Dakota lithium ion rechargable batteries

[greenpondmike]

A friend told me about these. You can run them all the way down and it won't hurt them like it will other brands.

 

[Lynx_Arc]

Unless they are protected like other protected brands they can be hurt just like other unprotected brands.
In other words not a big deal and very likely this Dakota brand isn't a manufacturer at all probably takes other cells and rewraps them.

 

[greenpondmike]

Aint no need to be negative dude. I respect this guy's opinion. He said they don't swell, explode and no matter how low they get they will charge back up. He has probably put those type through the wringer. I'm just putting out there what he said. I may purchase some in the near future since I'm getting into rechargables. He's a little interested in the mag85 and the ROP. He mentioned these batteries in casual conversation.

 

[Lynx_Arc]

I just did a search and from what I've seen Dakota only sells battery packs which of course have protection so they can't be overdischarged which is common in lithium rechargeable packs. I should have researched about these before posting I would have ignored this thread altogether as most folks probably don't have a need for these batteries for their flashlights.

 

[greenpondmike]

I also just researched them and souldn't have posted at all because all they have is for vehicles and marine applications at 12, 24 and 36 volts. Looks like some good batteries except not for a flashlight. We were talking flashlights and he got to talking about a vehicle he was building and I assumed that he was talking about flashlight batteries when he mentioned them because I NEVER heard of lithium ion rechargables for vehicles, golf carts or trolling motors. Whoops

 

[Lynx_Arc]

I also just researched them and souldn't have posted at all because all they have is for vehicles and marine applications at 12, 24 and 36 volts. Looks like some good batteries except not for a flashlight. We were talking flashlights and he got to talking about a vehicle he was building and I assumed that he was talking about flashlight batteries when he mentioned them because I NEVER heard of lithium ion rechargables for vehicles, golf carts or trolling motors. Whoops

I've heard of them as I was once intrigued about a lithium car battery but when I started to think and research I found out the problems with them in a vehicle plus the cost was a lot higher.

 

[xxo]

I hear they are using LiFePO4 batteries in RV's as deep cycle batteries - a lot lighter than lead acid batteries, they also use them in motorcycles.

 

[idleprocess]

Yup. LFP SLA replacements. Peak current ratings are disappointing, otherwise I would have tried out some for UPSs.

 

[DIWdiver]

LFP cells do have some characteristics significantly different from other LiIon chemistries, some of which are a significant advantage in certain applications. Dakota uses them in SLA replacement batteries because they can pretty well mimic the voltage/discharge charactistics of 6V (and multiples thereof) SLA batteries.

However, while they are typically lighter than other LiIon cells of similar size, they have lower energy density, and thus are NOT lighter than other cells of similar energy storage capacity. For the same energy storage, they are bigger and heavier. The Dakota batteries are lighter than the SLA batteries they replace, but at least the one I'm familiar with has lower capacity, 12 A-h for the SLA, 10 A-h for the LFP.

Also note that the Dakota batteries (at least the one I was interested in several years ago) are not listed or recognized by UL, CE, or any other certifying agency. I don't know if this is common or unusual.