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Old September 18th 20, 03:09 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
2G
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Default Powersonic "Smart Battery" tested

On Tuesday, September 15, 2020 at 8:35:28 PM UTC-7, wrote:
((meh))

You're a pretty smart guy, 2g. Let's stop splitting hairs here.

The LiFe offers better capacity to weight ratio across the board. The price (I found one for 64 bucks) isn't bad either. Not EVEN a close competition to Bioenno or the rest of the pack.

I paid 10 bucks (It hurt me) for an aged out (imprinted date code) AGM battery (bat-tree if you're from Memphis) and was happy to get it. Two....three seasons tops. I'm not gonna cry. Really.

But do you realistically think the LiFe battery we're talking about will deliver worse performance for the dollar than the AGM I already bought? I don't think so and I bet you don't either. Tell me I'm wrong?

I honestly hope OSTIV steps up and pushes a JAR standard for this for broader acceptance. It's overdue and I think it would pave the way for improvements that could help safety. But then, I've always tried to take the long view on ****. It's just how I roll. But then, I'm not Wes M. so it's not like I know anything.

Respectfully.....


Since you addressed me directly I will respond. I was not talking about the cost of LFP vs SLA batteries by any metric - I just commented on the terms in the warranty. A 10-year warranty (which is really just an 8-year warranty) sounds pretty impressive until you find that it doesn't cover loss of capacity:

This Limited Warranty does not cover a Product that has reached its normal end of life due to usage which may occur prior to the Warranty Period. A battery can deliver only a fixed amount of Energy over its life which will occur over different periods of time depending on the application. For example, cycling the battery more than 1 time daily, will cause the normal end of life to occur before the end of the Warranty Period. The Manufacturer reserves the right to
deny a warranty claim if the Product is determined, upon inspection, to be at its normal end of life even if within the Warranty Period.

Note that the sole arbiter of this clause is not you, but the Manufacturer (them). As they say, the large print giveth and the small print taketh away..

Personally, I am a strong supporter of LFP batteries: I use them in my own glider. The reason is simple: SLA batteries can't provide the energy I need to operate my full glass panel cockpit - not even close. As a plus, I don't expect to have to swap the battery every couple of years, a disagreeable task at best in the ASH26 or 31.

Tom