I use multiple 130 Ah AGM lead acid batteries on my system. Its been running non stop since 2014 as its a static off grid system. But it may need battery upgrades in next few years.
I've been running a voltx (from Aldi for $400 odd) at 100Ah. I also use a Renogy DC-DC charger with solar or alternator input. All up under $1000 and well worth it
Let's just say it. You guys are the best channel on the internet when it comes to real world Aussie touring, camping and set up. I actually get a bit emotional watching you. As an older bloke now, it takes me wistfully back to my days touring around Australia in the 90's in either a Peugeot 504, SWB MQ Patrol or XT600 Tenere. Just getting out and doing it and finding cheap ways to get things happening. Your approach and editing is shmick and you come across as both authentic and genuine. Makes me proud to be an Aussie.
You guys are giving a more achievable set up for a lot of us. We all know Redarc is top of the range, but most of us are weekend warriors and simply can't afford or justify the cost.
Another brilliant comprehensive long term review. Once again, skillfully presented, and supported by relevant B-roll images to back-up the point. Your editing skills are next level.👍
Loved it! I don't think you guys realise how wide your audience scope is...for the family person with mounting bills etc having good options like this backed by great in depth reviews by you guys is amazing. Not everyone can afford to go out and throw 20k in mods at a 4wd and as you've shown, you don't have too
Brilliant take on these units! What's interesting to know is that new ones of late have a 120A load rating (over 100A of the older model) and they do indeed manage to pull that much current without issues. We run 2 of these in parallel in our camper trailer (for 240Ah total capacity) and when load tested (10A draw) we saw 254Ah of total usage. Highly impressive, given the sub-$500 price point. When I connect the solar up, we've yet to find the limit of what we can run! :)
The newer 200Ah lithium also now have 200A continuous (vs 150A previously) and I've happily run an induction cooktop off it that draws about 130A continuously.
I think the weakness in a lot of DIY battery systems is the wiring. If its not done properly it can under perform or be a fire hazard. Good quality / size wiring, fuses and terminal connections are key.
youre only half right, im an auto electrician and yes half the DIY stuff ive had to re do is shocking and a massive hazard, but running electrical gear from places like kings is just as hazardous, the general public shouldnt be taking advice from an unqualified youtuber.
@Mikey Strikey what? my comment wasn't in regards to the video, it was about the comment I had replied to. But yes kings electrical gear is horrible, even the gear from kick ass and itech world I wouldn't install if a customer asked me to.
i bought one of these last week to replace the AGM in my camper trailer, $489 with a free battery box, was a great deal. love your experience with the battery and it’s certainly put my mind at ease after being a little sceptical because of how cheap it was. another great video, cheers legend’s!
This is the best channel of builds and gear for the average income person out there or the going out once in the blue moon camping. I do love other channels but I need to rob a bank to afford they rigs. U guys keep it real and it’s Refreshing to watch, thanks and keep up the realistic vids
Great advice for the general user. One point though that you didn't touch on is recommended and Maximum discharge current. Technically the Kings battery should only be pushed to 100A maximum continuous discharge or 160A for 10sec. If you run a 1500w inverter fully, you are exceeding the recommended rating... 1500w ÷ 12.8v = 117A. This kings battery is pretty good at 100A, but quite a lot of cheaper Lithium batteries are limited to 50A out... something that people breaking into the lithium market need to understand! Good review
Such calculations should always include inverter efficiency and the lowest voltage you're likely to drain the battery down to, which in most cases would be the BMS low voltage cut off or disconnect. So, using your example with some typical values of cutoff voltage and inverter efficiency, it would be 1500w ÷ 10.5v ÷ 0.85 = 168amps. If someone wants to run say a 2000w inverter with an 1800w induction cooktop off a 120Ah Kings lithium battery that has a 100A continuous rating they're going to have BMS shutdowns and eventually something on the BMS in my opinion will eventually give out through overloads and abuse. 2x such batteries (minimum) should be used in parallel for such loads.
Sheesh where you 5 months ago when I dived in and purchased one of these. I haven't actually been off grid yet, so it's not been put through its paces. I actually stumbled on this and opened the video quite nervously, hoping you weren't about to tell how terrible they are... I did try to do as much research as I could, but there isn't much out there. I eventually went with the fact that Kings claim to use A grade cells. This kind of claim is usually only found in the high end, expensive batteries. Also, a bloke reviewed the 200aH battery quite comprehensively and spoke highly of it. You usually seem some consistency in the qualify of cell, and BMS used, just more cells in the larger battery. So I committed to it. Very glad to see you spoke well of it, bit of a relief really. Also, nice and comprehensive review. I think you're worth watching more of.
Another fantastic episode. A perfect guide for anyone looking moving into Lithium and/or considering the Kings products for a budget build. Great work Patrick. You're a natural. 👏
I was facing frequent blackouts at home and wanted a backup system just to keep the 240v fridges going. I got the Kings 120ah lithium as well as a solar panel and charge controller. Rock solid, really happy with it, especially at this price point. Only downside really is the lack of documentation for the charge controller, they don't give much info but enough for basic functionality.
