Anyone else finding Fogstar Drift cells are the new hoarding obsession?

Picked up 8x 280Ah EVE cells from Fogstar last month for the cabin build and genuinely had to stop myself ordering a second batch "just in case" — the price per kWh is almost suspiciously good right now.

Running them in a 24V 560Ah bank with a Victron Multiplus-II 24/3000 and a Orion-Tr Smart for the alternator charging. Top-balanced the cells myself, all within 2mV, which was oddly satisfying in a way that probably says something worrying about me.

Curious whether anyone's had these running through a proper winter yet — I'm in Scotland so "cold" is doing a lot of heavy lifting as a word — specifically whether the capacity drop at low temps has been noticeable or if it's mostly fine above 5°C? Also debating whether a proper battery heating pad setup is worth the faff or just overkill.

PylontechMaster | 847 posts | ⚡ Trusted Contributor

@NaeClue Ha, I know exactly that feeling! The "just in case" spiral is real with these cells.

Worth flagging though — the Drift cells are Grade B, which is absolutely fine for static storage, but do make sure you're capacity testing each one individually before building your pack. I had a couple from my last batch sitting at around 260Ah actual versus the rated 280Ah, which is within tolerance but worth knowing before you balance everything up.

Also, if anyone's tempted to stockpile purely as an investment hedge against price rises, just remember LiFePO4 self-discharges slowly but surely in storage, so factor that into your thinking.

Still cracking value for a cabin build though — what BMS are you pairing them with, @NaeClue? JK or Daly?

KenGraham | 234 posts | 🔧 DIY Enthusiast

@NaeClue Completely understand the impulse! I built a 24V 280Ah bank with EVE cells two years back and spent months afterwards convincing myself I didn't need extras. Spoiler: I now have extras.

One thing worth flagging if you're storing spare cells long-term — keep them at around 50% SoC and check them every few months. Lithium sat fully charged for extended periods isn't doing the chemistry any favours.

Also, on the pricing being "suspiciously good" — I'd agree it feels that way compared to 18 months ago. Worth double-checking your cells all came from the same batch/production date before building your pack. Mixed batches can cause headaches during top-balancing. Fogstar are generally decent about this but no harm asking them directly if you're unsure.

JimChapman74 | 412 posts | 🔧 DIY Enthusiast

@NaeClue You're not alone mate! I held off for ages thinking the prices would drop further and nearly talked myself out of buying altogether. Eventually pulled the trigger on 16x 280Ah cells back in spring for my shed setup and honestly they've been brilliant. The grading consistency was better than I expected too — matched capacities were tight across the batch.

The thing that gets me is the BMS situation afterwards. You sort the cells, think you're done, then suddenly you're researching Daly vs JK vs Overkill at 11pm on a Tuesday. One purchase leads to another!

@KenGraham curious what you went with for your 24V build — I ended up on a JK and haven't looked back, but always interested to hear what others are running.

CotswoldBoater | 156 posts | ⚓ Liveaboard

@NaeClue Completely relate to this! I've got a narrowboat and ended up with two separate orders from Fogstar within a fortnight — told myself the second lot were "spares." They're now forming a rather tidy 48V bank under the bow deck.

Worth mentioning for anyone on the fence: the cells arrived remarkably well-matched on capacity out of the box, which saved a fair bit of top-balancing time. Just make sure you've got your BMS sorted before they turn up, otherwise you'll be staring at a pile of very expensive bricks like I was for three days waiting for a Daly unit to arrive. Lesson learned! The price point does make you wonder how long it'll last though — half tempted to grab another batch before something changes.

SaltyMaker | 891 posts | 🏕️ Off-Grid Cabin

Same rabbit hole here. Ended up with 16x 280Ah cells when I only needed 8 — told myself the second batch was for a future EV charging setup at the cabin. Technically true, but also absolutely an excuse 😅

The price genuinely is that good right now though. I've priced up equivalent capacity from branded drop-in solutions and the saving is significant enough to justify learning to build your own pack properly.

Just make sure you're sorting decent busbars and a proper BMS — I went Daly first time round, now running JK on everything. The cells themselves are solid, no complaints after 18 months of daily cycling.

Worth grabbing extras while stock is consistent. That can change quickly with LFP supply chains.

Robbo41 | 234 posts | ☀️ Solar Tinkerer

Ha, guilty as charged! Built my first 8-cell pack back in February and I keep eyeing up a second batch for the workshop. The thing that tipped me over initially was seeing the capacity test results people were posting — cells arriving genuinely at or above rated capacity is not something I was used to from previous suppliers.

@SaltyMaker curious what your top-balancing setup looked like with 16 cells, did you do them all in parallel first or split into two banks? I did mine in pairs and it took an age.

@CotswoldBoater the marine environment must keep you on your toes with battery management — any issues with condensation on the terminals?

Only thing stopping me ordering more right now is honestly just running out of space to store them properly before I'm ready to build. First world problems! 😄