Just watched this video a second time. You presented your information extremely well and accurately! I'm a semi-retired Engineer, and I looked at these for purchase-I ended up building my OWN system. I housed it in a Pelican 1430 Case. I did opt for Lithium Power. My Battery has 720 Watt Hours, Two 12 Volt IN/OUT Sockets, Two 2-position Powerpole Sockets, and Two usb 3.0 outputs with built in Voltmeter and ammeter, so I know how much any given usb powered device is pulling at any given time. Mine also has a 400 Watt PURE Sine Wave Inverter and a Digital Solar Charge Controller that can handle a 150 Watt Panel. I have had NO problems with my system, and I built it for slightly less than the Yeti 400 Lithium would have cost me; and it can do quite a bit more! The thing was ridiculously easy to build-it only took me 5 Hours from start to finish.
It ended up costing me more than it should have. I have since designed a more basic version with ONE of each item instead of two. The $40.00 Bestek inverter from Amazon says its a pure sign wave inverter, but when I scoped it, it showed almost a Square Wave INSTEAD of a Sine Wave. For hints on how to build one of these, check out the youtube videos where the builders used Pelican Cases for their systems. I don't give out the details on mine per my lawyer's advice as I'm working on getting a Patent for my design.
ANY Battery provided by Bioenno Power, and you can't go wrong! They are criminally expensive, but are about the easiest to maintain, the lightest, and about the SAFEST you can buy. I have had ZERO ISSUES with the 40 Amp & 100 Amp Batteries I purchased from them. Their customer service is SECOND TO NONE! And in many cases if you have a question or a problem, you will very often speak with the owner of the company PERSONALLY. His name is Kevin, and he is a CLASS ACT! Fantastic Human Being!
I own the Yeti 400 AGM. I opted for the Yeti 1000 (Costco edition). I still love my older 400, one it's chainable, which can really help with the discharge only to 50% rule. The cost difference between the Yeti 400 Lithium and the Yeti 1000 Lithium made the choice a no brainer for me. I'm gaining a much more powerful inverter, and I still have the smaller Yeti for less power hungry applications. Thanks for the comparision.
I bought myself the yeti 400 about four years ago and since then I added two 35AH agm connected through the Anderson power ports and a 100 watt Boulder solor panel. I've got it next to my bed and I use it everyday with lol-350 and mini's. Ive even used my yeti during a couple of power outages. I've even sacrificed two thirty foot extension cables to make a "Y" connection so that I can have two 100 watt solor panels in parallel. So when I finally take the step in buying a camper ill add my yeti 400 into it for power. For me having the ability to replace the AGM battery's on my own is a plus.
I started with 400 AGM Yeti, enhanced it with further 400aH AGM batteries with the anderson chanining option and finally added another controller to the setup and made the Yeti "optional". That way I can have the "big" setup in my caravan and the Yeti either there or in my car having a small fridge and 2 solar panels on the roof. My caravan has two more panels and the controller setup allows to chain in the yeti and the two panels from my car as well. It needs it for the f!cking big fridge *gg* I love that flexibility!
They both have their merits...I went with the AGM one (and an external battery in parallel) because I use mine more with the intent of it being an emergency backup and less on the portable power source aspect...mine stays mostly at home. Not too concerned about the deep cycles on it because it wont see that many. I do not keep it plugged in all the time but do top it off once a week. Of course I could also get the Lithium one and use that separately.
I have the new lithium 400, I like it. Have tested it at home, and will be taking it out camping in a few weeks. It will be used for charging up camera, flashlight, and tablet batteries. It will also be powering a string of Goal Zero lanterns hung on my awning, and also to power a Big Kahuna shower.
And you can’t replace the battery in the lithium plus you can’t link two together. So the life of the AGM is much longer and you can link them or other 12 volt AGM batteries.
Great video, thanks for the comparison. I think the best advantage of the lithium over lead is the ability to discharge all the way and use l the power. Plug something in and forget about it? No worries, you won't hurt the lithium battery since it will shut down when it gets low. That said though, I've been totally happy with my old 400 except for one thing: It won't properly run my Makita cordless drill battery charger. It acts as if the charger is drawing too much watts when the charger pulses the drill battery as it charges and trips the invertor.
+James Rose that's the only thing that bothers me about the lithium 400, other than the price. No Anderson connectors. Those are my favorite feature of the agm model.
I don't recall if the 400 is a modified or a pure sine wave inverter. Check your Drill's owners Manual. How many Amps does it draw? That is where I would look first.
I read a review of someone who used the yeti 400 lith In cold climates while camping and said it had extreem difficulties charging with solar. I feel for those who are using their batteries mostly in sub freezing temperatures would be better off get an amg and purchasing a 1000 or up model.
I have the Lithium and there is no comparison. Lighter and much, MUCH more powerful. Every time someone reviews the GZ batteries have you noticed there is ALWAYS some 'know it all' who says they can build there own for much cheaper. Yes, that is the case with just about everything. Some of us have jobs and do not have time to build our own so why bother.