Thanks for converting me to lithium twelve months ago. King’s battery box 120ah 25ah dc-dc & 160ah solar panel running Kings 90lt fridge in the ute. 2x120ah & 40ah Kings dc-dc, which I had trouble with, but the third one works great. 3x160ah solar panels on the caravan. We run induction, coffee machine lights and all for 5 months whilst prospecting in the gold fields. Thanks guys for the vids keep it up. 👍😂
For any geeks out there, 120ah at 12.8v gives 1.5kwh of stored energy in this battery. In an induction cooker, assume perfect efficiency (it’s not) and that is equivalent to 5.4 Mj of heat energy. That is equivalent to a bit over 100g of LPG, although heating with open flame is pretty inefficient so you’ll need approx 300g of LPG to heat your food (most heat is lost around pan heating air around you) like an inductive process. It’s also equivalent to about 500ml of metho, and about 400ml of petrol for Coleman stoves. So you can see a small 4.5kg lpg gas bottle is equivalent in energy content to 14 or 15 of these 120 Ah lithium batteries. Cheers, chemical engineer
I've had my Kings 60 litre fridge running in my van for around 7 years no stop. It's survived 720km of Simpson sand dunes and around 8000 km of corrugations. Has been 100% reliable so far.
Hey Patrick, have you thought about an air-fryer? Not much bigger than the Buddy, yet a hundred times more versatile. I rarely use a fry-pan or the home oven anymore. It cooks better than anything, and is good on electricity. Easy-as to clean too.
Great suggestion, but: You cant run an air fryer off 12Vdc. It exhausts a lot of hot air and filth, so unlike the Buddy, you would have to use it outside, but most importantly in my case, you couldn't leave it unattended, I put my(our) smoko pie(s) in cold from the fridge at 7AM and they are perfect at 10AM, lunch goes in at 10AM and it's bang on at Noon. That's 5 hours at 50Watts = 20.83Ah I fitted a digital thermostat to my Buddy and gave it better insulation, so uses half that amount now
Very timely. As I near the end of a camper build I've been looking at Lithium batteries and discounted Kings keep popping up on my FB feed. The price seemed a bit too good to be true so it's nice to hear they represent decent value for money.
I spent $568.65 for 100ah lifepo4 solarking in 2019. It's been great, and still is. Charged with victron mppt and enerdrive dc2dc, which IMO is key here. Had so many people say it's too cheap (back then) will set in fire, it's got tiles in it it etc etc. It's been a better deal than the king's in reality as it was way before they sold lithium, not saying king's is bad but just highlighting how good this battery has been. However, I have outgrown it in my camping setup now (just more power draw) and I've moved onto an ATG 150ah instead, but, the old Solarking (which has full capacity still measured by victron bmv-712) runs my trolling motor on my tinny 👍😁
Nice work Patrick. Kings gear has come along way since the old days. Wanting to do a fairly budget set up for my nav aswell. Just some long weekend stuff. Thanks for the no bs response to this post mate. Cheers
I've just gone lithium all from Kings also, running the 300Amph battery fixed inside the 70L tuff box also from Kings for security in travel, keeping the battery dry and easier to pick up. Running the 12V power station mounted to the top of the box along with the 500w inverter also mounted to the top of the tuff box.. Charged by 2 X 280w solar panels running 30amp MPPT regulators.. No dramas running everything in need completely off grid for months at a time. I just had over a week of overcast rainy days and my battery didn't drop below 12.8v running a 75L dual zone fridge freezer camp lights and charging devices daily.. I'm very impressed and will be making another power box set up only changing the inverter to the 2000w model increasing my versatility.. 👌
For laptops, I`ve found it easier to get a 12v adapter charger, they work amazing and you don`t have to switch on your inverter. Also, some PCs use USBc charger, and installing a 60w USB booster, will have your gear charged in no time. Hope it helps :)
Been thinking about making the change from AGM to lithium but didn't want to break the bank, this gives me a lot more confidence in making that decision. Great video as always 👌🏻
They seem ok .. But 2 year warranty is of concern for me .. If say it fails in 25 months . Your 2000 cycles dont mean squat .. Surely they could offer 6 or 7 years with a 2000 cycle life warranty.. Which ever comes first .. Most BMS record cycle life now days ..
I have 2 x 120 ah agm batteries @ $200 each I bought 12 months ago. I just bought 1 x 120 ah lithium battery @ $399 So much lighter. Can run more appliances. They are so much better.
Yes, I have a Kings DC/DC charger and the lithium 120 in my Prado for six months. Been so happy with it, when I saw they were on special a few weeks ago I went a bought another for my portable box.
You read my mind!! Been waiting for this video. Thanks for your honesty and time spent before saying it’s any good. The agm in my work Ute is in need of replacing. Because every tradie should have a coffee machine, fridge and microwave also sandwich press. Surprisingly the agm has done well for 2 years now just running off being charged from the battery. Thanks boys!!
We did a lap of aus in our camper trailer with 2 agms to start with a had nothing but issues when in the heat and having the fridge never stop running, we ended up with 2 x 200amp kings lithium batterys and lived off induction while powering whatever you wanted to and farout I am loving it, down to 799 a battery it was a no brainer 🤙 love your videos man!
I will admit I was a kings hater in the beginning, but once I bought the bullet I can say that I've had a change of heart I've had the kings 300ah lithium Battery with the 3000w inverter from kings and to just pull up to camp and to pull out my airfryer and induction and not worrying about gas and wind and having food cooked in 20 to 30 minutes has been a Game changer for me. Having my friends laugh at my setup when I got it. Now, seeing that everyone's of my mates now has airfryer in their car running of kings gears, I'm the one that is laughing now. Kings have come a long way from where they have started. Also, Patrick, keep up the get work and plz stay one of the few/only budget channels for 4wd and camping that's I know. So keep doing what you do best, making legendary videos that all Australians can relate to.
