter to the model designator.

In short, Lifelines and Odyssey were the best but twice the price of the next best without being twice as good (lifetime span wise). Of course it depends on your usage profiles, available charging profiles and where you expect to be be when they finally die.

Entry level (budget) batteries will be short lived, no denying it. In the end, he choose Century deep cycle AGMs as best bang for his buck. Decent quality and good support if they fail under warranty and the expected life matches his requirements. They were about 50% of the Lifeline dollars.

The shop (Every Battery) was a Aussie chain but I think it depends somewhat on the Franchisee in question.

[Simi 60]

Originally Posted by BillKny

Consider Firefly AGM.

Australia

Firefly not a realistic option

Originally Posted by Pegu Club

This^^^

We have had two Firefly group 31s, now going into year four,,

And my cheap tba brand battery bank is well into year 5.

[Simi 60]

Originally Posted by rslifkin

For the Fullrivers, the DC series are a heavier duty deep cycle than the HGL. .

Thanks for that.

Still eager to hear anyone's thoughts on the Victron set I linked to

[Bunji]

Where using Delkor, whilst not expecting to get Full River life expectancy there performing well, would go firefly but not available in australia

[Simi 60]

Originally Posted by Wotname

A mate is having the same conversation.

Entry level (budget) batteries will be short lived, no denying it. In the end, he choose Century deep cycle AGMs as best bang for his buck. Decent quality and good support if they fail under warranty and the expected life matches his requirements. They were about 50% of the Lifeline dollars.

The shop (Every Battery) was a Aussie chain but I think it depends somewhat on the Franchisee in question.

Thanks and similar conversation had with Bainbridge when we got ours.

[Nicholson58]

One Lifeline bank lasted six years. The other is still alive at eleven. Replaced the dead set with Firefly, now three years old. Seems like a big improvement.

660 watts solar, meets daily demand mostly. Generator twice weekly depending on weather. Occasionally you must pound them hard to restore the original performance.

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by Simi 60

Thanks for that.

Still eager to hear anyone's thoughts on the Victron set I linked to

I just installed the Victron 220ah you linked to. They replaced my 11 year old Rolls-Surrette AGMs. I chose the Victrons primarily because they were available at a decent price. I did have Victron AGMs in a previous boat and they were decent.

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by Simi 60

Thanks for that.

Still eager to hear anyone's thoughts on the Victron set I linked to

I was told they are very decent batteries by a Victron reseller but he also suggested they were 'overpriced'. i.e. you could buy just as good without the Victron label. He had already supplied us with a bunch of Victron hardware but suggested to look at other batteries if we wanted to be cost effective. But if we wanted them, he would supply!

You gotta listen when you hear that from a authorised reseller. I won't name the reseller for obvious reasons.

[Tx J]

Check out the Leoch Battery brand, they design and produce batteries of every type for most of the market segments. They claim to be China's largest battery exporter, so they may also produce many other brand labels. Leoch has plants in various SE Asian countries and has a worldwide sales and distribution network, so you should be able to find them around Oz.

Leoch makes a huge number of different battery types and series for every purpose.
Explore their website to find the most suitable battery for your usage, size, terminal config, etc.
Unlike many brands, you can find very detailed specifications, graphs, and info for each battery [like the top more well-known brands].
They even make a series of 12V LiFePO4 in a size range to 200Ah (no idea about the BMS used). Example 200Ah pdf, specs/graphs:
http://www.leoch.com/pdf/reserve-pow...3.0-202004.pdf

12V LFeLi Battery-Lithium-Iron Phosphate battery,Lithium Ion Batteries Lithium-ion Battery, Lithium Ion Batteries


I've been using four Leoch 12V/100Ah AGMs (series 48Vnom) in a lawn tractor for over two years and have had no problems in a hot climate. They seem to still perform like new. (model LPC12-100) They stay plugged into a special charger when not in use, and I baby them, rarely go past 30-40% DoD.


Leoch Battery:
Welcome to LEOCH Lead Acid Battery, VRLA battery, UPS Battery, Motorcycle Battery, Car Battery, Golf Cart Battery,Gel Battery

Global Network-Welcome to LEOCH Lead Acid Battery, VRLA battery, UPS Battery, Motorcycle Battery, Car Battery, Golf Cart Battery,Gel Battery

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by Paul L

I just installed the Victron 220ah you linked to. They replaced my 11 year old Rolls-Surrette AGMs. I chose the Victrons primarily because they were available at a decent price. I did have Victron AGMs in a previous boat and they were decent.

The Victrons are manufactured in Vietnam, if that makes any difference to you.

[Simi 60]

Originally Posted by Paul L

The Victrons are manufactured in Vietnam, if that makes any difference to you.

Makes zero differencee to me at all
As long as they work as expected/advertised and the price is right I am good.

Thanks.