Cheapest Lithium Challenge: Cheapest Battery on Amazon

What's the cheapest good battery on Amazon? In this series we do just that search. We don't think batteries have to be expensive to be great.Today Clark reviews a LiFePo4 battery called the PUPVWMHB.

I've developed a device that helps you add LiFePO4 batteries to your power system.

Since I started selling them I can't count how many people have asked me my opinion on what would be a good battery to buy. Well, here is what I think is a good recommendation.

THE BATTERY LEADERBOARD: Take a look at this link. It leads to a table of all the batteries we have reviewed, looking for that diamond in the rough. We'll keep adding to it.

To see some of our other recommendations, visit our Amazon store here:

(Like any Amazon link on YouTube, if you buy something there we get a tiny cut from the seller. So thanks if you buy it here. But that's not why we post things on Amazon. Amazon is the only choice for us to share links that don't "die" when the product sells out. I personally buy a lot of stuff on eBay. You should shop wherever you'll get the best deal.)

Have questions or comments? Leave them below! We do our best to read and answer all comments on our channel.

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[reyn]

Another concern, particularly in marine applications.... the battery case needs to be COMPLETELY sealed from moisture. I bought a Chinese 36v 100ah battery direct from China... it was cheap, about $1300 delivered, with a 40-amp charger. It worked great for several months, then failed to charge. I decided to peel the cover off and inspect. The warranty period was over, I wasn't going to ship it back to China for evaluation, so I had nothing to lose. When I got the cover off, I found the copper plates that were used to connect the cells had corroded, and corrosion on the BMS itself. The battery had never been submerged, but in the bilge of a boat, it's certainly around moisture, but never standing water. I tested the cells, and all seemed to be fine. So, I replaced the solid copper plates with nickel plated plates (E-bay), and sent photos of the battery to the company that manufactured it. They were kind enough to recognize that water vapor had caused this damage, so they sent me a new BMS and a new top for the battery, which I was very careful to epoxy back on around the entire mating surface. It's been 2 years now, operating without a hitch. So, looking forward, if I purchased another "cheap" battery for a marine application, I would look for no options like USB ports, or cover those openings with silicone sealant or something to keep out water vapor. I'd also consider sealing around the outside where the cover mates to the bottom of the case.

[andreasfink]

Thanks for reassuring me, I bought 2 "cheap ones" from Amazon too, 180 AH each. I'll hook them up to my BBMS in the next months and will report, how they worked for me. They claim to be automotive grade as well and now I know what that means.

[nodogrunner]

Great job Clark, love how you think. I see the comments about buying much more expensive batteries and I get it. If you were crossing oceans or backing up something critical, I would agree, but spending good money on a temporary situation is extravagant.

[SuperSushidog]

Great video. Thanks. That's a sweet affordable turnkey solution, but as a full-time RVer I was looking to replace the 2 golf cart batteries that were located under the steps of my motorhome with the highest capacity LiFePo-4s that would fit in this limited space. We decided to build our own 560ah LiFePo-4 battery bank with a 330amp Heltec BMS (to start the 5, 500-watt onboard generator) and a 5a active balancer for under $1, 500. We built our 12v battery out of 8 grade "A" 280ah LiFePo-4 prismatic cells having an 8, 000-cycle projected life at 80% DOD or 6, 000 cycles at 100% DOD. This means that if we cycled them 100% every single day, 365 days a year, they would last over 16 years! So, they're obviously going to wear out from age before they wear out from cycling as we only use 15-20% of their capacity daily giving us enough reserve capacity for several days of bad weather before we have to run our generator for charging. They even saved us 35 lbs compared to our old FLA batteries and have over 5 times their capacity.

Of course, it's not just a drop in like the pre-assembled PUPVWMHB battery you featured. We top balanced the cells before we assembled the battery, though they were all within a tenth of a volt when we received them. This was probably unnecessary as our 5-amp active balancer would have surely done the job, but spending this much money, we wanted to do the job right. They were economical too. $1, 500/560ah = $2.68/ah vs $299/100ah = $2.99/ah for the PUPVWMHB battery. There are cheaper "B" cells available from China that are typically rated at 3, 500-4, 000 cycles, but we decided to spend a little more to get the higher rated cells shipped from a California warehouse, so if we got a bad one it would be easier and quicker to return and get a replacement. Happily, this wasn't necessary. We insulated the battery compartment, cut a 1" hole in our step risers and installed a tiny computer CPU fan to circulate just enough room temperature air into his compartment keep this space at close to room temperature, so we don't have to worry about the BMS shutting down charging if they get too cold - or their life reduced from getting too hot.

[UncleDruncles]

Great video, quite insightful. We moved completely off-grid in 2019 and originally used 16-Lead/Acid 6v 232ah batteries to power our system. They worked well until they got cold in Winter. This past May we upgraded our Battery Bank to LiFePO4

We went with 4 Powerqueen Batteries. The 12.8v 300ah (200Amp BMS) units and got em delivered to the cabin from Amazon for $1000/ea. They have been a huge power upgrade, haven't given us a lick of trouble and have seriously put a damper on our generator usage as we can go several days without sun now without running the batteries dead. These Lithium's deliver a ton more power in cold temps ie 35F-40F than Lead/Acid EVER could! Lithium for Life out here! 🤠

[catbird]

You made up my mind on what type of batteries to install in my RV. Was thinking about lipos, but we'll be in cold climates sometimes. I'll stick with lead acid for now. We don't boon dock much. But we're seriously thinking about chasing the warm weather. Then they'll be great. Excellent video.

