KINGS lithium Battery combo TESTED ? Here's the results

Hi all,
Today's video is covering the follow up testing promised. I will start with some genuine tests to see how the unit performs relating to the cables I had concerns with in the original video. Once completed with a result, I'll move over to testing the 100Ah lithium battery to see what its limits are as far as a max current draw.
You can find the original breakdown video here
• KINGS lithium Battery ...
Where shooting a basic whats in the box first look at the items, this quickly turned into a warning video for those of you who purchase the same or a similar combo deal from kings.
Whilst there are no issues with either product individually, however the box itself is very cheaply made.
It's the combination of the 2 items as a bundled from the 4x4 super centre that has issues.
As you will see in the video, the battery is capable of delivering 100A output continuously.
The battery box however, has wiring which connects directly to the battery terminals that is only capable of handling 45A.
There is also no protection on this same wire.
If a customer were to draw over that 45A that the supplied battery is more than capable of , this would heat the wire and depending on how long the load runs for, could very easily start a fire.
Whilst I very much dislike being negative with products and only like to share items I'm happy with and like to promote, this information needs to be out there, so customers can manage their expectations of this combo and avoid a possible fire hazard inside their vehicles.

[@robinodell9453]

You can’t beat real world tests… Thanks for taking the time to advise people what they are buying. I think there are more than just Kings that need to revise their battery box wiring sizes. Unfortunately you will always get the critics. Keep up the great videos.

[@DENMONKEY]

I must say they're much more fun than arguing over what ifs. I think you're right, there whole be a bunch of various brands all in the same boat i reckon.

[@prado.offroad]

Thank you for the detailed testing, sadly some people cant be convinced

[@DENMONKEY]

Welcome and I'm afraid you're correct.

[@sheep.herder]

i just watched Craig's Solar & Battery Adventures rip one apart as his battery was hot at the battery terminal and found under the lid the terminal was loose. i learnt alot thank you so much mate

[@peteboe2114]

Thanks Brett for your excellent video. I really admire your integrity and genuine desire to inform, especially when it comes to safety issues. Please keep up the great work. Cheers, Pete

[@DENMONKEY]

much thansks Pete. Nice words.

[@samhaveaguess4284]

Your point is 100% spot on .. And your video explians the facts in great detail.. As you state for the majority of people this setup is no issue at all .. All kings have to do to rectify the issue is just put warnings on the box .. As you also pointed out .. Keep up the good work .. Or they could if there going to use the undersize cable ...Just fuse it all Accordingly.. I have found with a lot of kings electric.. There cables are always undersized .. There fridge cable for instance basically drops a whole 1 volt in the length of the cable ..

[@MiniLuv-1984]

What a welcome relief. Someone talking about this stuff who knows what they are talking about.

[@DENMONKEY]

haha thanks for the confidence. I hope it's justified :)

[@MiniLuv-1984]

@@DENMONKEY It will be unless you get a bump on the head or an amazingly good sponsorship.

[@PaulNisatouring]

I watched the kings video where they connected the inverter to the battery box without any fuse so I figured the inverter has a trip in it so I’ll be ok and I did the same. Used it with a kettle and melted the wire the inverter came with. Lesson learned for me and now I try to do as much research as I can before I wire anything up especially as I’m green when it comes to electrical.

[@DENMONKEY]

Thanks for sharing. That's exactly what needs to be avoided for those who are new to this sort of gear. It can go wrong pretty bloody quick.

[@ashlewis104]

You have earned my subscription, cheers mate

[@DENMONKEY]

Cheers ash. Welcome aboard

[@dkempson]

Thanks for your videos.I have learnt a lost. I Boiled some water with my induction cooker and it melted the On and off switch.😢

[@DENMONKEY]

The switch on box? Yeah didn't think the rating on it was very high.

