Fogstar Battery Review (Lithium)
Let’s get stuck into another leisure/solar battery analysis, one of our favourite types of review.
Fogstar are a maker whose LiFePO4 batteries have exploded in popularity in the last 2 or 3 years, and they’ve become well regarded for the quality of their products. They’re a UK company, based in Worcestershire.
This is our Fogstar Battery Review.
We’ll give you the full lowdown on this battery – how good are the Lithium cells, how is its power performance over time, how does it compare to other LiFePO4 batteries.
We’ll focus on the Fogstar Drift Eco 305Ah battery for this review
Here’s where to check out the price and specifications, on Amazon.
See photo, specifications below, and then dig into the full review.
Fogstar Lithium Battery 305Ah
- Capacity: 305Ah
- Dimensions: 39 x 19 x 27 cm
- Weight: 28kg
- Cycle lifepsan: 4000 cycles
Fogstar Lithium Battery 100Ah
- Capacity: 100Ah
- Dimensions: 26 x 16.8 x 20.9cm
- Weight: 11kg
- Cycle lifepsan: 4000 cycles
What things did we rate the Fogstar LiFePO4 battery for in this review?
We rated it for:
- Sustained power performance
- Grade of Lithium cells
- Build quality and toughness/ability to withstand moving around, coming into contact with other objects
- Likely longevity based on factors including Lithium cell grade, robustness/build quality, and level of waterproof/dustproof protection
Rating the Fogstar Lithium Battery
What did we like and dislike about this LiFePO4 battery?
Fogstar Lithium Battery
Pros and who is the right buyer type for this 12V battery:
Higher cycle lifespan than most of the market
Most of the top brand of Lithium battery are rated for 3000 cycles, occasionally 3500 cycles. This Fogstar Drift 305Ah battery is rated for 4000 cycles to 80% DoD. That’s impressive. It’s become relatively common for LiFePO4 battery brands to proclaim the likely lifespan of the battery is 10 years; with this Fogstar battery that seems possible.
Near-unprecendented level of water proof and dustproof protection (IP67)
This is a common feature for Fogstar batteries, and few other makers can match this level of protection. The IP67 rating shows this battery is waterproof and dustproof to a level far beyond most other LiFePO4 batteries, even at the top end of the market. This is a suprisingly extreme level of resistance to dust and water ingress; most of the batteries that do have this protection, have IP65 at best. That means it’s entirely dustproof, and can handle water jets (not just splashes). But the Fogstar Drift Eco battery goees a step further; the 7 part of the IP67 rating meaning that it can handle even immersion in water, up to 1 metre. That makes it an ideal for use as a marine battery, or indeed as a leisure battery used in some situation where extensive water splashing is possible.
A high charge and discharge maximum
Maximum discharge of 250 Amps is great. You may think that’s disappointing for a 305Ah battery, but the much more expensive Renogy 300Ah battery (the winner in our Best 300Ah Lithium battery article), for example, has a maximum discharge current of 200A. This is testament to the use of very up-to-date Lithium cells that can handle a much higher discharge amperage than even cells from 3 or 4 years ago.
Cons and why it may not be the right option for you:
You could call it a no-frills battery
Why? Because there are now a few batteries on the UK market offering some pretty nice features at not too high a price. We’re thinking of a heating mode – where, if it gets too cold, the battery can heat itself up. And having a Bluetooth App. This is something you may think of as bells and whistles. But plenty of people have said that and then found it very useful to get such detailed information on the App about the battery’s state of charge and power usage. This allows them to estimate much more accurately how much more time they can use it to power their their devices.
Where can you get it?
Fogstar Battery Review (Lithium) Summary
That’s it for our Fogstar Battery Review, hope it’s been a helpful read for you.
This battery stacks up well against more expensive batteries, in the vast majority of categories. Its sustained high power performance is excellent (comparable to the also excellent Eco Worthy batteries), better than even some top-range LiFePO4 batteries. And it can be charged with a very high amperage of 250A as well. That means if you have sufficient charging power, you can charge it up really fast; making it a great option for off-grid power.
The main advantage of some other batteries over this one are superior features, like heating mode and a Bluetooth App.
Check out price and specs on Amazon, for the 305Ah model. Or indeed the 100Ah model.
Good luck for your battery choice, whether this Fogstar Drift Eco battery is the right one for you, or another one.