If you are in a hurry and just want to know if this competitively priced 12V LiFePO4 - 50Ah Battery with Bluetooth is any good? After using it for several days my opinion is yes. It's well worth the money and works as advertised. My review follows.
My first experience with a reBel battery was with their 50AH model. I use it to power a 12V workbench used for testing equipment. I was impressed with the quality packing. The company packs its batteries well. The battery came protected packed in plenty of foam and contact information was included.
The battery has a label clearly stating its features, charge, and discharge ratings. The max charge current is 25A and the max discharge current is 50A continuous.
The case is plastic but feels pretty strong and the handle on top I thought was a nice touch. It's in the middle so it won't get in the way if you're putting the battery in a tight space and makes it easy to lift it out. The handle goes pretty close to the top of the battery when it isn't being used and will go in a groove on the top of the battery if any weight presses it so it won't prevent covers on battery boxes from closing. It's plastic but easily capable of supporting more than the weight of this battery.
One of the best features this battery has everyone will enjoy no matter what your battery needs are is Bluetooth. This is full-featured Bluetooth, not just a voltage reading. It eliminates the need to buy a separate battery monitor or Shunt saving money, space and time. There's a rocker switch on top of the battery covered with a rubber boot for waterproofing to turn the Bluetooth on and off that's lit when it's on. The Bluetooth uses very little power. I left it on for several days and didn't see any noticeable loss in capacity.
For anyone using a wheelchair, the Bluetooth feature is a great way for you to monitor your battery. For the visually impaired this is a must-have feature. Whether you're totally blind or don't see well enough to read a meter this battery opens a world of information for you. With the free app, you can get for IOS or Android phones and tablets you can know everything and more than you ever wanted to know about your battery including the voltage and current when charging or discharging, how many amp-hours are left, the amount of charge remaining and even the individual cell voltages just to mention some of the information available with the included Bluetooth. You can even change settings. That app is a different version that's free on Android but it's a paid app on IOS. Well worth the seven dollars though if you want to make changes. If not, the free app is all you need.
The terminals are screw type and both terminals are located on one end of the battery. Two bolts long enough to hold one cable that can be tightened with a wrench or a Phillips screwdriver were included. This is nice hardware. The Flat and Lock Washers are already on the bolts and don't come off. This is handy if you are always switching cables. Wing screws that are just a little longer might be better if you move the battery from one thing to another often. If you can't see writing, the plus and minus signs are engraved in the case so you can easily tell which terminal is plus and which one is minus.
reBel batteries are Lithium Iron Phosphate Batteries. This is very safe and stable chemistry and the internal Battery Management System protects the battery in many situations including a short circuit.
Unlike lead-acid batteries these batteries deliver 12 volts or above until almost the end of their cycle whether you use one amp or the full rated discharge rating of the battery. To illustrate this, show just how stable reBel batteries are and how gradual the voltage drops here is a test I ran discharging at 16.5 amps. The test was started after giving the battery thirty seconds to adjust to the load. At that time the first reading was 13.2V.
One hour, 13.14V.
Two hours, 12.91V.
Three hours, 12.56V.
Three hours fifteen minutes, 12.14V. From this point the voltage fell pretty fast, but, you can discharge these batteries down to 10 volts if you're using lights or something that will operate below 12 volts. The BMS did turn the battery off a little above 10 volts.
As you can see what you pay for is what you get with these batteries in usable capacity at 12V. I ran the test three times and didn't notice any loss in capacity. What I did notice was each time the battery charged the total capacity shown went up. When I received the battery it showed 50AH. After a few charge and discharge cycles, it topped off at a little over 55AH. Having the BMS calibrate each time the battery is charged is a great feature. As the battery ages, you will see how much capacity it has left.
I only found one thing some people might see as a negative but it isn't. When the battery sits for a day or two after charging the capacity will show lower than 100 percent, but it isn't. Likewise, the Bluetooth app showed charge, and AH was at zero before the battery was actually dead, but, I had already used the full rated capacity when the battery reached that point. Some people may like this seeing it as having a little reserve. Others won't. For anyone having an issue with this, it can be corrected with one minor change you can read about here. LiFePO4 Cells Percentage Drops after Full Charge.
This battery has proven to be a little powerhouse. I recommend it for anyone in need of a battery to run lights, small to midsize trolling motors, power inverters up to500 watts, or anything that requires no more than 50 amps.