Hey Corey, The 300Ah battery is rated for 150A discharge which is 150A x 12v = 1800W~ Which means your inverter is oversized for your battery. You probably bought that inverter over the 1500W for good reason though. I would have probably done the same. But for others, if you plan to pull lots of current, you may be better off buying 2x 120Ah (2x 100A discharge = 200A x 12v = 2400W capacity) which is more suited to a 3000W inverter However, each individual needs to find the balance between current capacity and storage capacity depending on your needs
@Matty on the website the battery say that it's 150 yes but I have a mate that work at King and I talked to him about it and they changed all the bms in all the lithium the 120 has I 150amp discharge the 200 has 200amp and the 300 has a 300amp
@@mattym00 also make sure if you get kings lithium that's you wake the battery up from it sleep mode first any 230v lithium charger or mppt will do the job cause the dcdc won't pick it up and won't charger the battery
We are currently using a Redarc controller and a Optima AGM battery. All our wiring is proper and we use two 100 watt cheap Harbor Freight solar panels. It has worked well powering our ICECO fridge and our lighting. We don't use it for cooking or large current draws. We will probably upgrade to a inexpensive lithium once it dies. We do have a EcoFlow 100 amp hour lithium battery pack with a 1300 inverter now. It works well so far and charges fairly quickly.
Thanks AA - I bought an Amptron 100ah Lithium battery when Kings prices were similar - I’m now installing a Kings 1500W inverter to the battery via a 100 A circuit breaker and relay so I can isolate the inverter circuit when I don’t need 240v power - all my devices connect via fuse to relays triggered by Narva style rocker switches as I don’t like running power loads through a switch itself - I chose the Kings inverter after a 1 year positive report from a reviewer who tries to break equipment and he was surprisingly impressed that the Kings unit did so well - I use a Redarc charger but their inverters appear to be rebadged Chinese items not like their chargers manufactured in Adelaide South Australia - now I can have real toast for breakfast 😊😊
one more thing you forgot to mention is the constant draw i noticed that the kings says 100A which isn't to bad for basic stuff like most of us do. But some of these cheaper ones can only output 50A max constant draw which is crap wouldn't run a small compressor even . some of the bigger brands do 150A to 200A and that's where the extra money is going. love your vids mate keep up the good work
I bought the same battery just over a week ago it was $599 but with a battery box $499 go figure. We went away for a week and didn’t realise for a couple of days solar wasn’t plugged in never dropped past 13.1 running the fridge and after that never dropped once solar was on. I bought it as a quick replacement b4 we left. I was very surprised how good it was and now after ur review I’m convinced it’s a winner cheers mate🤙🤙
1 point overlooked is the maximum continous discharge current of the battery. Agree the induction cooker is very hard on the lithium battery and in my case have measured battery discharge current of 168 amp @ 12Volts, with my induction cooker at 1800Watts. Many lithium batteries are only rated at 120 amps maximum continous discharge current. Just some thing to keep in mind if you want to run induction cooker harder than 1200 - 1400 watts (240VAC) of power.
Great review 🤘👍 imo Kings definitely has a place in the market and their products aren’t that bad. The only real issue I have ever had is with their weak original pullout awnings bending poles and Velcro not holding. I still have the original Big Daddy swag that is 12yrs old and still use on every trip. Their draw system was ok too, had it 10yrs before I sold the car and only ever broke the catches.
same, only issue is the awning. i barely use my awning now, i bought a kings 3x3 gazebo-ma-jig and thats worked wonders so far. plus it means the car isnt immobile when camp is setup.
That all depends on the product. The Kings branded MPPT small charger, the blue one with a USB socket smack in the middle of the front if it, is junk. It has terrible voltage regulation and will overshoot quite badly as say clouds pass over head and light levels go up and down. The voltage points, absorption/equalisation times, or even tail currents is not adjustable nor even documented. As an added bonus you get to pay about twice what the precise same thing, sans Kings branding, goes for on aliexpress. Not saying that all Kings branded stuff is junk but a case of buyer beware. The trick is, does the average man off the street have the nous to know which of Kings branded stuff should be avoided? Probably not.
Yes. I’d never buy a kings awning again but I have plenty of other stuff from them. Thousands worth and it’s all been good. Except for the weak awning.
Another well constructed video, real world reviews for budget builds, not just brand bashing for sponsors. I'd definitely consider these when I upgrade from my 150 ah setup.
Agree, I’m not a big fan of kings gear. But I got this battery and it has been the best item they make by far. Constantly running in the back of my car for over a year. No issues.
I only want a lithium battery to run a watersnake trolling motor on a kayak. This looks like it would do the job perfectly. Thanks for the great review!
I bought a kings 200 amp battery brand new. It was missing a cell and over heated my dc to dc charger and wiring. Kings replace everything for free and haven’t had a problem since would recommend but be careful.
