Hey guys. Wondering if you could help me out. My brother-in-law (dang walleye guy, but don't hold it against him 😆) is looking to get some lithium batteries. I know nothing about them. He knows I can usually find good deals on tackle, so he asked if I knew of any good deals/where to buy from.

I'll post word for word what he asked me through text-

Can I put you to work and find any deals on deep cycle lithium batteries? I need 24 or 36V and over 100 amp hour. Also looking for a charger for them. Most have 10 or 11 year warranty. Yesterday I saw a warranty that transfers to second owner but don't remember which one it was.

So that's what I have to go on. I really appreciate any help you guys can give.

Now he added-

Can also be 12V x2 or 12V x3, where ever best deal is.

The consensus here with lithium seems to be just to buy some cheaper versions on Amazon and take a risk. If they fail, you aren’t out much, and just buy another one.

I don’t have lithium batteries. I have Duracell Ultra AGMs. I bought them locally with a warranty in case they failed. That time period is up now but that’s not the point. The point is that I wanted to return them in person if they failed.

I believe that if you want a long term warranty, you’ll have to select a higher priced version. If that was me, I would buy one from a reputable source so I could return them within that warranty time frame from a place like Batteries Plus or Bass Pro. Those companies will accept a failed battery within the warranty and replace them.

As for a charger, the NOCO seems to be the most popular version.

I went with LiTime lithiums because of the good teardown info and the user reviews over the past couple years. I expect they are at least 5 year batteries which compared to alternatives means at least break even price/life. A 100AH 12V is around $250-275 depending which you’re looking at. That’s the same price as an AGM and half the price of the pricier lithiums with a 10 year warranty. So if in 5 years it craps the bed I’ll replace it with the same and be where I would be if I’d have bought the expensive one. And, the 10/11 year warranties are prorated after a certain point so you’re not going to get a brand new battery at year 9.

I’d recommend 12V batteries unless he needs the space. It is a lot easier to find a charger that does 12V than does 24 or 36. And if one battery has a problem you can replace a single to keep going.

I would also question if he really needs 100 AH. He might. But just be mindful of the comparison to lead. A 135AH group 31 lead acid doesn’t have as much usable capacity as an 80 AH lithium. So if he’s saying that he needs 100AH batteries because he has lead and that isn’t enough then lithium is a different animal. I put a 24/50AH in mine because I was limited on space and couldn’t fit another battery and also 50AH was plenty (and still is) even for fishing electric only lakes. But I’m not fishing 1000 acre electric only lakes or trolling at higher speeds.

Thanks a ton, guys. I'll pass this info along to him.

Yeah, dollar for dollar buying a LiTime or Weize

is far more cost effective than one such as Battleborn or MillerTech which are both excellent batteries but three times the price.

A 10 year warranty is only going to be found on the higher end batteries such as Battleborn or MillerTech’s but even those are pro rated.

I ran a MillerTech for a season without issue and now on my second year with a Weize and it is an unbelievable battery. I can fish for 6-8 hours and never have been below 70% on my 55# Newport.

Of course it’s on a canoe and not constant running but it’s a beast.