On Warranties

Thu Dec 21

Written by: Casey O.

In our LiFePO4 battery price comparison tool, we show the manufacturer’s stated warranty, but we make it hidden by default. Why do we do this?

Many batteries are sold by drop shippers under gibberish company names, often based in countries other than the US, with different consumer protection laws. They are free to report a number of years of warranty, and we can show that data to you. It is worth considering, however, that a 10-year warranty from a company that has been around for three months might not be worth that much. Many don’t even have websites or contact information. These companies could shut down on Amazon, and you’d likely have no way to contact them.

If a warranty is important to you, look for a brand you trust. However, it’s worth considering the value of a long warranty from a company that has also only been around for a few years. You will, in addition, often pay a large premium for that warranty, custom service, and influencer marketing campaigns. Which is valid, and might be worth it for some people.

Consider doing a little research on the brand, a little math, and a little risk analysis. If a comparable product from a brand you believe to be reputable costs four times as much as a no-name drop-shipper on Amazon, does that work for you? You could buy two of the cheaper batteries, run them half as hard as you would have otherwise, and even if one to dies eventually, you still spent half as much. Or both cheap batteries could die in two months, and so you buy two more which also die quickly. You assume a risk with no-name batteries, but nothing can erase risk completely.

The tool exists to give you more information about the market, and help you make your own decisions, and we hope that it can be helpful in that regard.