Fogstar Drift / Game Changer For Lithium Leisure Batteries
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 พ.ค. 2023
- Don't you just love it when a company comes along and completely changes everything? Lithium batteries just became affordable.
Links below to Fogstar Drift are not affiliate links nor was I paid any money for this video. I was sent the batteries to test out and these are my thoughts.
www.fogstar-drift.co.uk/
The 105AH battery
www.fogstar-drift.co.uk/colle...
The 560ah battery
www.fogstar-drift.co.uk/colle...
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Thanks Ash! Could not aggre more, this is a great find and great value it seems.
Honestly thanks a lot for bringing our attention to this. Does indeed look like an awesome product!
All the best.
It's worth pointing out that if you are a general customer spending thousands on their batteries, the only contact and tech support you can get is via email and they can go 4 days easily before you get a reply. It's worth people knowing that before they buy.
Did you get the tech support you needed after waiting?
@@LostInEurope Yeah but I already had it from elsewhere before then
Thanks for this review Ash. I've been suffering paralysis by analysis over lithium. I've now bought the fogstar drift and I'm 2 weeks into it. Superb battery!
You're absolutely bang on. I've just replaced an expensive and rubbish 200AH AGM with a 230AH Fogstar Drift Lithium Ion battery and Fogstar Drift 12V 40A mains charger and its on another level of quality. I love the fact I can turn the damn terminals off via bluetooth so I dont sh-t myself everytime I'm attaching the terminals under my bed's metal frame. These are worth the extra money all day long. Fabulous British kit and the best new kit I've bought in a long time. Being in tech, very little impresses me, but this stuff does. Big time.
That’s a decent price point for that battery - seems a good spec too with the heater included. You’re right the difference, and you don’t have the worry of over discharging like you do with traditional batteries.
Very useful - thank you.
All the best, David 👍
Ash, FINALLY, you've hit the nail absolutely on the head.
I received my 2x 460Ah Fogstar Drift batteries last week, and they are fantastic!
I'm slowly working on converting my '13 plate MK7 Transit and I know with a reasonably short drive, they'll be fine for my needs, and with the 550w JA solar panel I've got coming, I'll never need to plug into the grid again.
Sadly, you didn't mention the MEGA charge and discharge currents of these Drift batteries, they are 100A on the 105Ah and 200A 230Ah-the 560Ah and all have inbuilt overcurrent protection on charge and discharge along with the heating as standard. GO FOGSTAR!!!
At £12340 notes a piece for the 460Ah unit, but also the complete range on offer, I'm confident that they've completely changed the market, and with more people like yourself with a respected voice will help Fogstar drive the change that is long overdue to bring down the prices to actual market value of their greedy competitors.
I'm glad I'm not the only sane soul out there who did their due diligence and made a sensible investment in a British business who respect their customers and their market over profit and greed.
I just hope that they get more containers of product into stock at an even faster pace, as I'd quite happily take another 10 off their hands tomorrow.
They're definitely going to be my go to for turning my 100% on-grid Lapland home into a semi if not completely off-grid energy independent property, especially with the energy pricing as it is.
Geeat Video Ash and good timing too. I'm changing mine to lithium this year and pretty much made up my mind to go with Fogstar. I was thinking of making my own with their cells but after watching this, i think I'll just buy a ready made battery with the heater and everything already in it.
Just got the new van and looking at what to do and you pop along with this. Its like you new haha. This is brilliant Ash. Also its a British company and backup and help will definitely be there. Not like the others. Lot of issues with help and support. That weight difference is unbelievable. You were struggling to get yours out. Thats a lot of weight in a small van. Thankfully uour one of the few out there that don't recommend stuff if your not happy. Most going the other way. Told you before you got an old head on young shoulders haha. All the Very Best to You and Marie X
Thanks for doing this review. We have been looking to replace our boat anchor batteries but obviously put off by the crazy prices. I love your no BS approach and trust your opinion. Definitely interested to see how you get on with them. Cheers, Scott
Nice one dude 👍 it's always tricky to recommend something without having it for a long time but with the warranty you can't really go wrong 🤷♂️
This is a good information to move forward to some friends, thanks.
