Long time lurker, first time poster.

 

I'm fairly new to the sport but I've heard enough about lead acid batteries to know that I don't want to be out on the water depending on them to get me through the day powering a fish finder and trolling motor.  I've heard good things about MillerTech batteries from some friends.  Anyone have these and can weigh in?

 

From what I have seen on some other forums, they are true Grade A lithium batteries made in Amish country.  I don't want the fake junk from Amazon.  I've also looked at a few other brands but keep coming back to these.  Thanks in advance.

Never heard of them myself.  But they have a customer service number.  I'd give them a call and find out.  If they're willing to spend some time with you on the phone, and talk you through your questions, my guess is they have a decent chance of standing behind their product if something goes awry.  And when it comes to lithium batteries, that's what you're paying for.  All of the cells are going to be made in China.  And I'm betting the BMS boards are too.  Grade A, grade B, grade ZZ, all that is just marketing spit.  There's no governing authority that regulates what constitutes a grade A.  It's entirely possible that you get the same internal parts from an Amazon battery that you would from this company for 1/3rd the price.  There are very, very few companies that actually make these parts, after all.  Then again, the cheap Amazon one might be made out of used or rejected cells.  

 

So yeah, you're not necessarily paying more for a better battery.  You're paying more for a better company.  Because I doubt many, if any, of those Amazon companies will be there to answer your phone call or honor a warranty.  And a decent company might actually do some testing before sending the batteries out, to save you the hassle of every having to deal with a warranty claim.  

So yeah, give them a call.  Find out from the horse's mouth.  

https://www.youtube.com/c/WillProwse

 

This guy tears apart, inspects and reviews lithium batteries, including the cheap Amazon ones (some of which are very good). I highly recommend this guy he knows his stuff.

 

No I'm not affiliated with him at all but I have recommended his channel several times here.

21 hours ago, Bankc said:

Never heard of them myself.  But they have a customer service number.  I'd give them a call and find out.  If they're willing to spend some time with you on the phone, and talk you through your questions, my guess is they have a decent chance of standing behind their product if something goes awry.  And when it comes to lithium batteries, that's what you're paying for.  All of the cells are going to be made in China.  And I'm betting the BMS boards are too.  Grade A, grade B, grade ZZ, all that is just marketing spit.  There's no governing authority that regulates what constitutes a grade A.  It's entirely possible that you get the same internal parts from an Amazon battery that you would from this company for 1/3rd the price.  There are very, very few companies that actually make these parts, after all.  Then again, the cheap Amazon one might be made out of used or rejected cells.  

 

So yeah, you're not necessarily paying more for a better battery.  You're paying more for a better company.  Because I doubt many, if any, of those Amazon companies will be there to answer your phone call or honor a warranty.  And a decent company might actually do some testing before sending the batteries out, to save you the hassle of every having to deal with a warranty claim.  

So yeah, give them a call.  Find out from the horse's mouth.  

 

Thanks, I agree with everything on there excepting the cell grading.  That is a big deal for me.

 

I will call them and see what they have to say.  Thanks!

OK, just wanted to report back.  I talked to Jason at LDSreliance.  He dang near answered on the first ring, which shocked me.  Turns out he also has a Youtube channel and is somewhat of a battery and solar expert or something.  Anyways, he was nice enough to talk to me for about 45 minutes about my boat and needs and issues.  He even looked up the specs of my Lowrance Elite to make sure I will have enough juice for it as well as the trolling motor.  

 

He also sells some other batteries that have Bluetooth that I am considering, but I digress.  I can't vouch for the batteries but the dude was helpful and knowledgeable and I didn't have to wait until 3am for an email from China with a bad English translation.  I'll never buy something like this from Amazon again.

 

Thanks for the help all!  I'd still love to hear from anyone that actually has or knows someone that has these MillerTech batteries if there is anyone on this board that sees this.  I did a search but didn't turn anything up.

I have a Miller Battery 12 V 33 AH for my Garmin 106 only.  I have not been impressed with the battery.  Last time I went out I had forgot to charge the battery from the day before and my unit shut off after a few hours.  I thought I could get more than 10 hours or so of run time.  I would not purchase the battery again.  

No offense, but that isn't really a knock on the battery or the brand.  A 12.8V 33Ah LFP battery has 422.4 Watt hours of power in the perfect world.  The Garmin 106 will draw about 3A continuously or about 40W.  So that is right about 10 hours in real world conditions.

 

Anyone have any experience with the company itself?  Not their resellers but the manufacturer, MillerTech.  I think they are out of Ohio.

I have no experience with Miller Tech but did look at their web site and was somewhat impressed.   They use cylindrical cell which is good.  I don’t think they are made in Amish country unless there are Amish in China.  Their web site says:

 

”When creating our Millertech brand in 2015, we soon realized how easy it is to buy a lithium battery from China. But finding one that could meet our requirements was not so easy, which is why we created our own specific spec sheet that states every component that we require to be used in building our batteries. We use only Grade A cells from the top 3 manufacturers in China.”

 

I purchased a lithium battery earlier this year and I went with Battle Born.  Their batteries are engineered and assembled in the US.  They do use cells from China because that's the only place they are made.

 

On 6/20/2022 at 2:13 PM, dfwace said:

I don't want the fake junk from Amazon.  I've also looked at a few other brands but keep coming back to these.

Since you are in Dallas, call or go by Mariner Sails.  They are a Hobie dealer but carry a number of the top brands.  They are also a Hobie service center and have some of the most knowledgeable people you will find in the kayak world.  They have a showroom with pretty much everything you could ever need and the owner is very generous with his time and knowledge.

 

Mariner Sails

11110 N. Stemmons Fwy.

Dallas, TX. 75229

(972) 521-3894