[chrisjessup]

I have 2 of these exact batteries in my camper for a year now. They've been fine for me so far. I saw a tear down on it and the Youtuber was impressed with it, so I bought them

[todddunn]

$300 is a pretty common price point for 100Ah LiFePO batteries now (January 2023). You can buy a LiTime, Power Queen, Redodo or Chins with free shipping for that price. All are well thought of and have good build quality as demonstrated by many documented tear downs. None of those batteries have low temperature charging cut off, but you don't really need that. Just buy a Victron charge controller with the battery temperature sense, or link it to a Victron shunt with a temperature sensor, and program it to stop charging at whatever temperature you like. You can get 100 Ah batteries with real low temp charging cut off and internal heaters for about $400-$450.

Also the term "automotive grade cells" is standard marketing for LiFePO4 batteries.

[davidotness]

Thanks for the info. It was pure serendipity, er, the algo, that had your channel pop up for the first time last night for me. I just started studying these batteries last week and have already learned some crucial information thanks to you. Information that pre-saved me money because of my ignorance.

Just throwing this out there for people like me in colder climates---there are battery blankets (electric-powered) that many motorists in particularly cold winter areas of Alaska use and I'm quite certain they could be useful in preventing damage to batteries in a chilly battery charging situation. Cheers!

[ProDigit]

For my hybrid car, a 36 to 50Ah battery works just fine, and is cheaper. I do run a 2 way diode to lower the voltage by approx 0.6V, because the 14.4 charge voltage triggers the bms fron charging it (I think the car charger sends 15V pulses to determine how full the battery is, shutting down the bms).
The diodes are like up to 1200v or something, some people ran them with 180A peak, 50+A continuous.

[catrangalema]

Hi Clark, thanks for your review and sharing your knowledge.
A tip I got from my landlord when I was a lot younger was not to wear metal jewelery when dealing with electrics. He used to work for a mechanic whose metal watch band shorted a lead acid battery while working on the car. That was not a pretty sight...
Greetz, Catran.

[sv.foamball]

As someone whose been researching the market for new batteries, my response is "Great, yet another manufacturer I need to check out!" Just kidding, of course.

Seriously, I think the folks building these come up with new company names weekly. Not sure if it is intended to confuse the market, or is just a mad scramble to get market dominance before the other guy, but it does create challenges if you want to find good quality, with the features you want, at a reasonable price.

Thanks again for another informative video!

[gefginn]

Great post Clark. I appreciate all the information you are sharing here. I always enjoy tuning into your newest post. 💛 🌴⛵️🌞

[jimgoebel]

I'm a beginner, I bought a used pop-up camper, I have no history on it. We've started looking for batteries, it's very confusing. Your video helped me a lot. Thanks.

[moriver]

Great video, and info. Im upgrading to Lithium from lead acid on my sailboat, and have been searching for something in the "middle of the ground " type deal, and now I have something else to further research. I have watched some of your other videos, and definitely will subscribe. Thanks.

[UmpTSquat]

I discovered your channel this morning. I've been following a few of the better known sailing channels for the last 2 to 3 years. I am surprised that I haven't come across yours until now. I think the tie-in was the LiFEP04 battery review. I also build my own battery backup systems.
Great video. I appreciated your take on the grading of batteries. It is an interesting viewpoint to consider. You are not right or wrong. Much like many topics, it is another ambiguous topic which seems to have no valid data source to demonstrate definitive proof one way or the other. What some have said is only an opinion. Unless there is demonstrative proof, it is simply an opinion.
Like many, I am also leary of the claim of low temperature protection. But you are correct in that if you don't live in a climate necessitating below freezing charging, you don't need that feature. I searched for other YTube videos that reviewed this battery. You seem to be the first. I would like to see a few more YTube reviews, preferably with a cold temp charging test before making any decision.
I will definitely check out your other videos now that I have found your channel.

[timmathewson]

Thanks for making this video and sharing your knowledge, it is much appreciated. Thanks again

[mjanulis]

Hello Clark - thank you for all of your insight. I plan to purchase this battery from your online store as my first LiFePO4 experience, however I would like to confirm that the battery will work well in the way that I am planning to use it on my boat. I have a portable refrigerator which will draw 30W or less depending on how cold I want to operate it. I have a smart battery charger (120V shore power) which works for LiFePO4 batteries and I have a solar panel which is rated for 50W which also has a PWM style controller. The LiFePO4 battery has a BMS to protect against overcharging, etc. and I would like to connect my smart charger to the LiFePO4 battery during the weekdays and when I use the boat for a weekend trip (2-3 days max) I want disconnect the smart charger and then connect the solar panel to the LiFePO4 battery so it can keep up with the demand of the refrigerator until I return to the dock and switch back to my smart battery charger plugged into shore power. So at this time I only want the LiFePO4 battery to have a singe use which is to run the portable refrigerator when I am away from the dock. What do you think? I actually have two additional smaller 7W solar panels which I use to keep my lead-acid batteries (2) topped off all the time. My lead-acid batteries power the engine starter and all other normal lighting/pump functions on the boat. Later I may consider joining the LiFePO4 battery with the lead-acid with your Battery Manager, but for now I want to keep it simple until. Thank you in advance for your comments and suggestions. Keep up the great work!

[Chris]

Thanks for the review, looking to go lithium in my boat this helps a lot.

[paulkopp]

I enjoyed that as a “ nontech “ and limited funds person, thank you . And for those that have to have all the I s dotted and the T s crossed tested to the Nth degree destruction and 110 % guarantees, just buy the big dollar version and don’t bother watching. Cheers Clark .