I was looking at heated lithium phosphate the other week. So far thinking renogy at a much higher cost, however after watching your video bringing the brand to my attention and watching "DC GUY" taking one apart & testing, along with searching information about the BMS. I'm convinced.
17:30 You could actually see your van raise up once you took out that last battery!! Those were huge mate!haha! It’s ridiculous how fast battery technology is coming on now, heard nothing but good about Fogstar👍🏼
It’s Ant Hart btw ( long time sub and Patreon, I’m on our new channel now we’ve started the van build) atb bud
A very interesting video.
I pre-ordered a 12v 460AH for my truck. Delivery was delayed and then ran into issues because I'm in N Ireland - Brexit benefits 😂
Rather than just issuing a refund and "sorry we can't do this" between us we managed to get it delivered.
I can't comment on the long term performance of the battery, but I find the " we promised this so we'll get it there" attitude encouraging for the future.
Might well get some of these :) Thanks !
Great to see this Ash, they are an amazing company with an industry changing product. 😊
I believe it was you who reccomended them 😊🤘
@Lost In Europe t'was I.
I'm glad you're as pleased about a game changing company as me.
I've got one on back order 105ah drift . Can't wait 😊
Placed my preorder for my van yesterday. Absolute game changer as you say
Awesome! I'm sure you will love it 👌
Excellent advice and explanation 👍💙❤️
Great vid Ash, talking to Marty about these a month or so back they are a Redditch company just out side of Birmingham they look perfect for van life the only drawback is you have to order them a few months in advance 👍
Brilliant battery……I’m thinking of upgrading ….and affordable . Thanks for the heads up
Thanks Ash, just ordered one.
Absolutely brilliant love it ❤
I bought one After I watched your video? Thank you very much and Subscribed🙏
Awesome! I'm sure it will serve you well😊
Bought the 460 version tonight all cause of this video! So happy with my choice
Thanks for the heads up on these, they look ideal for swapping out my 5 year old agm’s which are located under the van so the heating will be perfect.
Heating is definitely necessary I think. Even in the UK can get caught out
I was coming to the same conclusion about this company myself when i stumbled upon your video. Heating, temp protection and Bluetooth for that price is market leading even against the best of the Chinese brands. One additional game changer for me is that you can install on the side. Not all can, due variation in mechanical construction. It's a game changer because some VDubs are less than 190mm under the swivel seats. Worth knowing. Thanks for the video.
I have used fogstar for years for my vape batteries always the cheapest and best service available. I was always surprised they were not in the leisure battery market before now.
I like how they kept the name the same 😅 I would imagine in the not so distant future they will be the go to brand for campers 🤞
Lithium is defo a game changer. I built my own 3 years ago. A 280ah inc a 200 amp BMS for less than £500. It has worked perfectly with all the cells showing the same voltage so still in balance.
yup, and if you buy 280ah fogstar its £800... i suppose you pay for warranty as well so fair does
500? Where you get for that price?
Had an Ecotree lithium 100ah with a six year warranty for 6 months now that works far better in winter than my similar Yuasa lead acid of similar age! Will check out these guys!!
Lithium is so much better 👌
Hi Ash. Thanks for such an honest and informative review. I'll get in touch with FogStar when the time comes in my build, to see how far away internationally they ship.
You're very welcome! I know they are putting g things in place now to make shipping in Europe easier
@@LostInEurope I'm bit further away than that (New Zealand).I'll get in touch with them and see if they ship or will be getting a distributor here :)
Hi Ash. I'm looking to replace my 2 x 140 Ah AGM batteries in the next month on our 2 berth A Class.I'm probably going to switch over to a 280 Ah Fogstar and stumbled onto your review. How has the battery performed and did you get another? Thanks.