[@MrAthom88]

Same here

[@ashlewis104]

I love your passion for showing dumb asses like myself what actually happens great video and thankyou for the information 😊

[@DENMONKEY]

Most welcome mate. From a fellow dumbass

[@jro.90]

Good info there. A lot of misinformation spreads on facebook groups and forums from people who think they understand. As you said, it's easier to keep your head down than to get caught up in arguments. Unfortunately this gear is so easy to get into these days and very easy to get wrong...

[@DENMONKEY]

Shit yes. Too easy to get wrong and i don't think the forums help sometimes but guess we all have to learn somehow even if it is from mistakes.

[@DazGeary]

Thanks Brett, good education. needed to be said. Thanks for making the effort, you would have saved at least one person from having a drama.

[@DENMONKEY]

I hope it does Daz. cheers for the comment

[@golden8162]

Great video, I'd be still swapping out those cables after getting them that hot, that cheap rubber coating can melt into the copper strands and cause more resistance & issues down the track.

[@Harrybollox]

it's great to see someone really emphasising the cable gauges needed. i can see why people take short cuts though when you look at the cost of solid copper tinned 4awg for instance, with tinned copper heavy weight lugs, and then the gear to put it all together. Then decent fuses , breakers, shutoff switches, it all ends up being not much less than the battery cost. Can you recommend where you get your cables , lugs etc from., Maybe you found somewhere where I don't feel I'm being gouged. btw I would not rely on the BMS stopping a fire in a short between the posts scenario. not asking you to destroy your battery by testing it though, i'll find someone who's done it on youtube

[@NatesToolbox]

Battery box code SC-CO-BATLITH120-BATTBOX - so you’d assume it can handle 120amps. Nothing else online in the advertising suggests the terminals can only handle 40amps. It’s a little concerning about the size of the cables but that’s what blokes like you are for so we can upgrade the bargains. I’ve also seen an induction cooker hooked up in store on one of those boxes with a 1500w inverter. With the strap it’s not ideal however it does state to use the handles and not lift via strap “Thanks to the carry handles the Battery Box will also allow you to pick up and carry your power with you to where you need it”. Haven’t tried but it might hold up a little better, I still strap it with a metal version.

[@brenton728]

You probably already realised, but your state of charge wasn't going down as your shunt was likely wired backwards.. the amps were showing a positive value instead of a current draw value. Apologies if you did cover this and I missed it.

[@DENMONKEY]

Yeah I sure did. That's what you get for not having your close up glasses on >😁 rooky mistake

[@4WheelingInNSW]

Great clip mate, some very interesting bits of info in there regarding the ALL NEW promo product - “KINGS Camp Fire In a Box Combo deal” !! 📦 + 🔥 = ⛺️ The worry too is that the kings battery box, whilst it’s “lithium compatible”, that box is just rebadged alibaba crap. Kmart ( mine ), XTM ( a mates ), BCF and Supercheap Ridge Ryder are all exactly the same boxes just with a different branded sticker on the outside. 82°C on the terminals is a worry. My Navara thermostat opens at that and there’s no way I’d put my hand on top of the radiator ! That’s bloody hot ! Thanks for sharing and keeping those clowns honest ! Quick tip from a wedding photographer who uses bounce lighting, next time you need to use those big halogen lights, try pointing them up to the underside of your pergola roof and move them close or further back accordingly…the light is much more diffused as it floats and falls down onto you as opposed to pointing straight at you kicking you in the face 😂 works a treat mate and you can at least see your camera then and not get blinded. One thing I’d love to see shared too is that awesome aquarium inside, looks like a discus setup .. very nice Send me some pics of it 👍👍👍

[@DENMONKEY]

Bounce lighting? 😀 how fancy do you think I am? It was 2 lights on that stand, I should have pointed one up to do that. I was painfully aware of the shadows when I was editing. Problem is you don't see it, to you've shot it. If I'm going to continue to shoot there with summer going, I'll have to sort something out. Thanks for mentioning it. I'll use that as motivation. You know I've shot stuff on the aquariums a few times but never posted thinking no one would be interested. Not discuss though. Mostly common stuff. Various corys, plecos, tetra, pea puffers, cuckoo catfish , gudgeon and a heap of shrimp.