The thing that bothers me about the gz lithium is the extraordinarily slow charge rate. Keeps the weight low, sure, but limits utility too much for my taste.
I had my Goal Zero Yeti 400 (non-lithium) delivered to work. The Boomer there was certainly of the "there is ALWAYS some 'know it all' who says they can build there own for much cheaper" mentality, but he snarkily asked me if I was an electrical engineer, why didn't I just build my own for cheaper??? I mean, I could. All custom. Buy all the parts, and do all of the math, and all of the programming, and assembly, soldiering, and building a case to mount it in. But it would not be nearly as nice and presentable as a production item, like this commercially available item. And if I was able to save $100 or $200 by "building it myself", would I really be "saving money" with all of the hours that I dumped into something? It would honestly be more cost-effective to work more hours, make more money, and put that money to this item. The engineering and production is already done. There's no point in spending hours and hours building something that already exists, to "try and save money". Unless you have more time then money. But if that's the case, why aren't you working overtime? For example: I was living with someone for a short period of time, who was extremely cheap, to the point of absurdity. He demanded that I washed the dishes by hand, rather than use the dishwasher, because it cost him electricity and would "run up his electric bill". Well, okay, but the cost of electricity to run your dishwater is probably about one dollar. If the labor for me to wash the dishes is one hour, then you're saying that my labor is only worth $1/hr? That's not cost effective, and a waste of time. There's so many things that stupid & poor people do "to save money" that wastes money and time, that they're just "spinning their wheels" and never improve anything for themselves.
its 2022. I traded for a yetti 400 AGM recently , it also came with car charger and a goal zero 20w solar panel. it works fine for me. though I mostly keep it charged at home or with car charger. I think I need a 50w solar panel. its tough to get full sun anyway and it is very slow /solar. I also have a yetti 200 lithium . it is also works fine. we use them for camping, charging cell phones , pumping air mattresses etc. they will come in handy if power goes out for small things. I have a Honda 5000w generator which runs on gas if I really need power at home or on job. but the goal zero are nice and quiet.
I would be using this to charge lipo batteries for my RC car when I go far from home. So I would need something with high output and allot of capacity. Yeti 400 Lithium seems like the best choice.
bigman55434 you may be missing the portability aspect. Having two lead acid models at 60lbs lol...not fun to move around with. The lithium is a no brainer coming in at 16lbs. Have to side with gazziza29.
I have the yeti 400 AGM and it's getting stronger each time I charge it I use it for charging my phone and laptop it has lasted over 4 days before I had to recharge it and it does great for me
With the older model you can connect other batteries by way of the Anderson connecting ports to give more AH to the unit and the new one doesn't have it. I use a CPAP and need the two extra batteries to give me a 100AH plus power unit. The 400 without them will zero out but having two extra batteries via the Anderson connection the unit will go down to 80% over night. Losing the extra batteries is a big negative for me so I purchased the older one and it works great.
+Jim Fariello I’m in the process of buying the 400 to use for my CPAP when camping. How long does your yeti 400 last with CPAP attached to it(without extra battery)?
I'm in the market for a lithium ion set up for my amateur radio and I think that's a nice unit they're selling that lithium in 400 on some of the sites brand new for 599 so I definitely go with lithium-ion and not let acid just for those reasons what you were reading but there's nothing wrong with led acid battery I just don't like you can't run them down to zero like you can with the lithium-ion and charge it up again but thanks for making this video it really made me make my mind up now I want to see if there's other companies that have the same lithium ion battery as a Yeti and see if there's a little cheaper thanks again goodbye from Atlanta Georgia
If I was going to buy one I would buy the lithium. I bought 2 power it lithium battery "generators" on clearance at walmart for 225$ each canadian. Each unit has a 500w pure sine wave inverter and about 850 watt hours of lithium batteries. I have used both units a decent bit and am quite happy with them. I am planning on combining the two batteries into 1 unit for a single 1600+ watt hour unit weighing about 35lbs
+TheSimplecanadian I was not aware of these units before you mentioned it. I wonder why they aren't sold in the US. That's an incredible price. My mind is blown.
A year later, GZ has still not released a 12V auto alternator charge cable, and does not recommend charging the Lithium Yetis off a car or truck alternator. Hope to see that soon for those who want to camp for a few days, but not buy and lug around solar panels.
The Lithium is rated at 480WH at 10.8 volts. The AGM is rated at 396 at 12 volts. I wonder how many WH the lithium is rated for at 12 volts. It seems like an apple to oranges comparison. As others have said, you can chain more batteries to the AGM version, and you can also charge it with your car battery, plus if the battery dies, you can replace it pretty cheap. The only real advantage to the lithium is the weight.