10 years guarantee too. Can't argue with that.
Fogstar are based in the town i live so nice and easy to get to chat and see them 🤗
Yes mate, great on Fogstar hitting the ground running, certainly give other battery companies something to thing about. 👍
What kind of charger do you use? Are the batteries saparated from the car alternator.
Yea man definitely 👌
I use a dc to dc or "battery to battery" charger. Goes between engine battery and leisure on a manual switch so I can decide when it's on
This couldn’t have come at a better time. I am looking in to having some kind of heating/leisure power for my day van currently. Hoping I can do it all myself via TH-cam tutorials 🤞🏻🤷🏻♂️🙋🏻♂️
Awesome! It's very simple to do a basic setup. The more gadgets you want, the more complex it gets 😅
@@LostInEurope as long as I charge my phone/GoPro etc and if I go away for a while maybe my laptop off grid that’s good for me. I do want a basic Chinese heater for winter camps when needed, but as you know the uk doesn’t get that cold so only really to take the edge off
Awesome, still got about 18months use left in my AGM's, reckon the lithium's will be tried and tested by then?
Or might be a different van upgrade addition? They are awesome prices😍😍
Haha I think they will be well and truly ran in by then 😅
Used fogstar for years for torch batteries they usually do 10% discount on a Friday.
Just got mine to replace two knackered agms. Always wanted lithium but prices put me off. Prices are slowly becoming more affordable now. These look great
You don't need a specific lithium charge controller? I have a budget epever with the mt50. I can set that up to charge this battery?
You can indeed, that's what my solar is 😊
Dont suppose you have a measurement on the 560ah ones where the 640 is measured do you? is it 640 at widest handles everything ?
I did briefly look at these a few days ago for a project that I have in mind but as I haven't heard of them before was a bit wary. How about a discount code Ash? (I'm a Yorkshire man short arms deep pockets and naff all in them) I might even replace the AGM's on my existing van with them when I advertise it for sale in a few weeks time.
Isnt a 70 amp charger on a 105ah battery going to damage the battery? My Victron 35 amp charger is only supposed to go on 150 to 300 ah batteries. Anyhow great video! I might actually switch from AGM myself now, just waiting until they ship to the Netherlands.
I guess that only applies to agm batteries. I shouldn't really be hitting my old ones with 70 amps but charge time was more important to me. This battery can take 100amp of charge current.
About to commit to a 12v 560ah with 50A charger. Can not wait.
You will not be disappointed 😊Our whole house has been running on two 560s for a year now
Sweet, that's reassuring to know 👌 this is to replace two 230ah gel leisures in my camper conversion.
Do you need a lithium battery charger for the product?
There appears to be a lot of videos out there stating you shouldn't take out a lead acid battery and replace with a lithium battery without installing a lithium battery charger. Any thoughts.............?
As long as you have a decent charger that has adjustable modes/voltages these batteries will be fine. They have built in protection against overcharging etc.
Nice adverticed Ash, bit its waaaaaaaay to expensive in comparison to DIY.
Buying 280Amp LiFePo4 prismatic cells and a suitable BMS is soo much less money.
Cheers,, 🍻😎👍👍
Yea I mean the diy stuff is awesome but again, not everyone has the confidence to do that. I definitely want to have a go at some point just for the fun of it 👌
I had a look on the website and they do sell prismatic cells for DIY users 🙂
I'm looking at adding their 230AH to my setup. Can you do an update please
Now that's a super competitive price right there!