[@peterb1081]

Thank you for what you have tested much appreciated,

[@DENMONKEY]

Most welcome peter

[@diyfamily6848]

The B.M.S. should have tripped out way before 130 amps. If the rating of the battery is 100 amps continuous (charge state allowing) then the B.M.S. allowing it to climb to 130-140 as quoted, is worrying unless of course the temperature of the battery pack is cool enough to allow it ?

[@buster_1972]

I made my own camping trailer using King's stuff. Worked for what I can afford. Trailer gone now but still using a 160w king's solar panel which is over 6 year's old, and was getting 10amps into my battery on the camping trailer yesterday.

[@DENMONKEY]

I've got no issues with kings stuff in general. some of their gear works well for lots of people , me included.

[@damodoesall6240]

Would love to see you review the new Kings BATBOX25 !!

[@MickBurns-ev1nn]

I got one of these boxes from Aldi which I reckon is the same product. First thing I did was ditch the wiring and re do it to suitable gauge cables and fuses. Does what it’s supposed to now but original setup was absolute crap. Box gave me the basic platform to build what I wanted.

[@DENMONKEY]

How much was one from aldi?

[@DENMONKEY]

How much was one from aldi

[@MickBurns-ev1nn]

@@DENMONKEY $59 if I remember right. Only got it so I didn’t have to root around with a plain box.

[@littlejohn-pi7kk]

I will be doing the same but reuse the thicker wire for the Anderson plugs. Replace the main wiring with thicker 100A rated and suitable isolator/cb switch as well.

[@MickBurns-ev1nn]

Yep doesn’t take much to improve them

[@JamesV-my9uh]

Many people underestimate the true current drawn inverters. Only the pricey ones are better than 90% efficient and unless it's a pure sinewave inverter, the devices you attach will run less efficiently and may draw a bit more than their rated current. So add at least 10% to the current you might calculate from an appliance's rated power . A "modestly sized" 1000W inverter really is a big deal for a battery box powered by a 100 Ah battery, especially if that battery is also running some lights, a phone charger and your fridge while camping. On the matter of fuses, it is not adequate to simply fuse the individual outlets. A master fuse/breaker rated for the weaker of the battery or main power cable should be connected as close to the battery positive terminal as possible. You have correctly highlighted the risk of undersized cable and loosely connected lugs even though most users may never run their boxes to 100A. Safety in design should not be based on the average user.......

[@DiHandley]

It’s cheap for a reason. Cable and connectors are not suitable for the job. I would back it in that the cables are not solid copper. Copper coated maybe but more likely just tin. I really appreciate your honesty and so should the suppliers!

[@DENMONKEY]

That's exactly what those cables felt like when they heated up. I could feel all of those very thin stands inside. I have noticed it's getting harder and harder to find good quality standed copper cable these days. It's all this fine strand tinned silicone coated stuff now, and whilst it's nice and flexible, I'm not a fan.

[@Flashblackyc4]

I’m a complete rookie in this so the forgive me for the ignorance: 1. How many amps does your fridge use? 2. Could I run a 75L chest fridge/freezer for 3 or 4 days on a fully charged battery? 3. Lastly, do my first 2 questions make sense? I appreciate your time and your videos.

[@petcuyvers]

A 75 lt chest fridge will use anything between one to 3 amps per hour depending on temperature and contents etc. so do your maths, a 100 ah lithium battery will do it in winter, maybe not 4 days and nights in summer when hot. Keep in mind you should not deplete lipo4 batteries often below 20-10% often, AGM not below 50-40%

[@Shawn-ts4jw]

@@petcuyvers No, real world you will get max 2 days for a fridge that size and only a 100ah battery. Sometimes one day, depending on temp

[@ericdawson3425]

Very good advise and easy to understand don’t let people to piss you off people can die with bad advice thanks

[@DENMONKEY]

Cheers Eric

[@MudducksTouringAustralia]

Nice one Brett, no arguments here mate. Cheers Steve

[@DENMONKEY]

I've seen your work. I didnt think there would be :)

[@lukehall2061]

Great informative video mate great job 👍

[@DENMONKEY]

Cheers lukey

[@benmoore8911]

Thanks for taking the time to make this great video! Any suggestions on a more suitable battery box?