I switched to a 170Ah Giant Slimline Lithium 12 months ago after losing two Deep Cycle AGM batteries within 3 months. With the battery coming in at around $1090 and $400 odd for the DC-DC Charger and about $300 in wiring, it's been worth the change, even though . . . . being a firefighter . . . there has been a little anxiety over the Lithium battery catching fire, which has been on the increase in recent years. As a Event Medic, I run non stop a Brass Monkey 65Lt Up-right Fridge, a 100w HF Radio, 3x Digital Radios, 1x CB Radio, Dual Band Handheld Radio Charging, and as needed a Mini-travel Buddy, 12v 160Lpm compressor, Canopy/camp Lighting, Roof Driving Lights, Scene Lights with a 110w Kings Solar Panel input via the charger with no problem. The only issue I have had, was a dicky circuit braker between the Charger and Battery which I had to swap out this pass week.
I use a 60AH Kings LI battery in my Farrier F22 Trimaran, it is a very light boat so having a light battery is the go, It powers my 2 way radio, lights, mooring lights and stereo. If I use the boat over a few nights like sailing to Tassie from Victoria, I use a Bluetti AC200Max inverter/Li battery system for induction cooking, microwaving, this is a portable system. You should checkout the Bluetti systems. Great video, thanks for presenting it.
Great vid Patrick. Kings gear does get a bad wrap unfortunately due to the original tigerz11 gear that came out and poor customer service initially. Like anything it has to start somewhere and they have improved a lot over the years. I’m a believer that you buy the best you can afford and more than often lately kings has been that. We can’t all buy the most expensive because that’s what the marketing says we should. Your channel caters for the common 4wd’er who doesn’t use it every day and that’s the best they can afford. Keep up the great vids mate, your channel is awesome!!!!
Hi mate. Totally agree kings do get a bad rap which I find hard to understand. I buy a lot of their products and have done some reviews. Only ever had 1 issue which was a hot water system which failed on first use. Went to kings and they replaced without incident. Great service great price Cheers Out There Touring
I am running Amptron brand 48 volt lithium batteries at home as I live off grid and after 2.5 years since changing over to Lithium's I have been very happy. Before Lithium were invented I was running flooded lead acid batteries, then AGM and yes I also suffered from voltage sage when I would draw a higher current. Lithium is sure a game changer in the off grid / remote power world. Will be interesting to see if we get the longevity out of these batteries as the manufacturer claims, time will tell. 👍
I’ve been running itechworld 120 lithiums both under bonnet in my Cruiser and two under the bed in my caravan for about 3 years now. Amazing how many people will tell you about them catching fire etc. not one of these guys has actually seen it happen though. I know older technology was sketchy but I would NEVER go back to AGM. Great video 😊
People confuse Lithium-ion (Li-ion) with Lithium Phosphate (LifePO4). The "fire issues" are associated with Li-ion. Not to say that LifePo4 can't catch on fire, however the event is not at all as severe as with Li-ion.
@@cyclemoto8744 thanks. I’m a retired electrician and I do know the difference. I know that a phone or drill battery can catch fire. And in the day when I had lpg powered cars,
I have the 135ah Atlas lithium battery. Paid $650. Best purchase I made for my set-up. Because I live on the road, I drain it constantly, couldn't do it with my old 120ah AGM battery. I do plan to get a second battery to get a total of 270ah. I have a gaming laptop thats power hungry, so I have 780w solar panel set-up. Can't leave it on 24/7 yet. But once i get my second battery i will be able to. Definitely recommend lithium upgrade for your set-up.
Great review as always mate. Covered just about everything there. I have lots of Kings gear Only thing I would add if you are starting out and don't have all the shunt setup for battery monitoring it's worth paying a little extra for a lithium battery with Bluetooth as it's not easy to know your SOC (state of charge) at any given time. Giant do them and are good performers. I've commented to Kings about adding Bluetooth. Let's hope they do one day! Keep up the great work!
just went to dual 80AH DCS system under bonnet. both charged directly from alternator, so no need for extra charger. Fantastic system and wish I did it sooner!
Yeah I've got one 80ah and t saved my butt this week when I lost my alternator and had to winch a tree clear of the road, then drove 2 hours home with the headlights, got back with 60% remaining!!
Dude thank you SO MUCH. I actually work at kings and even I didn't have the sort of info you've presented. Pretty set on buying one now! At the end of the video you asked for our experiences with kings so I guess I'll share mine. First kings product I got was a baby's first 2.5x2.5 awning. Hated it. The guide ropes and pegs it came with were useless so it got blown over backwards by a tiny fart of wind. However, everything I've bought since then has been pretty good to be honest. I got sold a dud AGM at the start but it was replaced and even tested the new one to make sure it was good to go within 24 hours. Current setup is rocking a 270° free standing awning with sidewalls I picked up for about 600 and something including the 2 walls. Love it, straight up best thing I have. Running a 160W fixed solar panel that fits perfectly on top of my dog box. Admittedly the stupid way I installed it all means that I have to push the back arm of my awning on top of the solar panel. This cause some flex in the panel but even in a huge storm the other month it all held together, nothing broke and everything still works perfectly. Picked up a seconds 65L fridge for just over 200 bucks with a one year warranty, just missing its 240v cable: love it. Got a 115ah AGM with battery box for $228. Haven't had any problems so far and the battery box is an awesome option. Fridge slide works great, does lock up sometimes but easy enough to wiggle back in if needed. Got the 4 bar LED camp light kit so each arm of the 270° awning has a light bar (with dimmer). Love it. Should add too that I've had the Big Daddy swag for like 6 or 7 years and that thing has been through HELL and is still going strong. The original plastic fitting holding the centre pole to full extension did perish but they literally gave me a brand new one for free on the spot so no complaints there either. Smaller items include the 2in1 LED fans, they're OK but they CHEW batteries. Kings does plan (rumour has it) to release a rechargeable lithium 2in1 fan in the future though. Love their Bluetooth speaker, their head torches are good enough for the price (considering they're usually thrown into bundle deals for almost free), love their lithium work lights and their 1000a jump starter as well. Honestly yeah kings gets a bad rap about some of their stuff but I love the place. No way I could have all this awesome gear without them and their prices. As we all know, avoid the standard 20a MPPT and go for either the 15a PWM regulator or the premium 20a MPPT instead but otherwise, I love it!
