Lithium batteries are now used more and more in our lives. People have always favored lithium batteries due to their superior performance. However, lithium batteries also have their dangers, and news reports about lithium battery combustion and explosions occasionally occur. As a lithium-ion battery manufacturer with many years of experience in producing and developing lithium-ion batteries, we will introduce how to buy good lithium batteries to reduce the occurrence of dangers.

First, let’s take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of lithium batteries to gain a better understanding of them.

Advantages of lithium batteries

1. Lithium batteries have a high-voltage platform. The average voltage of a lithium battery cell is 3.7v or 3.2v, which is approximately equal to the series voltage of three nickel-cadmium batteries or nickel-metal hydride batteries. This facilitates the formation of battery power clusters.
2. Compared with other batteries, lithium batteries have a higher energy density. It has a high energy storage density of 460-600 wh/kg, which is about 6-7 times that of lead-acid batteries.
3. Lithium batteries are lighter than lead-acid batteries, with about 1/5–61/5-6 lead-acid products of the same volume.
4. Lithium batteries have a long life, and the service life can reach more than 6 years. As the positive electrode battery, lithium iron phosphate has a 1C DOD charge and discharge. Lithium batteries have more than 1,000 charge and discharge cycles.
5. The lithium iron phosphate battery for electric vehicles has a high power-carrying capacity and can reach a charge and discharge capacity of 15-30 C, which is convenient for high-intensity starting and acceleration.
6. A lithium battery has a low self-discharge rate. No memory effect. Commonly used in the power supply of daily electronic products.
7. Lithium batteries are adaptable to high and low temperatures and can be used in environments ranging from -20°C to 60°C. Some special batteries, such as Ufine’s high-temperature lithium battery, can be used in an environment of 80°C, and low-temperature batteries can be used in an environment of -40°C.
8. Lithium batteries are green and environmentally friendly. Regardless of the production, use, or scrapping process of lithium batteries, they do not contain or produce any toxic and harmful heavy metal elements and substances such as lead, mercury, or cadmium.

Disadvantages of lithium batteries

1. Lithium batteries are not safe and may explode.
2. Lithium batteries made of lithium cobalt oxide cannot be discharged under high current and have poor safety.
3. Lithium batteries need to protect the circuit to prevent overcharge and discharge of the battery.
4. Lithium battery production requirements and costs are high.

When buying lithium batteries, how do you buy good lithium batteries? As a lithium-ion battery manufacturer with many years of experience in production, research, and development, I would like to share eight tips for buying lithium batteries.

How to buy good lithium batteries

1. Check the appearance and packaging

First of all, lithium batteries’ craftsmanship, size, and craftsmanship can be observed in their packaging and appearance. Check whether the seam width of the shell is wide, whether there are burrs, and whether there is any oil stain. A good lithium battery feels good, has advanced technology, and is comfortable. The polished lithium battery and rubber varnish material feel good to the touch and have strong insulation properties.

Although appearance may not necessarily represent the essence of a lithium battery, a good product will not leave a shabby appearance. The appearance of some lithium batteries is somewhat deceptive, but it can also screen out some inferior products based on their appearance.

2. Compare weights

Although lithium batteries are small in size and have a large capacity, their weight is directly proportional to their capacity. If the weight difference is too big, the capacity will definitely be insufficient if it is a polymer lithium battery, although some batteries have different capacities. In addition, you can also feel from the outer packaging whether the weight of the battery is relatively heavy. If it is heavy, you will prefer high-quality lithium batteries. For this reason, when choosing lithium batteries, you can choose relatively heavy ones.

3. Test internal resistance and maximum current

If conditions permit, you can choose to test the maximum current of the lithium battery’s internal resistance because the fastest way to judge the performance of lithium batteries is to test the internal resistance and maximum discharge current. Good quality lithium batteries have very small internal resistance but high maximum discharge current. For example, a 20A range multimeter can be used to short-circuit the two electrodes of the lithium battery directly. At this time, the current should generally be around 10A or even higher. This current can be maintained for a period of time. A good lithium battery has a relatively stable current.

4. Detect live work

Generally, the quality of lithium batteries with high-quality PCB is better than that of ordinary lithium batteries. When the lithium battery is charged and discharged continuously for about 10 minutes, but the poles of the lithium battery do not get hot, it is a lithium battery with high-quality PCB and a battery protection board. The system is perfect.

5. Look at cells

Most of the cells used in lithium batteries are polymer lithium cells and 18650 cells. These two are also common lithium battery pack cell materials. First, check whether the battery core is brand new because some unscrupulous small workshops on the market use second-hand cells to make lithium batteries.

6. Check the battery capacity mark

Lithium batteries without clearly marked capacity are likely junk batteries reassembled from defective or recycled batteries. The market is flooded with many cheap lithium batteries. They are made from recycled batteries or dismantled batteries. Although they are cheap, they have a short lifespan, unstable quality, and may damage equipment or even cause explosions if used carelessly.

7. Take a look at the protection circuit\

The characteristics of lithium batteries determine that lithium batteries must be added to the protective plate to prevent overcharge, over-discharge, short circuits, etc. of the lithium battery. If a lithium battery does not have a PCB, there is a risk of deformation, leakage, and explosion.

Faced with fierce price competition, many lithium battery manufacturers will seek cheaper PCBs or simply not use PCBs, flooding the market with potentially explosive lithium-ion batteries. Of course, consumers cannot tell whether a lithium battery has a protective circuit board from its appearance, so it is best to choose a reputable place to buy it.

8. Battery Brand

There are many brands of lithium batteries, but it is difficult to tell the quality from their appearance. In this case, everyone should do more homework before making a choice and check more information about lithium battery manufacturers online. Generally speaking, professional lithium-ion manufacturers are more reliable than small workshops, and experienced manufacturers are more reliable than novices.

Ufine Battery specializes in lithium battery manufacturing, has production qualifications and its products have passed multiple certifications from the country and worldwide. It is a battery brand worth choosing. The lithium batteries produced by Ufine Battery are safe and stable, have no risk of explosion, have strong endurance, long-lasting power, a high charging conversion rate, do not get hot, have a long service life, and are durable. Contact us at [email protected] for custom lithium batteries.