[@DENMONKEY]

Thanks for commenting. I'm afraid of doing mate, I haven't used any other and only got this one because it came as part of the bundle. I only really wanted the battery. But you know how super centre is.

[@TheRenoir]

I saw the disrespectful comments on your initial vid. Nasty c...s out there. I just bought the same box and have the Kings 120A LiFePO4. Great battery and like many other brands they can easily pump double their capacity without the BMS shutting down. I personally appreciate this capability and fuse accordingly but agree for the average bod out there ignorant of Ohms Law it's a recipe for disaster. I will be modifying the box and adding some high capacity cable to feed corresponding additional direct outlet. All Kings need to do to foolproof it might increase the unit price by 10 or 15 dollars and it would still be good value for money. I couldnt be bothered sourcing the material to build it for $50.

[@DENMONKEY]

Cheers mate. You get used to it making KZbin videos. Can't keep everyone happy. Thanks for the comment, that's all I was trying to share really. I've now got 3 kings batteries in service. So I'm not anti kings but when something isn't right, it's not right regardless of the name on the box.

[@Nightlifeimages]

Not located near lake Macquarie are you lol. I've got a battery, fridge and paj. Would like to keep the fridge in the back but it's a bit beyond me haha

[@nigelmaxwell5751]

Well done old mate, folk NEED to understand what they are buying and why. Its because it is not as expensive as some, therefore not as robust as may be it could be. Having said that, im going to buy a small kings fridge because I know im only going to use it a couple of times this year and cannot justify $500 + for a great one. Keep up the good work.👍🍺

[@DENMONKEY]

That's exactly my point Nigel. Go on with your eyes open 😁. You know, just like marriage. What could go wrong there 😆😆

[@nigelmaxwell5751]

I bought the 30L fridge/freezer on special, and believe me it's nothing special. This was an excellent example of you get what you pay for.

[@MrTimtam19]

would you try bigger wire in the top end of battery box and see if it still gets hot

[@robbiecryer]

Thanks for sharing 👍😎

[@DENMONKEY]

Thanks for watching 👌

[@paulhinds7438]

Hey Brett The thing I like most about you channel is the raw honesty. I've been watching you for a couple of years now and really like the fact you are unbiased in giving your opinion.(Highlight your opinion).My favourite saying is opinions are like arseholes everyone's got one. If you don't like the particular opinion so be it move on and don't watch the channel. I've stopped watching a couple of channels because of the fact they cant be honest and only give glowing reviews purely for the sponsorship and when proven wrong carry on like porkchops. I get it, its easy money. Keep doing what your doing from a fellow pajerian.

[@DENMONKEY]

Cheers ph. All I can offer is my opinion. But I don't expect it to change others. I also absolutely 100% positively hate being referred to as an influencer. I want people to make their own informed decisions . I can only share my experience. Thanks for commenting on this though Paul, it is something that weighs heavily on my mind every time I do a review video. Thanks mate

[@OnCountryWithMick]

You will always get trolls and people wanting yo argue mate. Regarding the DJI over heating, Damn right they do especially on a hot day filming in 4K BUT when they overheat they continue to record and just turn the screens off unlike the GoPro from my understanding. Personally I'm very sceptical when it comes to Kings electronic products anyway and I think a lot of companies that sell this style of battery box are probably much the same with under sized wires etc.

[@benwithers4236]

Mate 100% except that the battery BMS should have kicked in and shut down when the amps being pulled exceeds the BMS maximum load drew

[@armandocirene1453]

You can’t please everyone mate, narks will be narks, keep up the great reviews

[@garyrogers5344]

Well I’m sitting on the fence here after watching this …and only because I’m actually sitting on the fence..its great for my lower back.

[@DENMONKEY]

I find laying in the driveway works a treat

[@brenton728]

Can't blame a guy for wanting to play with a box and film it, haha....good video mate.