Great explanation. I'm not sure what the meaning is of "Nomad" and "Boulder" is. Hoping you can offer an explanation? From their website: Nomad 50: 12-24 Hours Boulder 50: 12-24 Hours
I'm sure it's a fair deal if you're backwoods camping and NEED power. Or you're backpacking it through the mountains to run your ham radio gear. I'd rather DIY one together and end up with gear I'm more happy with. But not everyone is an engineer.
I wouldn’t, especially if the lithium battery did not have a built in BMS. That’s a great way to burn down your solar generator and everything around it.
I think they make a car charger, but it’s limited to 10 amps or less and quite slow. Of course, goal zero products tend to charge fairly slowly anyway. I think the new X products may charge a bit faster.
I did a quick google search for you. The answer appears to be yes: www.goalzero.com/shop/yeti-accessories/yeti-12v-car-charging-cable/ If you have a higher capacity lithium model there is a more complicated kit available.
Does a replacement exist for the yeti 400 lithium? Mine died because of it not being connected and now I’m trying to find out if there are any remedies to rescue it.
In order to answer that question you need to figure out how much wattage the power brick for the gaming laptop draws. Then compare that with the rated continuous wattage of the yeti's inverter. If the power brick draws less wattage than the continuous rating of the inverter, then the answer is yes, it'll run it.
You’re planning to bring a Yeti on a plane? Seems excessive. I have Goal Zero Sherpa 40 that I bring on planes all the time to recharge my cell phone so I can use gps on public transit when traveling. Why would you want a heavy Yeti 400 on a plane?
@@createthisdotcom I work in disaster response and a lot of our teams fly longhaul commercial flights. Advance teams bring flightcases of comms equipment which includes solar power kit. For small applications we use GZ products so being able to bring as part of checked baggage is pretty essential.
@@createthisdotcom They have served us well for the past 6 years. Anything from the small Nomad panels to the large Yeti 1250. For the really big applications we use kit from Florida based Solar Stik. Well worth checking out too.
For the people saying they want the lithium for more capacity and are willing to spend that much more. You could buy the yeti 400 agm model along with 3 extra 33ah batteries and have more capacity and still be cheaper than the lithium. I don't move mine around much but it's only 30lbs and will only make you stronger if you actually even move it around much
AGM batteries are different then the standard Flooded cell lead acid batteries. So do not compare the wrong facts. AGM batteries CAN be fully discharged and recharged. It is just suggested you do not LEAVE a AGM/Gel/DeepCycle battery dead battery, Because it'll mess up the charge. But if you RECHARGE it after it's been discharged fully. It'll still keep it's normal cycle life. Flood lead acid batteries commonly found in CARS,etc. are the ones you don't want to be discharged more then 11volts. Because then it'll ruin the battery. But AGM's are NOT flooded and do not have the same probs as their cousins do. So the whole Myth of discharging a AGM or Gel, Or Deepcycle lead acid battery below 50%. Is FALSE. And i know because i Used quite already a few lead acid batteries. I even have a yeti 150 and it's going strong. I powered a fricken 330watt full desktop size computer for 2hours with no probs! Course the computer does have a revert system that reduces power to such % so the PC wasn't really pulling 330watts fully. More like 50. But for 2hours on a yeti-150 on a desktop. that's pretty good. And i done this a few times, and still got straight even 2hours. Did it with a StrongerR generator and got 4hours. Also if you look at the big ability of the AGM version vs the Lithium. 'CHAINING'. You can chain dozens of Yeti400 or 33ah + AGM batteries to the Yeti400 and get over 2x 4x etc run time vs just 1. So the AGM would beat the Lithium by over 3times because it has the chaining system to it built in.
+KillerRaptorr AGM cycle life is 400-500 cycles at 50% DoD. It's 300 cycles at 80% DoD. Maybe you should check your facts before you tell people they can discharge them fully.
Createthis, what are you yapping about? You CAN discharge AGM batteries to 100% without damaging them. You will cut the life of them down to around 250-300 full cycles, but it will not hurt them. Maybe you need to check your facts before you present a one-sided opinion. Do you even own these products? I do. I bought a Yeti 400 AGM on sale for $299 on Amazon a year ago. Deal of the day. I'll take 2 of these for that price over your lithium unit. Yeah, it weighs less. What's the replacement cost of that battery pack in the Yeti lithium? Yeah, as I thought. A LOT more than the $100 to replace the AGM in mine. And yes, like the other guy mentioned, I can add battery capacity via the Anderson port if I want to. Can't do that with the lithium. Bang for the buck, I won't trade mine for the lithium...yet. Price needs to come WAY down.
Yep AGM version is WAYYYYY better value and since chainable, much more useful in certain applications, like how I use mine...running a 12 v fridge/freezer. With mine chained to a 100ah AGM I can run the fridge for 5 days without a recharge...can't do that with the lithium one. Plus, even if I get 200 less charges, the replacement battery is $99 so even with a replacement battery cost it's still cheaper than the lithium version!
