Lithium help

[Lottabass]

It seems the more I read the more confused I get.  I'd like to put a 12v lithium in my pond prowler to save weight. At my age, lifting 20# is good, 70# is not.  BPS offers one, 75 AH, for $500.  It says in the description that it is "sealed to prevent leakage common in other lithium batteries."  Is leakage common?  

Batteries Plus offers a similar battery for same price but has Bluetooth.  Is Bluetooth needed?

I read reviews and some are great and some describe these batteries as junk.  What to believe?

I also see batteries that seem dirt cheap.  Are they any good?

Can't tell by the photos, but are the terminals the same so I can use ring terminals to hook the TM wires to it?

Thank you for any help you can give!

 

[Tennessee Boy]

I purchased a Battleborn 75ah a few years ago, and I think it was around $700. Battleborn was considered the premium American brand at the time. It has worked great, but if I were buying today, I would buy a cheap one off Amazon. If you look at Amazon reviews, a $200 Li Time battery has about the same review ratings as a $750 Battleborn. Some people think warranty and service are important. I say a warranty is only as good as the company behind it. When I bought the Battleborn, I felt good about the warranty from a strong company. Now Battleborn is struggling to compete with the cheap Chinese batteries, and if they go out of business, my warranty goes out with them. I don't think you can be sure any of these companies will be around in 5 years. Personally, I would buy cheap and take my chances. The biggest risk you take is if you get a bad battery, it can be very expensive to send it back. Some buy local for that reason so you don't have to ship it back.  

 

This topic generates a lot of discussion on this forum. These batteries are actually pretty simple. They consist of LiFePo4 cells, a BMS, a case, and wires. The cells are all made in China by large companies, and their primary use is in electric vehicles. A trolling motor is a very low-intensity use compared to a Tesla.   

 

To answer your questions:

 

Is leakage a common problem? I've never heard of a LiFePo4 leaking. I've heard of the cells expanding from heat but not leaking.

 

Bluetooth? Bluetooth allows you to monitor the charge level from your phone. You can decide if this is worth the extra cost.

 

I'll also mention that you will probably want to get a charger designed for LiPo4 batteries if you don't already have one.

 

 

[Craig P]

I lean the same way as @Tennessee Boy with going cheap….but positively tested or reviewed.  There is a channel on YouTube by Will Prowse, just search for his name and see if he has tested some of the ones you are interested in.

 

Being you are on a Pond Prowler, I could understand some anxiety with having enough power to get back so getting a battery with bluetooth would be a nice option or you could add a shunt.

[casts_by_fly]

I third what they all said. 
 

not sure how heavy you want to deal with or how hard you’re going to push it, but a 100 ah LiTime on amazon with Bluetooth is $189 and about 20#. 

[gim]

Some of them cannot be charged in colder temps. I see the OP is in Iowa. Just another item to consider.

[Scott F]

I’d be curious as to the accuracy of the specs on the cheap batteries. I use DeWalt cordless power tools and their batteries are pretty expensive. I’ve watched testing comparisons of cheap batteries with the DeWalt and none of the cheap ones last nearly as long as the OEMs do. I’d be very surprised if the cheap trolling motor batteries actually meet the publish specs.

[padlin]

I went with a 100 ah Enjoybot @ 30lbs. For $370 3 years ago. I went by the battery testing Will Prowse does on YouTube, he seems to know his stuff and does very in depth testing on them, at least he did 3 years ago. I did build a battery box with a battery monitor in it as running a trolling motor i/was new to me. I have no sues with the battery, as far as I can tell it works fine.

 

My concern at the time was to get one that actually would put out 100 amps, many only said 50 amps in their specs. I was under the impression a 55 lb trolling motor could pull 55 amps at top end, in practice mine is more like 45 amps max.

 

fwiw, 100 ah s way more then I need, could have gotten away with half that. I’ve never used more than 20%. 

[Lottabass]

BR folks are awesome.  Thank you for helping me out!

[VolFan]

I’ve had a 65 ah and 100 ah of cheaper brands, both have worked great and weigh nothing compared to the previous lead battery. 100% would purchase again.