Thank you so much for the comment mate! Good to hear about your experience! Yeah they do get a bad wrap, but aslong as you do research you can find good products that will get you out there! And yeah I think this battery is one of them!
Bro this has been a great and informative video. I'd already bought the Kings battery, figured as a weekend warrior and really not going out very often I'd take the chance on the cheap King's. Its been solid the couple of times I've used it. What was a bonus was that I ordered the 120Ah and they sent the 200Ah 😂 thanks for the deep dive and providing more long term use review.
Just went to a120 lithium with a20 amp atempower dc dc and a200watt atempower blanket and I barely have to use the blanket! I only run a65 liter fridge and led lights, drone charge and jbl speaker charge... Very simple set up but it won't go under 13.2 over a few days... amazing. Just about to fit a600 sine wave inverter for my tv so I keen to test it further, cheers for the video mate, john
Hey I’ve spotted a pretty important issue. You’re missing the battery using it with a 2000w inverter and discharging it at 1800w using the induction cooker. It’s rated at 100amp discharge with a peak current of 160amps for 10 seconds. Your discharging it at no less than 150amps when using the induction cooker. A few key things are concerning for me. The BMS is not working. It should shut that battery down as it’s operating outside of its acceptable range and specifications. So I’d the BMS downs have the absolute basic feature of over current protection then think about what else it could be missing! You need a second battery to run in parallel. Then you can go nuts with your set up and induction cooker as you’ll have 200 amps continuous then.
I so like this channel as I find it so honest, and not out to con people. Great review too. I'll be buying one in a few months when they go on special; currently they are $599.
Great review, the only thing that would worry me would be vibration resistance, internally, will they hold up to many kms of corrugations and rough roads. There are quite a bit electronics in a battery, if they were fully potted I'd probably be a lot happier !!!
Don’t quote me but I think I read somewhere that they use prismatic cells which apparently are really good for off-road use. I read so much stuff sometimes I don’t know if I’m Arthur or Martha but that’s okay as well apparently 🤪
Spent the same on a kings 120ah battery, de-dc charger, battery box, 30L drawer fridge, 160w solar panel, Anderson plugs, cable, glands My whole setup was cheaper than a redarc 100ah lithium and I never have had to plug it in the car (other than initial charge up after purchasing, as recommended in install instructions) I've just had the fridge on in the canopy 24/7 keeping my lunch and drinks cold everyday for the last two months
Yep on special for just under $400, hard to go past if you need a new one. The other factor is that you get the use of the full capacity unlike AGM. Even better is the slimline lithium for under $350. I will be upgrading when to old one dies. Thanks for the review @AussieArvos.
This is the first time I have seen you and I must congratulate you on a most interesting and informative video. I am currently getting a lithium battery conversion done in my boat and you answered a lot of questions I had. Great video!
Hasn't had a super lot of use yet but I picked up 2 from Jaycar for 400 a throw, actually cheaper because you get a voucher every 200 if you sign up. The energy density is insane. If camping 4 days or less I don't worry about packing panels because there is no need. The weight savings is also insane, if you have portable packs like I do that is worth the trade up alone.
I've enjoyed your vids on this stuff mate. Loving your authenticity and willingness to test brands others snub because they are cheap. We aren't all cashed up, and your take is very much appreciated. I built my 12v setup for my ute's canopy on the cheap(ish) using a pair of slimine AtemPower 100Ah LiFePo4's, a Renogy 50a DCDC charger+Renogy 2000W inverter+Renogy battery monitor, and 2x 160W Wanderer hard panels from BCF. I probably would have saved a few bucks overall if I had of considered giving some Kings gear a shot, but I do love the front wall mounted slimline batteries not hogging much canopy space. Not all smooth sailing, the absolute chongus unit of a Renogy DC charger ran fine for about 3 weeks, but then out of the blue suddenly melted on the solar input side (supposedly rated for 660W) and nearly caught on fire, the only loads on the batteries at the time were just a fridge, battery monitor and Ryobi One+ charger running off the inverter, which were all still running during my scramble to safely shut everything down.. Renogy tech support team was mysteriously silent and didn't even respond to the support ticket, leaving their poor social media/online chat guy I initially contacted them through fielding for them, but in the end the company was at least honourable enough to refund me which I'm thankful for. My canopy still reaks a bit of the foul plastic death though, but thankfully that's starting to fade. The experience left me a little paranoid, and I replaced the fried stinky unit with a RedArc 40amp BCDC core which cost about $130 more. It's a quarter the size and much better quality, but kinda boring features-wise in comparison, no bluetooth nor starter battery maintaining. I can live with that. But anyway, so far so good, running a 85L upright Brass Monkey fridge (draws about 15-16amps overnight, but convenient as hell), some hardkorr light bars, and 240V stuff like a cheap small Kmart microwave, a BCF 2000W induction cooktop, 750W ALDI sandwich/waffle press, ALDI pod coffee machine, and occasionally a 450W (Kmart?) rice cooker off the 2KW Renogy inverter without any further disasters. The solar panels perform well, provided they aren't partially shaded. The biggest battery eater has surprisingly been the rice cooker (it takes ages, and uses 25-30amps depending on rice type) pre-soaking for half an hour barely made any difference. I'll try the Instant Pot next time using the 3 minute cook+10 minute natural vent method I use at home to see how it compares. (Someone please do a decent video on the cooking efficiency topic, lol.)