+ngpeters ha. Suspire just submitted a hypothetical agm build on /r/SolarDIY. I've got medium sized, high expense lithium build on the channel already. I'd love to see some lower cost lithium builds. Lithium is a little harder than agm.
ngpeters, I would love to see your parts list of a lithium build. I've done my research and good quality LiFePO4 batteries are NOT cheap. By the time you buy the battery, inverter, outputs, enclosure and misc wiring/connectors you are saving about 10-15% over a GZ Yeti Lithium. That doesn't include the work you put into it and the fact that customer support is all on you on a DIY build. IMO, you are better off getting a GZ Yeti 400 Lithium than building your own. The AGM model is a different story.
I like your presentation thank you for explaining but I really don't want to spend an extra $250 on a lithium ion the lead acid batteries fine for me thank you
+Dejay Rezme if you don't need to move it a lot, have the tools, and don't mind spending the time, it's hard to beat the cost of a diy solar generator. I plan to do a series of videos on various configurations in the near future.
+Dejay Rezme I have a video about an ultra expensive ivory tower lithium (LifePO4 chemistry) system I built that really isn't very practical or safe, here: th-cam.com/video/P8Lc2FNmVBw/w-d-xo.html
I'd love to see more videos! Subscribed :) BTW I recently realized you don't even need a charge controller for li-ion when only charging through solar panels, since their power is fixed they effectively work as a constant current source. There is the SBMS by electrodacus that is a smart BMS that just cuts of the voltage when it's charged. Probably the cheapest and most efficient way to do this.
I would love to see a parts list of a lithium build for 1/5 the price of the GZ Yeti 400 Li. I've done my research and good quality LiFePO4 batteries are NOT cheap. By the time you buy the battery, inverter, outputs, enclosure and misc wiring/connectors you are saving about 10-15% over a GZ Yeti Lithium. That doesn't include the work you put into it and the fact that customer support is all on you on a DIY build. IMO, you are better off getting a GZ Yeti 400 Lithium than building your own. The AGM model is a different story.
Well I don't know how comparable charge controller, BMS and inverter costs. Charge controllers and BMS are definitely hard to get cheap and in good quality for some reason. But at least building it yourself scales much better. You could double the capacity for not much more. And are these LiFePO4 batteries? I assumed they are not.
Just watched this video a second time. You presented your information extremely well and accurately!
I'm a semi-retired Engineer, and I looked at these for purchase-I ended up building my OWN system. I housed it in a Pelican 1430 Case. I did opt for Lithium Power. My Battery has 720 Watt Hours, Two 12 Volt IN/OUT Sockets, Two 2-position Powerpole Sockets, and Two usb 3.0 outputs with built in Voltmeter and ammeter, so I know how much any given usb powered device is pulling at any given time. Mine also has a 400 Watt PURE Sine Wave Inverter and a Digital Solar Charge Controller that can handle a 150 Watt Panel. I have had NO problems with my system, and I built it for slightly less than the Yeti 400 Lithium would have cost me; and it can do quite a bit more! The thing was ridiculously easy to build-it only took me 5 Hours from start to finish.
what were the parts you used? i to am looking to build my own, especial looking at the prices of these things
It ended up costing me more than it should have. I have since designed a more basic version with ONE of each item instead of two. The $40.00 Bestek inverter from Amazon says its a pure sign wave inverter, but when I scoped it, it showed almost a Square Wave INSTEAD of a Sine Wave. For hints on how to build one of these, check out the youtube videos where the builders used Pelican Cases for their systems.
I don't give out the details on mine per my lawyer's advice as I'm working on getting a Patent for my design.
I recommend the SAMLEX Pure Sine Inverters. Reasonably priced and very good quality.
@@bruceforster3709 what about batteries?
ANY Battery provided by Bioenno Power, and you can't go wrong! They are criminally expensive, but are about the easiest to maintain, the lightest, and about the SAFEST you can buy. I have had ZERO ISSUES with the 40 Amp & 100 Amp Batteries I purchased from them. Their customer service is SECOND TO NONE! And in many cases if you have a question or a problem, you will very often speak with the owner of the company PERSONALLY. His name is Kevin, and he is a CLASS ACT! Fantastic Human Being!
Thanks for the video. I chose the AGM for the user replaceable battery, the MPPT controller and the unrestricted input wattage.
I own the Yeti 400 AGM. I opted for the Yeti 1000 (Costco edition). I still love my older 400, one it's chainable, which can really help with the discharge only to 50% rule. The cost difference between the Yeti 400 Lithium and the Yeti 1000 Lithium made the choice a no brainer for me. I'm gaining a much more powerful inverter, and I still have the smaller Yeti for less power hungry applications. Thanks for the comparision.
I bought myself the yeti 400 about four years ago and since then I added two 35AH agm connected through the Anderson power ports and a 100 watt Boulder solor panel. I've got it next to my bed and I use it everyday with lol-350 and mini's. Ive even used my yeti during a couple of power outages. I've even sacrificed two thirty foot extension cables to make a "Y" connection so that I can have two 100 watt solor panels in parallel. So when I finally take the step in buying a camper ill add my yeti 400 into it for power.
