Community Forums

repeach · 05-01-2021, 09:29 AM

Has anyone purchased and used a Lithium battery from OSMbattery.com?

I would love to hear from someone on the quality.

Thanks

Gary RVRoamer · 05-01-2021, 11:14 AM

What sort of brand "quality" measures are you looking for? I don't think anybody has had their 12v lithiums long enough to give meaningful feedback on years of life or reliability, so it seems to me that purchase choice comes down to dollars per amp-hour and maybe the features of the built-in Battery Management System (BMS). They all have fairly standard BMS charge capabilities, but some claim to do more, e.g. Battle Born.

The reviews and personal use reports I see all seem to focus on how great they are vs lead-acid, but that doesn't help evaluate one lithium brand vs another.

repeach · 05-02-2021, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary RVRoamer

What sort of brand "quality" measures are you looking for? I don't think anybody has had their 12v lithiums long enough to give meaningful feedback on years of life or reliability, so it seems to me that purchase choice comes down to dollars per amp-hour and maybe the features of the built-in Battery Management System (BMS). They all have fairly standard BMS charge capabilities, but some claim to do more, e.g. Battle Born.

The reviews and personal use reports I see all seem to focus on how great they are vs lead-acid, but that doesn't help evaluate one lithium brand vs another.

I agree that Lithium is by far better that flooded or AGM. I was hoping to find someone that purchased the brand OSM and could report on initial quality. They should last 5 to 10 years, but I am more concerned about assembly quality, ie. did they stop working (broke BMS, failed crimp, etc) after bouncing down the road for a few thousand miles.

Road Pilot · 05-04-2021, 04:23 PM

I'd be interested in the answer also. I have tried to understand the differences between Battle Born (Also sells under the Dragon Fly name) and Ampere Time. Also trying to get a better handle on the need for Battle Born's internal heater versus an external heater or non at all.

OSM has the best price I've seen though. I think almost all Lithium batteries buy their prismatic cells from one plant in China. The BMS and support though could vary from one to another.

Do we really need to spend $1000 for a 12V 100 amp hour lithium battery? Has anybody used brands other than Battle Born / Dragon Fly?

Gary RVRoamer · 05-05-2021, 06:43 PM

Quote:

I was hoping to find someone that purchased the brand OSM and could report on initial quality.

I got that, but that level of product experience is going to be rare at this time. Maybe you will get lucky and someone will have at least several months of OSM experience under their belt.

Jacjetlag · 05-05-2021, 07:15 PM

"Do we really need to spend $1000 for a 12V 100 amp hour lithium battery? Has anybody used brands other than Battle Born / Dragon Fly?"

+++++++++++

No on $1000.

Yes on other brands.

BigBattery.com 24v 4.4KWh. The cost with free shipping was 33 cents per Wh compared to 74 cents for Battle Born. My 4 batteries are mounted between the frame rails and are the equivalent of 14 Battle Borns.

Does OSM have any sales network in the US ?
Don't think so.

arcaguy · 05-05-2021, 07:32 PM

These folks are in China, Shenzchen to be exact. I'm thinking that support may be an issue. I also don't see any 12 volt products on their product page. If you are interested in LiFePo batteries you need to spend a lot of time at Will Prowse's channel on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoj...q8kmJme-5dnN0Q There are links on there to his web site. He dissects batteries to see what he thinks about them. There are a lot of alternatives to Battle Born, although Will does speak highly of them. Good luck.

Jacjetlag · 05-06-2021, 11:02 AM

X2 on Will Prowse.

He gives lots of insight about products and how to sort the good from the bad. The point being, some stuff is good/great and some is junk. All of it is expensive. I don't think you want to "go boldly where no man has gone before".

You only want to buy these things once.

HarryStone · 05-06-2021, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jacjetlag

X2 on Will Prowse.

He gives lots of insight about products and how to sort the good from the bad. The point being, some stuff is good/great and some is junk. All of it is expensive. I don't think you want to "go boldly where no man has gone before".

You only want to buy these things once.

I bought my batteries on Amazon early last year. Three 200 amp batteries. So far, no issues, worked as advertised, and I can vouch for them producing full capacity.

Kid Gloves · 05-06-2021, 03:29 PM

Is the OSM battery available from a domestic supplier? The grammar on their website might lead one to believe that the customer service department could be an interesting experience.

If a cell or battery goes bad, where do you return the bad unit?

There are other options available for less than $1000/kWh. I recently purchased some Lion Energy UT 1300’s for $700/ea. That works out to $520/kWh.

It isn’t the cheapest option or the most expensive, but it fit in the comfort zone for a high quality product with a great warranty at a reasonable price.

UTTransplant · 05-06-2021, 03:36 PM

We ended up with LifeBlue batteries. Excellent support. They provided the exact settings for our on-board converter and solar charging system since they were familiar with many of the more common setups. We wanted an internal heating system since we travel so frequently in cool climates, and that does cost more. It also helps I know people who have had this specific battery for 4 years.

Jacjetlag · 05-06-2021, 11:06 PM

Allegedly, Battle Born is putting together a new 200Ah battery.

It won't be cheap, but market leadership usually isn't.

++++++

As for everything else, Prowse claims the 3.2v cells are mostly the same and are made in a few factories. The BMS quality/feature level is much more variable. Some batteries can be serviced to replace a bad cell, if need be.