Yea man 👌
I changed over a couple of years ago to a cheapish no name brand not had any issue with them , I was using 2 but found with my low usage , just a compressor fridge , led lights , diesel heater and occasional inverter use to charge drone batteries, using the 2 they only ever went down to to 80% so removed one for other uses , one is easy and quick to charge on the B2B and some solar on the roof . only mine is missing the heater but been ok in the UK for low temp charge
To be fair I'm hoping I can get away with one. Not really a heavy user in that van so might be OK. Just don't want the heater cutting out in -30 🤣
Hi Ash, any update on the Fogstar? Many thanks 😊
Working flawlessly. The heater is performing good too now its getting cold👍 will make an update video soon
be careful if using a large inverter with lithium and make sure the built in controller can handle large amp draw , some may have to use 2 or 3 LifePo 4 connected together to use things like hotplates etc , this one reading the specs is Max Cont. Discharge 100A
I've got no intention of running anything like that in the van to be fair haha. I'd imagine though they will have an overload protection built in seeing as they have all the other safety features.
You're both correct. The batteries will shut off if the draw is too high for its liking... But also the draw is very high on each battery that once you go above 200ah capacity, you can run 3000w inverters, microwaves, hotplate hobs, etc
These look to be fantastic batteries and very good value
How are the batteries holding up ? Im looking into lithium batteries at the moment for a conversion
They have been brilliant, no complaints. Will do a follow up video soon
@@LostInEurope thanks , I will look forward to it 👍
7:28 lol I bet you emailed Lyndsey and said make sure there are bolts in there because Graham didn't bleeding get any (at first) 😂
But you can build these yourself to for 60% of the price. Andy from the off-grid-garage tells you how. I built my 2 24V 280AH for 1200 euro each.
Sure you can, if you're confident enough to do so. But a lot of people aren't and that's why the pre built are valid options for those people.
Wow, I've just compared the price of their 230ah under seat battery with Eco Tree - Fogstar = £799, Eco Tree = £1649 and you get a 10 year warranty compared to 6 years. Looks like a no-brainer. Thanks Ash.
The prices have just got ridiculous in my opinion 🤷♂️
Can I just remove gel battery under drivers seat in a Ducato and fit a fogstar 105 ah lithium..is it a DIY job ? Think my Sargent charge and solar system is compatible
Do you mean as a starter battery? I don't think you can do that as the starting current draw is very high. In a leisure system though, as long as you can adjust the voltage settings in your chargers they are a drop in replacement 👍
@@LostInEurope thanks for your reply it's the leisure battery I am changing as it's five years old and worried it may fail on me. I think the charging voltage is ok under 14.4 volts
@@webgibs best thing to do if you want to be 100% is drop them an email or message on Instagram. They are really friendly and helpful so I sure would be glad to check your equipment is compatible.
@@LostInEurope thanks I will .. I am wary as I have had some people tell me it's risky if charging system is not compatible and I appreciate your help 👍 happy travels
Ash you might have to set your B2B to a lower charge rate if you stick to one battery , these ones are, Max Charging 50A
So it is! I think the booklet I have might be an old pre production one. Just checked the online spec sheet. Will drop the switch down to 50 👌
just spoke with them and its a typo on the website. the 105 can actually accept 100amp of charging and the bms has protection if you try and put too much
Most lifepo4 will take their capacity in an hour... So 100ah could take 100a charge. Once you go over 200ah, they usually limit the charge out of common sense at the 200-300a level
Can't go wrong with that. Fast charging and 10 year warranty, if you get the 10 years use they might have even better available by then. At the start you were squinting without the shades, have you noticed that the sun is brighter and whiter now and quicker to burn the skin?
That's it 👌 haha yea the sun is very strong now! I think it takes a few months for my eyes to fully adjust out of "dark mode"
I'm thinking of upgrading my motorhome battery as well as getting solar panels put on but I'll need to get a company to tie into the motorhome electrics
Would be pretty straightforward to swap the battery out and then the solar will be it's own system running down so really just a case of making the wires tidy 😊
Nice wieght saving , that will improve the fuel consumption a bit as well ..win win :)
The fuel usage is already insane compared to what I'm used to haha. Just hit 1000km on one tank! Any improvement is good though 👌
@@LostInEurope I finger crossed am getting a ford grand tourneo tomorrow to convert to a micro camper , might well look to these batteries for the liesure battery :) 1000km , thats good :)
I've got a place not far from yours (well, in Swedish terms, anyway), but have steered clear of swapping to Lifepo4 batteries so far as it seems they need to be kept above 0 when not in use, so I'd be interested to hear how this battery lasts over the long term.