[@DENMONKEY]

i think we all wanna do that :)

[@davesparkz]

The box is not very good. Definitely needs upgrading like you said. A lot of cheaper things these days are coming with undersized cable or another trick they use is a thicker cable but its some sort of tinned aluminium conductor which can't carry anywhere near the amount of current a solid copper conductor can.

[@DENMONKEY]

Don't make em like they used to Dave.

[@davydp]

Got 1 of those boxes was hesitant plugging things in looking at cable size but what I have plugged in won’t be a problem now I seen test, also what induction cook top do you have? Thanks

[@gazztracker]

Ive got a friend that would not have beilieved you, he cant understand Watts / Volts = Amps. Thats all I tell people now, its so much easier to say that ! than explain why the cables in the kings box are too thin for the currant.

[@DENMONKEY]

I think there are plenty of people on social media that will tell them what they want to hear so they don't have to spend any extra money.

[@rangieman]

Thanks for the vid excellent , Mate i say it a 100 times a day you cant fix stupid people , You can try to your black and blue in the face but just can not fix stupid , Keep em coming 👍

[@stevec9597]

Great vid brett. did you upsize the cable for the 3000 Renogy inverter i spoted by the way?

[@DENMONKEY]

I haven't yet Steve and am currently using the supplied cable but will when I do the final install. I think I've found a good source for reasonably priced cable on Amazon. So that might end up being what goes in.

[@stevec9597]

@@DENMONKEY I have a Renogy 3000, with I think either 1 or zero cable that is connected to my 140 lithium baterry thats runs my micro for heating up my lunches at work or a induction cooktop.

[@DENMONKEY]

The cable I have with be 1/0 , but I just need to figure where I'm remounting everything with the second battery in there now and make up the cable to fit, keeping it as short as possible. Unfortunately planning and design are not one of my strengths.

[@stevec9597]

@@DENMONKEY Brett, I also owned a Paj, working out were everything was going and changing the setup many times lol was the hardest part to make it work for me as well. I've gone with the lightfox lights and will c how they perform up here Tropical QLD.

[@DENMONKEY]

@@stevec9597 which lights did you go for?

[@LiamMarcon]

Kings use under sized cables to save money but they should just not include cables. Then sell a range of sized cables.

[@DENMONKEY]

Spot on. It's where they can save the most bucks on the boxes

[@haych2489]

Most of what you said should be considered common sense so I don’t know why people are jumping down your throat. I have the same setup for convenience, and connected directly for the same reasons you have considered whilst always aware of its limitations and so far it works well.

[@DENMONKEY]

I would have thought so , but as we know common or sense and that common anymore. I was a bit surprised though on the points they argued. Interestingly they are yet to comment on this results video .

[@LindenGibson]

Hi. Would you use the king's box just for keeping a fridge cold in the back of a ute tub?

[@petcuyvers]

A fridge or even 2 big fridges are no problem for this or most other battery boxes. Can draw up to 20-30 Amps continually. It's the big inverters that gets most people (or huge air compressors etc lol).

[@DENMONKEY]

Yes absolutely

[@markaz2kk]

Just tell them… watts don’t change!!! Underrated cable can cause severe fires and can cause catastrophic damage to you or anyone near these batteries if that starts a fire!

[@DENMONKEY]

I hope theyre reading comments.

[@gazztracker]

Oh by the way, warnings on the box wont help anyone, if Kings still supply 100Ahr lithium battery in this box, Its like selling a big car with small breaks then saying, dont drive down steap hills.

[@DENMONKEY]

Got that Gazza. Go read the kings forums on Facebook to see the craziness that goes on there.

[@papa7745]

Can the cables on the battery box be changed to a thicker cable?