For me having the ability to replace the AGM battery's on my own is a plus.
Answered all my concerns/questions. Thanks!
I started with 400 AGM Yeti, enhanced it with further 400aH AGM batteries with the anderson chanining option and finally added another controller to the setup and made the Yeti "optional". That way I can have the "big" setup in my caravan and the Yeti either there or in my car having a small fridge and 2 solar panels on the roof. My caravan has two more panels and the controller setup allows to chain in the yeti and the two panels from my car as well. It needs it for the f!cking big fridge *gg* I love that flexibility!
This was great! Thank you.
They both have their merits...I went with the AGM one (and an external battery in parallel) because I use mine more with the intent of it being an emergency backup and less on the portable power source aspect...mine stays mostly at home. Not too concerned about the deep cycles on it because it wont see that many. I do not keep it plugged in all the time but do top it off once a week. Of course I could also get the Lithium one and use that separately.
So you hooked a 2nd battery in series or parallel? I bought the older Agm model but wore out the battery & replaced w lithium battery
I have the new lithium 400, I like it.
Have tested it at home, and will be taking it out camping in a few weeks.
It will be used for charging up camera, flashlight, and tablet batteries.
It will also be powering a string of Goal Zero lanterns hung on my awning, and also to power a Big Kahuna shower.
And you can’t replace the battery in the lithium plus you can’t link two together. So the life of the AGM is much longer and you can link them or other 12 volt AGM batteries.
Great video, thanks for the comparison. I think the best advantage of the lithium over lead is the ability to discharge all the way and use l the power. Plug something in and forget about it? No worries, you won't hurt the lithium battery since it will shut down when it gets low.
That said though, I've been totally happy with my old 400 except for one thing: It won't properly run my Makita cordless drill battery charger. It acts as if the charger is drawing too much watts when the charger pulses the drill battery as it charges and trips the invertor.
+James Rose I've been wanting to get the 12v Milwaukee charger. Efficiency matters with these small systems.
createthis thanks for letting me know about the 12 volt chargers, I wasn't aware of them.
+James Rose that's the only thing that bothers me about the lithium 400, other than the price. No Anderson connectors. Those are my favorite feature of the agm model.
I don't recall if the 400 is a modified or a pure sine wave inverter. Check your Drill's owners Manual. How many Amps does it draw? That is where I would look first.
I read a review of someone who used the yeti 400 lith In cold climates while camping and said it had extreem difficulties charging with solar. I feel for those who are using their batteries mostly in sub freezing temperatures would be better off get an amg and purchasing a 1000 or up model.
I have the Lithium and there is no comparison. Lighter and much, MUCH more powerful.
Every time someone reviews the GZ batteries have you noticed there is ALWAYS some 'know it all' who says they can build there own for much cheaper. Yes, that is the case with just about everything. Some of us have jobs and do not have time to build our own so why bother.
+Chris Furin I haven't seen evidence that it's true with the lithium units anyway. Lithium is harder to engineer properly.
That is why I BUY my Lithium Batteries, lol!
I could build a lithium unit twice as powerful for half the money. Only suckers are spending money on these.
The thing that bothers me about the gz lithium is the extraordinarily slow charge rate. Keeps the weight low, sure, but limits utility too much for my taste.
I had my Goal Zero Yeti 400 (non-lithium) delivered to work. The Boomer there was certainly of the "there is ALWAYS some 'know it all' who says they can build there own for much cheaper" mentality, but he snarkily asked me if I was an electrical engineer, why didn't I just build my own for cheaper???
I mean, I could. All custom. Buy all the parts, and do all of the math, and all of the programming, and assembly, soldiering, and building a case to mount it in. But it would not be nearly as nice and presentable as a production item, like this commercially available item. And if I was able to save $100 or $200 by "building it myself", would I really be "saving money" with all of the hours that I dumped into something? It would honestly be more cost-effective to work more hours, make more money, and put that money to this item.
The engineering and production is already done. There's no point in spending hours and hours building something that already exists, to "try and save money". Unless you have more time then money. But if that's the case, why aren't you working overtime?
For example: I was living with someone for a short period of time, who was extremely cheap, to the point of absurdity. He demanded that I washed the dishes by hand, rather than use the dishwasher, because it cost him electricity and would "run up his electric bill".
