backchannel: newbs buying raw cells

Redditor sees 3.2v Eve LiFePO4 cells for sale and wants to know if they are a scam:

From what I’ve seen these batteries are legit, and they are a fraction of the cost of similar capacity batteries, the only caveat is you have to pre-order and wait 44 days. Does anyone have any in-person experience with these batteries?

Helpers explain they are cells, as advertised, and not batteries.

they dont advertise you need 4 anywhere!

They don’t know how many you need because they don’t know the nominal voltage of the battery you would build from the cells.

The 3.2v nominal voltage is clearly stated and that is sufficient for the target market. But they put up guardrails to help keep the General Public from stumbling into a minefield:

These cells require connecting together… You can read more about LiFePO4 cells at our blog here…. Please ensure you are familiar with these cells before ordering

From that blog page:

We always advise that you do not purchase these cells unless you know what you are doing. They can be dangerous if mishandled or misused. If you’re not confident charging, clamping, connecting, wiring the BMS and generally looking after the cells - we recommend you look for an alternative to prismatic cells…. There is an element of complexity in using LiFePO4 battery cells, also known to many as Prismatic cells, and you do have to know what you are doing with them…. prismatic cells should always be connected to a suitable Battery Management System (BMS)…. If you’re looking for a user-friendly way of going off-grid, without the hassle of wiring cells, connecting busbars and hooking up a BMS - check out our range of Drift leisure batteries. These LiFePO4 batteries come fully assembled and ready to go!

Saying “they dont advertise you need 4 anywhere!” is like shopping for spark plugs for a Ford Cortina then complaining they didn’t advertise the spark plugs were of no practical use unless one, you know, owned a Ford Cortina to install them in.