Great video, but..... the comment you referenced @ 5:09 stated that: "Overcurrent protection was tested @250A and did not function". As the battery itself is only rated at 100A continuous discharge, and 160A (10 seconds), that would be enough for me to AVOID it. Sure you can ad extra protection at the terminals, but I bet many will run an unprotected cable for some distance to a protection device (fuse or breaker). You'd want to know what the battery BMS eventually trips at before you selected that cable size. Short the terminals or put 2 batteries in parallel and there is no protection for the internal cells. There goes your 4WD up in flames I certainly wouldn't feel comfortable sleeping in a roof top tent above it, or putting it under the bed of a caravan (as many do).
Great Vid, been testing 2 budget Lithium batteries. 1 X Kings 200 ah & 1x Powertech 100 ah. Identical 4x4s but different DC DCs and differing solar panels. Both Batteries have performed flawlessly. The Kings unit is the real deal as is the Powertech from Jaycar, but having 200ah for the same price as a 100ah, wins. I use my gear, too many guys spend the weekends polishing their inverter, then driving to the mall, rather than seeing our beautiful countryside.
The discharge amps got me. I run a air fryer, duel induction cook top, kettle, bread maker and so on. I went the ATG 300ah battery with 250amp dischare/charge rate. I do run the kings 3000w invertor with no problems but decided the 200amp kings lithium would not be enough
I have 4 of the kings 200Ah (LiFePO4) batteries in my shed - standing by for peak shedding or Blackout preparedness (shed based solar system charges it for "free" in the day - Feed in Tarifs are pretty terrible these days. - it is a bit of an experiment for the present ongoing into the future. I also have a Renogy 200Ah (LiFePO4) bluetooth battery in my ute (with Renogy DC-DC charger and 1kW UPS_ Inverter, it has been in there for around a year so far - (2x 100W flexible solarpanels easily fit on my roofrack - adding a removable timber standoff rack, rigid loads can also be carried without taking the panels off, great for trips to Bunnings - this totally makes parking the ute for any length of time no hassle, no problems with flat batteries - Renogy 50A BCDC (DC-DC MPPT) is bidirectional, charging the starter battery too.), no problems with the setups so far, let's see how it is all surviving in 2030??
Thanks for this. Weight alone has got to be a plus. Having seen LiPo batteries catch fire from impact I would think it worth stressing the need to ensure care when mounting, storing and handling to avoid impacts, vibration, water across terminals and high temp. I am not sure how an insurance assessor would regard a claim made against a vehicle fire if an accessory LiPo has initiated it.
@@MW-us3sv That's the million dollar question I guess. One where the manufacturer's, licensing authority and accepted use protocols have been closely adhered to? It is good to see that manufacturers are building in safeguard electronics but I am at pains to ensure my accessory battery which I have installed in my vehicle myself is firmly bolted down, kept cool and well electrically insulated and is charged and discharged correctly and at safe rates....just in case.
Just a quick observation. One cycle is not from 100% State of Charge (SoC) to, say, 95% Depth of Discharge (DoD). A measured cycle is determined by the manufacturer and they use Peukert's Law. Peukert's law expresses mathematically that as the rate of discharge increases, the available capacity of that battery decreases exponentially, often at a sudden point. This is where Lithiums at different price points differ dramatically. The manufacturers typically pick a point, for a cycle, where the roll-off in Voltage occurs the fastest, which in a cheaper battery might be 60% DoD. I have 2 x 300Ah Enerdrive Lithiums (in a new van - I'm 64, retired and can afford them) where the next cycle starts at 80% DoD from 100% SoC. SoC is different to 'fully charged'. My wife and I live on the road in a smallish caravan I have 680W of solar on the van roof and twin 40Ah MPPT controllers (roof and 200W Redarc solar blanket). 80Ah charger for shore power and a 60Ah while driving. My inverter is 2300W and I employ induction cooking. Best tips? You can buy an 800W toaster, a 900W sandwich press, a 1000W kettle, a 750W hairdryer and so on - check for wattage. In my diesel tug, I have a 'secondary 100Ah AGM battery' for charging devices and lights, and some bells and whistles. A 100Ah Redarc GoBlock for the Bushman's fridge and a 100Ah Safiery slimline to run the travel buddy. 100W of solar on the roof. I've also run an Itechworld, under bonnet 125Ah 'hybrid' Lithium for three years. While flooded cell and AGMs have to 'power up' when the key is turned, this battery 'just starts' the engine instantly. It's been exposed to 50C and minus 8C - flawless. Corrugations on more than several tracks around Oz, beaches and water crossings. I couldn't do this in my twenties/thirties or forties - but I learnt a lot especially in my fifties, and this VLOG is a great start for young'uns.