Well, okay, but the cost of electricity to run your dishwater is probably about one dollar. If the labor for me to wash the dishes is one hour, then you're saying that my labor is only worth $1/hr? That's not cost effective, and a waste of time. There's so many things that stupid & poor people do "to save money" that wastes money and time, that they're just "spinning their wheels" and never improve anything for themselves.
its 2022. I traded for a yetti 400 AGM recently , it also came with car charger and a goal zero 20w solar panel. it works fine for me. though I mostly keep it charged at home or with car charger. I think I need a 50w solar panel. its tough to get full sun anyway and it is very slow /solar. I also have a yetti 200 lithium . it is also works fine. we use them for camping, charging cell phones , pumping air mattresses etc. they will come in handy if power goes out for small things. I have a Honda 5000w generator which runs on gas if I really need power at home or on job. but the goal zero are nice and quiet.
Highly recommend the lithium version these days.
I would be using this to charge lipo batteries for my RC car when I go far from home. So I would need something with high output and allot of capacity. Yeti 400 Lithium seems like the best choice.
Not too worried about losing recharge cycles due to over current draw because you can get replacement AMG batteries for under 50 bucks.
FYI, GZ reduced the price of the Yeti 400 Lithium to $599 MSRP now. This is a now a no brainer, get the Lithium!!!
I got my Yeti 400 AGM a year ago on Amazon for $299, deal of the day. I'll take 2 of mine over 1 of yours any day.
bigman55434 you may be missing the portability aspect. Having two lead acid models at 60lbs lol...not fun to move around with. The lithium is a no brainer coming in at 16lbs. Have to side with gazziza29.
I have the yeti 400 AGM and it's getting stronger each time I charge it I use it for charging my phone and laptop it has lasted over 4 days before I had to recharge it and it does great for me
This was VERY helpful! Thank you!
Can you chain extra batteries to the new one? The old one you can so the lower price with extra batteries may work out, it does for me.
+Jim Fariello no chaining with the lithium models, unfortunately.
With the older model you can connect other batteries by way of the Anderson connecting ports to give more AH to the unit and the new one doesn't have it. I use a CPAP and need the two extra batteries to give me a 100AH plus power unit. The 400 without them will zero out but having two extra batteries via the Anderson connection the unit will go down to 80% over night. Losing the extra batteries is a big negative for me so I purchased the older one and it works great.
+Jim Fariello I’m in the process of buying the 400 to use for my CPAP when camping. How long does your yeti 400 last with CPAP attached to it(without extra battery)?
I'm in the market for a lithium ion set up for my amateur radio and I think that's a nice unit they're selling that lithium in 400 on some of the sites brand new for 599 so I definitely go with lithium-ion and not let acid just for those reasons what you were reading but there's nothing wrong with led acid battery I just don't like you can't run them down to zero like you can with the lithium-ion and charge it up again but thanks for making this video it really made me make my mind up now I want to see if there's other companies that have the same lithium ion battery as a Yeti and see if there's a little cheaper thanks again goodbye from Atlanta Georgia
If I was going to buy one I would buy the lithium. I bought 2 power it lithium battery "generators" on clearance at walmart for 225$ each canadian. Each unit has a 500w pure sine wave inverter and about 850 watt hours of lithium batteries. I have used both units a decent bit and am quite happy with them. I am planning on combining the two batteries into 1 unit for a single 1600+ watt hour unit weighing about 35lbs
+TheSimplecanadian I was not aware of these units before you mentioned it. I wonder why they aren't sold in the US. That's an incredible price. My mind is blown.
did you watch my video :)
yes these are the best you can buy for the price.
Hey, be careful with that thing: th-cam.com/video/vuaXnVD3Oz4/w-d-xo.html
wow, yea that sucked a lot, guess you can overcharge through the Anderson connectors
I just order an yeti 400 lithium a t Costco road show in Texas for 479 and 100 watts brief case for 279
good price!
A year later, GZ has still not released a 12V auto alternator charge cable, and does not recommend charging the Lithium Yetis off a car or truck alternator. Hope to see that soon for those who want to camp for a few days, but not buy and lug around solar panels.
I'm curious, I have the older agm model and the battery is shot. Can I swap a new lithium battery into the same unit?
The Lithium is rated at 480WH at 10.8 volts. The AGM is rated at 396 at 12 volts. I wonder how many WH the lithium is rated for at 12 volts. It seems like an apple to oranges comparison. As others have said, you can chain more batteries to the AGM version, and you can also charge it with your car battery, plus if the battery dies, you can replace it pretty cheap. The only real advantage to the lithium is the weight.
Thank you
Thanks. That was helpful
Do they make a yeti 150 lithium? 700 dollars is a steep price tag.
+Phuong Hua I don't think they do, no.
You have a Sherpa 100 Litium
Very helpful!
I might hook a 2nd battery to mine & see how it works
Great explanation. I'm not sure what the meaning is of "Nomad" and "Boulder" is. Hoping you can offer an explanation? From their website: Nomad 50: 12-24 Hours Boulder 50: 12-24 Hours
Thanks. Great video. I have the AGM. Chaining is easier and cheaper.
They dropped the MSRP on the 400 Lithium by $100 USD this month (Aug 2017).
+VNE7 I heard about that! Pretty strong case for the lithium unit now.
