Anyone else found their Fogstar Drift cells are still going strong after 3+ years?

Picked up a 280Ah LiFePO4 cell bundle from Fogstar back in 2021 and built a 24V 280Ah bank — fully expecting the usual "budget cells = early death" outcome, but here we are in 2025 and the things are barely showing any capacity fade.

Running them with a Victron SmartSolar 100/30 and a Multiplus-II, cycling to about 80% DoD most days through winter. BMS is a Daly 100A which has been boring in the best possible way — not a single drama in three years.

Curious whether anyone else has long-term data on the Fogstar cells specifically, or whether I'm just statistically lucky — got cycle counts, capacity test results, anything?

JennyWilson | 847 posts

@RetiredEngineer — similar story here! Bought my Drift cells in late 2021 for a narrowboat install, 16 cells in a 24V 280Ah config. Still hitting well over 270Ah on a proper capacity test I ran a few weeks back, which honestly surprised even me.

The only thing I'd flag is that my top balancing routine in year one was probably what set them up for success long-term. I see a lot of folk skip that step and then wonder why their BMS is throwing fits 18 months later.

Fingers crossed they keep going — at the price point Fogstar were offering back then, if I get another 3-4 years I'll be absolutely chuffed. Be interesting to hear what your capacity figures are looking like now if you've tested recently?

PeakVanLifer | 312 posts

Got a 16S 48V bank of Drift cells running the garden office — bought late 2022 so not quite your 3 years but capacity still tests bang on. Top-balanced once at the start and basically left them to it with a Victron SmartShunt keeping an eye. Never had a single dodgy cell.

Honestly expected worse given the price point. Think people underestimate how far LiFePO4 chemistry has come even at the budget end.

Only thing I'd say — proper BMS matters more than the cells themselves in my experience. Running a Daly 120A on mine. Cells get all the glory but the BMS is doing the actual heavy lifting day to day.

BerlingoWanderer | 203 posts

Chiming in here — running a 12V 280Ah bank in my Berlingo (hence the username!) since early 2022 and genuinely impressed. Did a proper capacity test last autumn using a hobby charger in discharge mode and was still hitting around 268Ah, which is well within acceptable degradation for three-odd years of daily cycling. Worth mentioning that I did top-balance carefully before first use and keep my charge ceiling at 3.45V/cell rather than pushing to 3.65V — not sure if that's contributed to longevity but it certainly hasn't hurt. @RetiredEngineer curious what BMS you paired yours with — I went with a JK and it's been flawless. @PeakVanLifer a 48V bank in a garden office sounds ideal, would love to know your typical daily cycling depth.