Hi Aussie Arvos, I bought 2 Kings 120 Ah batteries today after watching your enthusiastic presentations last night. Terrific video and gives a lot of confidence to someone new to the game. Thanks Mate, Bruce
got a DCS lithium and very happy with it. the only thing with the Kings one i se is the max discharge of 100amp. that not much over 1000w of power so you would have to throttle back the induction cooker from full noise not to trip it out. if not electrical cooking its sure is a winner.
Hi Aussie Arvos, Did I hear correctly that you're getting 1800watts out of this 120AH battery setup? I need a setup that can do 1800watts and I was thinking I would need to go for a 200Ah battery given that the 100Ah specs say only 100Amps continuous output (approximately1200watts continuous). Is it the case that in practice you can get more than 100A continuous out of this battery? Cheers
Mate, excellent video. I've been looking to get a second battery, solar and fridge set up in my old Prado but really don't get away often enough or for long enough periods of time to justify a high dollar set up. It's basically just me for a few days fishing , not even a week and I'm happy to cook on my little gas stove or open fire. Keeping the fridge going and charging phones and cameras is about as taxing as it'll get unless I need to run my air compressor. Looks like this battery and a solar charge will be more than enough for me so thanks for the review. It's great to see you young blokes out there putting this stuff up for an old geezer like me and it's much appreciated that you review the budget end of the spectrum...I had to stop watching another guy for 4WD advice as everything was mostly top dollar...cars and all and to be honest, it's a little depressing with that much money involved. Thanks again, I'm subbed now.
Honestly, with that, even reconsider the solar. If you get 3days out of the battery, run the car for a few hours on idle to charge the battery, and you've saved the money on solar... depending how often you go, of course
Videos like this is what makes this channel great. You're a 4wd channel thats not sponsored by the latest and greatest and it makes you guys so genuine. What you use and what you do is actually achievable to the average aussie and I love that. I hate these channels like *cough* 4wd247 that go out with 200k rigs and pretend like they're doing it rough haha.
Thanks mate, i apprecieate the support, i enjoying being able to do videos on more budget orientented products that are more relatable for the average camper! Cheers :)
Moving to under the bonnet lithiums from Deep Cycle Systems. Yes, costs a bit more, but tried and tested, no DC-DC charger needed and don't need to take extra room within the cab. 👍👍
Great honest review. Good to see these days. I also run 2 x 200 kings lithium with 3000 watt Inverter and have had no drama with them over the last 18 months.
Very interesting video. I recently bought 3 115Ah AGMs from Kings. One was good, one dropped a cell pretty early and the third wouldn't charge above12.5v. I took them back and about 2 weeks later Kings refunded my money (after repeatedly chasing them up). Im not quite ready to move to Lithium yet because weight isn't an issue on a sailing boat. But thermal runaway would be.'When I do I wouldn't rule out kings batteries.
I’ve been running the Kings 25A DCDC charger and it hasn’t skipped a beat! It charges my 120Ah battery really well, is predictable and reliable. I would recommend them also.
like most been thinking of upgrading for a while, but my good old 120ah agm wont die, i only run fridge, lights and charge a couple of things and run it off a 170w panel, so its not really getting a hard life, 4 years and counting now, hoping the slim ones come down in price when i do upgrade. as always great vid keep it up lads. cheers
When I was in the Dandenong store about a month back one of the managers was saying they’re on track to sell 1 million fridges within the first quarter of the year. With a million being sold there is bound to be issues, but even if 10,000 are returned that’s still only 1%. Fantastic review showcasing facts and results with relatable information.
What a load of BS. So they are selling 4 million fridges to a population of 26m, what is every child getting one in school? Every year a new on as well?
Good advice. I'm looking at installing a lithium when the agm in our Defender dies. Our caravan has an Enerdrive 200 amp lithium, 240v and 12v chargers and 2000 watt inverter and its a great set up. Lithium should last 2-3 times as long as an agm so that makes up for the higher initial cost. Only way to go.
