Aussie Batteries GIANT 340AH Lithium Deep Cycle Battery

No experience with their lithium but the giant agm I had was 5kg lighter than the amp tech I ran in line with it they skimp on weight. I have a Renogy 170ah Lithium been good think I got it in March but noticed it's 6kg heavier than the Giant 170ah don't know if that has anything to do with the quality of the battery as far as lithiums go. But If you go Lithium get a charger to suit so it gets charged correctly to get the best out of the battery don't want it failing prematurely.

I was about to buy one and thought the 5 year warranty and an Australian company was ticking all the boxes until I read the warranty details

The warranty is replacement in the first year and then a pro rata warranty after that starting at 20% customer contribution in year 2 up to 80% at year 5.
That all sounds fine but the contribution is based on Recommended Retail price which is considerably higher than what they sell their batteries for. In my case I was looking at a 150a/h lithium battery that they are selling for approximately half their proposed RR figure so effectively your warranty is only a couple of years at best because you are effectively buying the battery under warranty.
Sneaky and misleading advertising tactics like that turned me off the company so went looking elsewhere
I couldn’t find any decent reviews on the product to know whether they are worth trying or not

The advert says they are Australian made, is that everything is Australian made? or we buy the cells and assemble here and call that Australian made. Often done, not sure which way it is.
If Batts comparison shows a 6kg less for a Giant 170 ah lithium over alternatives, that would mean around 12KG less for a Giant 340ah battery compared to other reputable brands. You cannot get Amps Hours out of non existant battery material. Expect less ah in reality and check relative weights with other brands. "AH, COST, WEIGHT" all worth checking.
There is a lithium battery maker in Oz but it isn't Giant brand and so I would suspect the cells are not Aussie at all. Easy to glue the top on a battery after dropping cells into a case.
Best to check and ask questions of the supplier. If they evade, then the answer may be clearer. Aldi has made in Australia claim too, and in small writing, "from less than 10% of local ingredients". They don't even say how much lower than 10% the OZ content is. Perhaps just the packet?

Might be worth having a look at these, at least they give you plenty of relevant detail,
https://offroadliving.com.au/collections/12-volt-lithium-battery

Another battery option I've stumbled across lately is DCS.

My all time favourite TV commercial was a Telstra ad from the 1980s in which a farmer on the porch gets a call from his now city-slicker son complaining that the car won't start. Not only does the farmer have to tell the son that it sounds like a flat battery, but that it can be found "under the bonnet, son".

Speaking of which, I'm currently doing the rounds of 4WD workhops and auto-electricians getting advice and quotes for installing a second battery in the new Prado. The auto-electrician I saw yesterday, who sells all the usual stuff, put in a strong recommendation for Deep Cycle Systems. This brand, and also itech, claim that they can be installed under the proverbial bonnet. This chap clearly had some experience of them installed thus.

Now I know what *everyone* is going to say about lithium under the bonnet, but does anyone have any actual experience of these two brands performance and durability when installed under the bonnet?

I know their AGM 140 AMP only had the weight advertised for 110 amp/hr agms....dodgy as far as I,m concerned.

I’ve run a Winston Battery LP12V90AH LiFePO4 from EV Works as a second battery under the bonnet in a 90 series diesel Prado since 2014. It’s been a great battery and is now in my 70 series, albeit in the cab. EV Works state that these can be used in place of an ordinary automotive battery. A mate has been using his for even longer so it’s been a good product for both of us.
https://www.evworks.com.au/winston-battery-lp12v90ah-lifepo4-cell-12v-90ah

Hi John.

If you haven’t already, check out Renogy and Solarking LiFePo4 batteries. Good reviews, and at a reasonable price.

Macca.

I ended up taken the plunge with amptron 200 ah × 2 with lithium amptron ac to dc charger and endrive dc to dc and solar. Was convinced to upgrade the charger system didn't trust the just drop in replacement. I use a victron bms to monitor what goes on. Interesting advice was to periodically charge each on its own as that allows all cells to equalis accross both batteries. Wish me luck only time will tell.

Thanks for everyone input much appreciated

John