Lion Energy Safari UT 1300: Complete Review + Pros and Cons
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The article introduces the Lion Energy Safari UT 1300 lithium battery, highlighting its suitability for RVs, boats, vans, and off-grid solar systems. It discusses the battery's features, including its high cycle life of 3500+ cycles at 100% depth of discharge (DOD), lightweight design (23 lbs), and compact dimensions. The UT 1300 is praised for its shelf life of up to two years and a limited lifetime warranty, reflecting the manufacturer's confidence in its durability.
The article compares the UT 1300 to other batteries on the market, emphasizing its competitive pricing and value. It also addresses past concerns about Lion Energy's battery ratings, noting that the UT 1300's specifications are accurate. Overall, the article recommends the UT 1300 as a budget-friendly, high-quality lithium battery option for various applications.
Introduction
Today, we are going to go over the best budget-friendly and high-quality lithium battery to have hit the market in awhile, perfect for replacing old RV, fifth-wheel trailer, or marine batteries.
They can act as the main power source for an off-grid solar system, or if you need a lithium battery for your van conversion or skoolie conversion, this is also a perfect option. We have already covered the differences between Lithium batteries and their AGM or FLA counterparts in an article that you can read here. Here, we cover what we believe are the highest-quality and best-value lithium batteries available today.
Lion Energy is an American company based out of Utah that has been creating solar products and specializing in making lithium batteries since 2012. We are going to be diving into its new flagship product - the UT 1300, 105Ah lithium battery replacing its previous best seller, the UT 1200.
The Safari UT 1300 has been designed with RV's, boats, fifth wheelers & skoolies in mind; that is to say, bigger applications. The brand made this battery a perfect option for many types of off-grid solar applications, too. Next, we cover some of the specifics of the batteries and the best ways to use them in the real world.
Lion Safari UT 1300 Battery Pros
- Cycle Life: 3500+ at 100% DOD
- Weight: 23 lbs
- Dimensions: 9.8” L x 6.6” W x 8.6” H
- Shelf Life / Charge Retention: Up to 2 Years
- Warranty Period: Limited Lifetime*
Cycle life
The UT 1300 has one of the highest rated life cycles on the market with 3500+ lifecycles at 100% DOD. You could fully discharge this battery everyday for almost ten years without a decrease in capacity. Most people won't work it that hard, so if you used it as most people do, expect to have it last at least 5,000 cycles. Even after ten years of daily use or 3500+ cycles, you still retain about 80% of the battery's rated capacity. The odds are that this battery will last longer than your RV!
Weight & Dimensions
For the amount of power you get from these batteries, their weight and size is truly incredible. They weigh in at just over 20 pounds and are the same 24 Group Size as other batteries. Their main competitor weighs eight pounds more, is larger in every dimension, and costs nearly $100 more before shipping or taxes.
Shelf Life/Charge retention
You will love that these batteries are maintenance-free. You don't have to deal with fluids (since it doesn't have any) like you would have to with a FLA battery, and you don't need to use it or even trickle charge it every three or four months either. You don't even have to remove it from your vehicle to store it for next season. In fact, the UT 1300 holds its charge for up to two years and you can recharge it after that time as well. Of course, we recommend using it much more frequently than every two years, but the option is yours.
Warranty Period
One great way to get an idea of the quality of a product and brand is to look at the warranty. When a company knows they have a quality product, they offer a warranty to reflect that. Lion Energy is so confident that it has created the most reliable battery on the market, it is willing to offer a lifetime warranty on its battery. That's right, a lifetime warranty. It is so confident in the Safari UT 1300 that it guarantees the battery cells, even under the extreme use of maximum charge and discharge rates, to last at least 3,500 cycles. That means it will have at least 80% of its cell capacity after all that heavy use and still have capacity to continue on. The warranty isn't limited to time but rather the use and capacity of the cells in the battery. The only way to void your warranty is to physically damage the battery itself.
RV & Marine Applications
The most straightforward way to use these batteries is to simply remove the deep cycle batteries that your RV or boat came with and replace it with the UT 1300's. This is about as plug and play as it gets.
Van Conversion Application
A single UT 1300 is enough power if you plan to use minimal devices. For example, you can run a laptop, USB charger, some LED lights, and your camera gear with no problem. Pair that with 100 to 200 watts of solar panels, something in the ballpark of a 500-1000 watt inverter, and a 20 amp MPPT charge controller, and you have a very robust solar set up for your van.
Large Boon-Docking Applications: RV's, Skoolies, Trailers etc
The UT 1300's are also perfect options for larger scale applications. Three-hundred+ amp hours of batteries (so, three units or more) is more then enough power to supply your boon-docking needs. Paired with 750 to 1000 watts of solar panels, a 1500 to 3000-watt inverter, and an 80-amp charge controller, and you have the perfect off-grid solar set up. The UT 1300s are a fantastic option for whatever level of power storage you need.
Lion Safari UT 1300 Battery Cons
In early 2019, Lion Energy was at the center of some controversy when a popular YouTuber tested out its previous model, the UT 1200. He felt that Lion Energy was advertising its battery as larger than it actually was. He lamented the fact that the battery was rated as 100 aH but was in reality closer to 90aH.
The product tester admired the quality of the battery itself, but was dismayed at what he felt amounted to false advertising. Lion Energy re-tested its units and corrected the mistake, but the damage was done. Since then, Lion Energy took note of everything, and with the introduction of its new batteries (UT 1300), the amp hour rating is fully accurate, and the batteries have been returning test results that are better than ever.
Final Words
Anyone planning to use solar energy knows the value of lithium batteries. There is no debate that lithium batteries are the best option. The question becomes price point and reliability. In our opinion, the UT 1300 is the best option on the market right now for both of these categories.
For the price point of $899, you cant find a better 100aH lithium battery option. It costs about $100 cheaper before taxes and shipping than the 100aH Battle Born and over $200 cheaper than the Re-Lion options. For a battery of this quality, we haven't found a better option.
If you have any questions about lithium batteries or about the UT 1300's, feel free to reach out to us - info@shopsolarkits.com or by phone at 877-242-2792.
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