Can you throw a new lithium battery into an older lead yeti 400? Or what about chaining a lithium to a lead yeti 400?
No. Lithium needs specialized charging profiles.
700 bucks. Damn. I'll stick with my AGM batteries and Pure Sine inverter.
+Aaron Anderson twice the capacity and half the weight for $250 more tho
I'm sure it's a fair deal if you're backwoods camping and NEED power. Or you're backpacking it through the mountains to run your ham radio gear. I'd rather DIY one together and end up with gear I'm more happy with. But not everyone is an engineer.
+Aaron Anderson I feel the same way, but there is something to be said for some other team of engineers doing the work for you sometimes.
Can you chain anther battery with it?
AS opposed to the agm, can the lithium battery be recharged by your cars cig.lighter plug, without a potential damage?
I need to replace the battery in a AGM - can I use a lithium?
I wouldn’t, especially if the lithium battery did not have a built in BMS. That’s a great way to burn down your solar generator and everything around it.
Can the car 12volt cig charger, charge the lithium battery goal zero?
I think they make a car charger, but it’s limited to 10 amps or less and quite slow. Of course, goal zero products tend to charge fairly slowly anyway. I think the new X products may charge a bit faster.
Is it possible to recharge the lithium model from your car battery while driving?
I did a quick google search for you. The answer appears to be yes: www.goalzero.com/shop/yeti-accessories/yeti-12v-car-charging-cable/ If you have a higher capacity lithium model there is a more complicated kit available.
Hey thanks! That’s awesome
How it compare to anker powerhouse?
Carlos Cervantes both are good, anker powerhouse is significantly lighter though
Does a replacement exist for the yeti 400 lithium? Mine died because of it not being connected and now I’m trying to find out if there are any remedies to rescue it.
Very well done and nice to watch someone that knows what they are talking about.
i would like the lithium but it is quiet expensive.
and thanks for explaining so good.
+Daniel K. Agreed
Hi can i run a gaming laptop and thrustmaster t150 on this ?
Cheers
In order to answer that question you need to figure out how much wattage the power brick for the gaming laptop draws. Then compare that with the rated continuous wattage of the yeti's inverter. If the power brick draws less wattage than the continuous rating of the inverter, then the answer is yes, it'll run it.
createthis
Cheers thanks for your help
One point to consider (at least for me) is that the Lithium model cannot be transported by air.
You’re planning to bring a Yeti on a plane? Seems excessive. I have Goal Zero Sherpa 40 that I bring on planes all the time to recharge my cell phone so I can use gps on public transit when traveling. Why would you want a heavy Yeti 400 on a plane?
@@createthisdotcom I work in disaster response and a lot of our teams fly longhaul commercial flights. Advance teams bring flightcases of comms equipment which includes solar power kit. For small applications we use GZ products so being able to bring as part of checked baggage is pretty essential.
Evert Bopp that’s a pretty awesome use case. Hard to argue with that.
@@createthisdotcom They have served us well for the past 6 years. Anything from the small Nomad panels to the large Yeti 1250. For the really big applications we use kit from Florida based Solar Stik. Well worth checking out too.
Awesome Evert Bopp. That helps me make my mind up about which one I would like to purchase. Cool job you have.
A 300 Watt inverter with a 120 Watt surge? Sorry. I'm an engineer. I Don't buy ANY manufacturer's claim unless I can test it on MY Bench.
Play safe when your using solar go big or go home. Lithium all the way. Imo of course
For the people saying they want the lithium for more capacity and are willing to spend that much more. You could buy the yeti 400 agm model along with 3 extra 33ah batteries and have more capacity and still be cheaper than the lithium. I don't move mine around much but it's only 30lbs and will only make you stronger if you actually even move it around much
Lithium isnt chainable. Ill go with the old model.
Turkey Leg in theory it is. Sherpa 100's are lithium and chainable.
The Sherpa 100 has vitually no capacity. It has 26,400mah at 3.7 volts. NOTHING. The Yeti 400 is 3x the capacity of the Sherpa 100, minimum.
Lead is an ancient outdated obsolete heavy battery technology that only still has a place in car batteries
AGM batteries are different then the standard Flooded cell lead acid batteries. So do not compare the wrong facts. AGM batteries CAN be fully discharged and recharged. It is just suggested you do not LEAVE a AGM/Gel/DeepCycle battery dead battery, Because it'll mess up the charge. But if you RECHARGE it after it's been discharged fully. It'll still keep it's normal cycle life.
Flood lead acid batteries commonly found in CARS,etc. are the ones you don't want to be discharged more then 11volts. Because then it'll ruin the battery. But AGM's are NOT flooded and do not have the same probs as their cousins do. So the whole Myth of discharging a AGM or Gel, Or Deepcycle lead acid battery below 50%. Is FALSE. And i know because i Used quite already a few lead acid batteries. I even have a yeti 150 and it's going strong. I powered a fricken 330watt full desktop size computer for 2hours with no probs! Course the computer does have a revert system that reduces power to such % so the PC wasn't really pulling 330watts fully. More like 50. But for 2hours on a yeti-150 on a desktop. that's pretty good. And i done this a few times, and still got straight even 2hours. Did it with a StrongerR generator and got 4hours.