These ones can be safely discharged down to -20 I believe. Its only when charging then need to be above 0c to prevent damage which the in built heater takes care of.
I was thinking of storage. Fogstar, for example say:
You shouldn’t store your LiFePO4 batteries in very cold temperatures for extended periods of time as this can have a significant impact on their performance. We strongly suggest your batteries are stored at room temperature when they are not in use.
As a bonus less weight will give you a little extra mpg, and performance, although you probably won’t notice in a van 👍🏻
Also in a bigger van where total weight is important, this can be a massive difference to someone.
only 10kg, and with a giant warranty. That's a bargain for under £400. I've got 4Y old LiFePO4, weighing 14kg, just standard shop warranty, and no heating. The cost of those has gone down from £500 to £400 now.. But, You're absolutely right. something really good has happened the last years.
Eco-worthy are £100 cheaper at £279 (currently have £10 off for new customers). No heating pad but when does the inside of your van get below freezing??
Personally I think if you will be using a lithium battery in a vehicle then a built in heat element is vital. I know a few people who have found themselves powerless in a camper because of that on a cold night, even in England. Where I live my battery is often at -10 or even -20 when I go to drive the van. Also after a quick google, Eco-worthy only offer a 3 year warranty... It's a no brainer really but you crack on 😊👍
@@LostInEurope where on earth do you live, the arctic? 😄
@@chrisb5839 Actually you're not far off! 🤣 We live in north Sweden, the Arctic is only a few hundred km away
@@LostInEurope probably better off starting a fire underneath it! I rarely see temperatures below 5 degrees inside my van.
Dammm...I've just bought 2 renogy, with no heating in them😢
Ah I'm sure they will work fine for you 👍 just don't go anywhere too cold 😅
I might get some vivarium heaters around them with an agm to power them 🤣
Great price..I’d love to see Will Prowse destroy one of these and give his verdict I’m sure there up to the job..are these made up in the UK? But with Chinese cells/Bms. Generally it’s the shonky wiring and internal packaging that let lifepo4 down..hoping these are quality at a cheaper price..nearest similar with quality are Renogy but there around the £500 ..I’ve seen some which are downright dangerous.
There's a chap on youtube who pulls one apart, I think it's "dc guy" or something similar. If you search fogstar drift there's only a couple of videos. See what you think
Watching a video on TH-cam, I forget by who stripped a lithium battery down and said that the heaters in the batteries are really complete waste of time heaters consume 8 A and there is usually one each side, of the heater. Is it consuming 16 A of electric from the battery that needs charging During very cold weather in the winter you gonna get very little power from the solar panels so the battery will end up being completely drained from the heater pad he said it’s far better to insulate the batteries with polystyrene and don’t have a heater pad or add your own small heater
That information doesn't apply to this particular battery. I have tested it myself and the heater draws 3.5 amps total which is taken from the charging source (engine in my case) and not the battery storage. This continues until the battery is at a safe charging temperature and then the full power is allowed in.
This is avery got tip👍
DC Guy on TH-cam has stripped one of these batteries down. He was chuffed with it.
You got room for 4 or 5 of them batteries in there now
Shades in the shade...mmm
Got some sensitive ass eyes 🤣 maybe living in the dark for 6 months...
Thank you for bothering to make this kind of video.
You're welcome 😊
The only way Id understand this video is if I that hair cut 🤣kinda mad max battery infomercial.
What are you blathering on about?
I think you're in the wrong place 👋
Oh no you’ve got the same hairstyle as Johann. 😢
Well for someone who keeps repeating how excited they are it’s a very monotonic presentation
If you're looking for a "presenter" maybe try regular TV
19 minutes and all I Iearned was that there was a wasp in your van 👎
Good to know 🤌