Another great review. I use a lot of kinks gear and have very little to say on the negative side but a lot of positive. Kings vs ebay is a hands down win for Kings. They also out do other brands that knock kings. 4 years ago I bought an Australian made high quality DCS 75ah Li battery at $950 with a 5 year warranty and it has been without fault. It replaced 2 x 100ah AGM batteries in our van and it out performs the AGMs. As you stated, it holds full voltage all the way to the end when lead acid starts to drop off from the start. Li can have a much better max discharge current like the 75ah DCS that is rated at 150A but goes beyond that. It not only runs the coffee machine but makes coffees for us and the neighbors. The 2 x AGMs just couldn't do one. The weight saving is fantastic. 2 x 34kg (68kg) vs about 10kgs. BUT, the best thing is the recharge time or the lack of it compared to the 2 x 100 agms. With the same solar in put, the agms would be a lost cause but the Li comes back to live by the end of the day. Last camp trip my family camped next to us has a 120 agm with similar solar input. The battery died and my 75ah DCS ran their fridge and camp but it started to come down around 40%. As there was power available at a camp kitchen I use my 16amp standard battery charger to charge the 75ah Lithium in a few hours over night. Try doing that with 2 x 100 agms. The 75ah DCS is a lot better battery than the kings and better than most on the market. It has 150A max discharge and the 100ah has 200A discharge. They can be used under the bonnet as 2nd battery and as a start battery and with 2 under the bonnet they easily power a winch. They are top shelf. I also use the 75ah to run a 65lb electric motor on a boat. BUT, the cost of 2 x 120ah DCS batteries is a hard pill to swallow. I have been looking and waiting for Li Batteries to come down in price and I have been watching to weed out the cheap junk. The Kings 120ah at $500 is goon value. The 100A discharge means it won't run a coffee machine so that means I need 2 at $1,000 but then I would have 220ah for when the sun goes out. I could buy 1 x 100ah DCS with 200A discharge and a 5 year warranty. I gues Kings have a 2 year warranty for a reason? There are a few things that make some Li batteries better than others. Obviously the cell quality and their voltage matching is the first. The BMS quality is a big one. As with DCS and their 200A discharge that means a much better and more powerful build than any 100A BMS. A longer warranty is also an indication of better confidence from the manufacturer so one could conclude a better overall build quality. Some cheap BMSs don't have any cell balancing so they can be less safe and will not last so long. The next level is passive balancing which is ok. Then there is ative balancing which will add years to the battery life and provide a higher and more constant higher voltage. I can't find out if kings have any balancing or what type they have. DCS have the best being active balancing so I guess 5 year warranty is a no brainer? I beleive kings batteries are made by Lion batteries. My guess the kings are a lower quality than the general lion lithium. If I was to buy new batteries today I would go for a 200ah kings at under $800 or 2 x 100ah VoltX at a little over $1,000. I prefer 2 batteries over one larger one. VoltX now have a 5 year warranty. They only have passive cell balancing but I would accept that. Again thank you for a great honest review and marry that girl before she wakes up. :) Ps. I have been having a great run with kings semi-flexible solar panels for the lst few years.
Wow, wow, wow. Great review. Well done mate. Top of the class. Cheers and keep up the great work. Happy travels and remember to fit a smoke detector inside your battery / appliance area for early warning and incident intervention....with a fire blanket or fire extinguisher / lots of water for lithium battery fires as they are somewhat unpredictable so fit them in a fireproof sold stainless steel thick container that can vent to the outside of the vehicle just in case..... 🙂
I was pleasantly surprised how long lithium batteries last for, compared to equivalent sized lead acid batteries. i use mine with an inverter, and with the lead acid battery, I would (like you say) have a voltage drop after a while under load, triggering the low voltage cut off on the inverter. Not an issue with my lithium battery. Worth the extra money for sure.
Great title. It lures in 2 kinds of people: 1thats a bit pessimistic about their-just-bought king product and the other that wants to, disappointing though,the bashing. I agree with u, haven't had an issue with kings except their return policy which sounds un-aussie but business-wise, make sense . Thanks for the vid. Good job!
Such a helpful video AA! Thoroughly researched and tested! I haven't gone to Lithiumville yet but you've made the best case for it... and Kings 😅 Well done lads 🤙
Good review. I have to wait till my current charger in the van dies then I'm going to also get kings lithium batteries. I'm currently using their agm and have not had a problem with them.
Followed this from your old kings mppt solar controller failure and was hoping for a good outcome as I was interested in this battery. I know people with Victron but it's $2000 so I was looking into kings. One thing that stands out though is the fact the 100ah Victron is about half the size! But good to see you've had good life out of the Kings battery. E: I sell certain brands but I run a mix of things myself - Kings, Jaycar, motop tent 220w solar panel etc.
If your going to a 40-60amp DC-DC charger you need to make sure your alternator produces enough amps otherwise you will burn through alternators! A lot of 4x4's only have 90amp alternators as standard which is why people replace them with 120+ amp alternators.
I went a bit of a mixed bag. Went to a supplier on the sunny coast for battery and battery box, jaycar for Dcdc charger. I find content such as this beneficial, thanks for sharing your experience.
Great video, really useful info! I really value reviews of this type over a lot of the content out there that is clearly sponsored... You known, the guys out there recommending a different product for the same job every year depending on who has the stickers on the car that season.
Great vid, but personally prefer gas cooktops, saves on the massive load. But the small ovens are great. I run a lot of radio gear as well and 2 of these are faultless. Never run out of power, and always set up a 200w solar panel when in camp.
I'm "mostly" unfamiliar with every brand posted around the 4 minute mark..the only reason I've heard of any of them, is because of RU-vid. Further, I have never spent as much as the very least listed (Power Volt), and tho I need "more", they're doing fine. I have Redodo, Power Queen, TimeUSB, and Weize, and tho I got them all during great sales, $300 per 100Ah is the MOST I've spent on any battery, and they're all doing well so far (2 years for the longest owned ones). Oh, and things aren't headed toward Lithium, it BEEN at Lithium for quite some time. No one goes with anything but Lithium unless they have a special requirement factor, or are trying to save a bit of coin (who isn't) but honestly, Lithium is the cheapest in the long run, it just hurts up front.
Good review!. I saw another review on youtube showing it's likely made of used cells. That's probably why it's rated for 2000 cycles instead of 4000 cycles + and why it weighs 15kg. If they are 150ah cells, they can probably still reach 120ah after 2000 cycles. But still, it could be a good budget option.