Also if you look at the big ability of the AGM version vs the Lithium. 'CHAINING'. You can chain dozens of Yeti400 or 33ah + AGM batteries to the Yeti400 and get over 2x 4x etc run time vs just 1. So the AGM would beat the Lithium by over 3times because it has the chaining system to it built in.
+KillerRaptorr AGM cycle life is 400-500 cycles at 50% DoD. It's 300 cycles at 80% DoD. Maybe you should check your facts before you tell people they can discharge them fully.
Createthis, what are you yapping about? You CAN discharge AGM batteries to 100% without damaging them. You will cut the life of them down to around 250-300 full cycles, but it will not hurt them. Maybe you need to check your facts before you present a one-sided opinion. Do you even own these products? I do. I bought a Yeti 400 AGM on sale for $299 on Amazon a year ago. Deal of the day. I'll take 2 of these for that price over your lithium unit. Yeah, it weighs less. What's the replacement cost of that battery pack in the Yeti lithium? Yeah, as I thought. A LOT more than the $100 to replace the AGM in mine. And yes, like the other guy mentioned, I can add battery capacity via the Anderson port if I want to. Can't do that with the lithium. Bang for the buck, I won't trade mine for the lithium...yet. Price needs to come WAY down.
I think you and I have differing opinions of the word damage here. Reducing cycle life dramatically is damage in my opinion.
@@bigman55434 My 2 cents also. AGM is still the best bang for bucks, today!
Yep AGM version is WAYYYYY better value and since chainable, much more useful in certain applications, like how I use mine...running a 12 v fridge/freezer. With mine chained to a 100ah AGM I can run the fridge for 5 days without a recharge...can't do that with the lithium one. Plus, even if I get 200 less charges, the replacement battery is $99 so even with a replacement battery cost it's still cheaper than the lithium version!
There getting quite close in price recently
You ought to do a lithium build rather than buying.
+ngpeters ha. Suspire just submitted a hypothetical agm build on /r/SolarDIY.
I've got medium sized, high expense lithium build on the channel already. I'd love to see some lower cost lithium builds. Lithium is a little harder than agm.
createthis that's right, I forgot about those videos. Love the channel and videos.
ngpeters, I would love to see your parts list of a lithium build. I've done my research and good quality LiFePO4 batteries are NOT cheap. By the time you buy the battery, inverter, outputs, enclosure and misc wiring/connectors you are saving about 10-15% over a GZ Yeti Lithium. That doesn't include the work you put into it and the fact that customer support is all on you on a DIY build. IMO, you are better off getting a GZ Yeti 400 Lithium than building your own. The AGM model is a different story.
Can you chain another lithium battery and would there be a benefit?
Lead is old tech that doesn't really belong in modern powerbanks.
Lithium all the way! Lighter, and a better battery performance.
I like your presentation thank you for explaining but I really don't want to spend an extra $250 on a lithium ion the lead acid batteries fine for me thank you
I'd rather build my own (about a fifth of the price), but I also need more kWh.
+Dejay Rezme if you don't need to move it a lot, have the tools, and don't mind spending the time, it's hard to beat the cost of a diy solar generator. I plan to do a series of videos on various configurations in the near future.
+Dejay Rezme I have a video about an ultra expensive ivory tower lithium (LifePO4 chemistry) system I built that really isn't very practical or safe, here: th-cam.com/video/P8Lc2FNmVBw/w-d-xo.html
I'd love to see more videos! Subscribed :)
BTW I recently realized you don't even need a charge controller for li-ion when only charging through solar panels, since their power is fixed they effectively work as a constant current source. There is the SBMS by electrodacus that is a smart BMS that just cuts of the voltage when it's charged. Probably the cheapest and most efficient way to do this.
I would love to see a parts list of a lithium build for 1/5 the price of the GZ Yeti 400 Li. I've done my research and good quality LiFePO4 batteries are NOT cheap. By the time you buy the battery, inverter, outputs, enclosure and misc wiring/connectors you are saving about 10-15% over a GZ Yeti Lithium. That doesn't include the work you put into it and the fact that customer support is all on you on a DIY build. IMO, you are better off getting a GZ Yeti 400 Lithium than building your own. The AGM model is a different story.
Well I don't know how comparable charge controller, BMS and inverter costs. Charge controllers and BMS are definitely hard to get cheap and in good quality for some reason. But at least building it yourself scales much better. You could double the capacity for not much more.
And are these LiFePO4 batteries? I assumed they are not.
Lithium
agm since i have my 400 changed to mt extreme 350.
i would be stupid to buy the old AGM model..
please lean your facts fist other wise good video