[@DENMONKEY]

Yes, they sure can. But here's the catch. You void your warranty by doing so. I checked the warranty to see 😁

[@vlfreak]

Thanks again Brett, spreading the good word.. Those people need to watch and listen to the video in completeness (ie: all the time you say could, might, can) before they actually open their mouths. The problem with stupid people is... they dont realise theyre stupid 🤪

[@DENMONKEY]

Cheers vl. I think these days people sing listen to the actual words being spoken and hear what they hear, then use that to argue at you, despite it not actuality being what you said. Sounds like you know what I mean. If you're into your vls, it means you're a little old school and feel the pain of some of this generational stuff 😁

[@oldbloke204]

Not sure why people want to defend cheap stuff tbh. I used to work with a guy who always bought the cheapest stuff he could and kept telling us how we were getting ripped off but he was continually replacing whatever he bought as it always seemed to fail. In this case it could have worse outcomes especially for someone who may not understand all of this, like me for example. I replaced my 4wd battery recently and an independent test on the on it showed it was ok. I may buy a good quality box that can then be used for Lithium as well once I've killed the lead acid battery. I shall stick to my buy once cry once theory on buying stuff as I'm rarely disappointed.

[@DENMONKEY]

I think it's a bit like politics these days OB people used to be able to talk and discuss a variety of opinions, and we used to learn stuff that way. Now there only seems to be value in sticking to your guns and shouting anyone with a differing opinion down. Every one just seems to need to justify how they spent their money. To me its like where you put your d!@k these days, I just don't care 😁

[@oldbloke204]

@@DENMONKEY Yeah I would have to agree with that one. People seem to love black/white, right/wrong approach to things but I've found that life is rarely that easy to work out. This box would no doubt be just fine if you used it within its parameters but the risk would be that people won't know or understand either through lack of knowledge or misleading info. I suspect that many will watch some of the top end, high dollar builds we keep seeing on here and assume that the cheap gear will do the same things. Thanks for these couple of videos as I've learned a bit more and some things to look out for.

[@DENMONKEY]

@oldbloke204 thanks for the comments as always

[@oldbloke204]

@@DENMONKEY No worries mate. I'm not sure how it could be done but it would be interesting to see some of the popular boxes compared for features, price and capabilities as I sort of like the idea of a unit that can be upgraded, battery replaced or a component replaced if the magic smoke comes out which I suspect is impossible with the all in one units. Interestingly in spite of my comments about cheaper stuff things like the Brass Monkey fridges and now that inverter you have seem to be very good as well as good value. Cheers.

[@VSGMH]

Good work mate as always, love the channel. The Old saying poor man pays twice. KINGS = SHIT Sorry Kings fan boys.

[@DENMONKEY]

Cheers bro

[@art-is-lazy4509]

Gr8 vid, 👍 same bought that same combo for the same reason, to run the fridge as a portable solution for beach and river days. Bought and will install the same shunt and will check all the connections in the box then. Use the professional install in the Troopy and 270Ah of lithium to run the induction, microwave and portable aircon when Overlanding, and am looking to upgrade the van to atleast 600Ah of lithium and big solar, etc for touring (run the aircon for a few hrs and microwave, mainly). Liking the fact that the Kings Blue Tops seem like a significant upgrade and the quality of their inverters (but I do use Renogy for that based on advice from my auto electrician). Good job y'all, don't listen to those soft clocks that just know how to bitch.

[@southo69]

I wonder how much Humble pie will be eaten now by the previous Kings fanbois

[@DENMONKEY]

Likely none 😁 they always seem to come with another excuse . You have no idea how much time I've spent dealing with them since the last video. I just had to say enough and no more .

[@JohnYoung-m4j]

Your dead right mate, show it as it is if others don’t like stiff shit.

[@LockyourHubs4WDing]

I agree, decent battery, shitty box! :)

[@DENMONKEY]

I used to drive one of them

[@hsv03]

Are you an electrician if not stop giving advice out.

[@DENMONKEY]

Electrician, no. But I do have some qualifications in the area that require study and testing . I'm not advising you to do anything, I'm just sharing an opinion. What you do with that info is entirely up to you. I don't understand why you people get so bent out of shape over someone trying to share info on how to be safer or a sub par product. You can't argue facts my boy