Over time, we have all seen lithium batteries advertised with different options. You will see lithium batteries released with different features that are made to draw attention to their product and create a perceived advantage. In this article, we are going to explain why we build our batteries the way we do and why we often call many of the added incentives as gimmicks.
Built in USB or Meters - There are major gimmicks. All of these can be added separate and should never be on the battery itself. Additional components can decrease your waterproof rating of the battery and also are unnecessary components that can easily fail and are not something the average consumer can just replace. USB ports on a battery introduce dirty power into your system, open up possibility for water, corrosion and other elements you just do not want. There are many other creative ways to add these separate to a battery without impacting performance or the life of the product.
Warranties! How can some companies offer such long warranties on their products? For some reason, marine industry lithium battery companies are constantly battling for "who has the longest coverage". The real question is, what do they actually cover? It does not matter if they offer a 1yr, 5yr, 10yr or 20yr warranty in many cases, the coverage and longevity you get out of a product is only as good as the company behind the product. These warranties are often used as sales tactics to get you into the product, but once you have an issue, many lack timely support, charge you for repair or shipping, or deny warranty due to improper use. Amped Outdoors offers a fair warranty for all products, and back it up with support as well as education on how to properly use your products. This will mean when your product makes it through the warranty period, it will be free of any defects and as long as you are using it for their intended use, you will get many years of worry free operation. Still not convinced? Check out the wording commonly used in the exclusions list of a manufacturer:
- Damage due to improper installation
- Exposure to extreme hot or cold temperatures
- Inappropriate storage
- Water damage
- Improper charging
- Damage due to improper maintenance
- Battery not stored in adherence to manufacturers storage guidelines
These are just a short few exclusions that really give a battery companies too much room for their interpretation.