GoldenMate 1000VA UPS Review with LiFePO4: Never Need to Replace Battery!
I don’t write a lot about UPS units that are out there. A UPS is not something that is usually that sexy to talk about or even gets people’s attention most of the time. However, the GoldenMate 1000VA 800W UPS is one that caught my attention from a design standpoint as well as the type of battery used and the manufacturer claims on how long this battery will last. To level set, this unit was sent to me by GoldenMate, but this GoldenMate 1000VA Review is not sponsored in any other way and my thoughts and opinions are my own.
Table of contents
GoldenMate 1000VA UPS Review Specs
The GoldenMate 1000VA/800W UPS is a powerful little UPS that is designed for keeping clean and surge-free power flowing to your devices you have plugged into them. UPS devices are extremely valuable especially during power outages, but also for protecting your equipment from normal surges and other disturbances that happen on a daily basis from the power grid.
The GoldenMate UPS is on the cutting edge of things with their UPS as it uses advanced Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO₄) battery technology with a great balance of user features and reliability and effiicieny standards. So far, they are one of the only brands that have come to market with this technology as far as I can tell with just a quick search. You can also buy these types of batteries for traditional lead-acid battery replacements as well though and I have seen some threads on reddit of users that have had good success with this. So, keep this in mind.
Specs of the GoldenMate UPS
Note the following specs of the UPS:
- Power Capacity: 1000VA/800W
- Battery Type: LiFePO₄ (25.6V 9Ah)
- Input Voltage Range: 90-140V~50/60Hz
- Output Voltage: 120V~60Hz
- Outlets: Four NEMA 5-15P
- Output Waveform: Pure sine wave
- Backup Time: Up to 30 minutes at 400W load
- Charging Time: ≤10 hours
- Noise Level: ≤50dB
- Dimensions: 13″ x 9.8″ x 4.1″
- Weight: 12.13 lbs
LiFePO₄ Battery Technology
Let’s dive deeper into what arguably is the most interesting and important aspects of this UPS unit, the LiFePO₄ battery. These are known for durability and safety. What stands out with this battery is the fact that it offers over 5000 charge cycles and lifespan that exceeds 10 years.
These numbers are significantly more than traditional lead-acid batteries that are found in many of the other UPSs on the market today. LiFePO₄ batteries are also non-toxic and environmentally friendly. They don’t contain any heavy metals either.
Design and Build Quality
One of the things that you will really like about this UPS unit is the design, look, and feel. The UPS is compact and is actually surprisingly lightweight (around 12 pounds) if you are used to handling the classic lead-acid batteries in other UPSs. It measures 13 inches in length, 9.8 inches in height, and 4.1 inches in width.
Unlike other more traditional UPSs, I think it has a rather modern look with the rounded edges and the LCP panel readout. It looks more like it would go well with a gaming computer setup. See the pics in the unboxing section below.
Pure sine wave
The GoldenMate is outfitted with a pure sine wave inverter which helps it to deliver clean and stable power. This type of power is essential for power-sensitive gear like computers, servers, networking equipment. It has an efficiency rating of over 89%, meaning you will see minimal energy loss when using this UPS. It provides a backup time of up to 30 minutes when running at 400W load. This will give most plenty of time to shut down equipment safely during a power outage.
UI and Features
The LCD display is multifunctional and provides real-time information about the unit and power readout. This includes things like the following:
- Input/output
- Voltage
- Battery capacity
- Load levels
With the readout, it allows you to monitor the UPS’s status. It has four angled NEMA 5-15P outlets at the back of the unit and seems to have good plug accessibility no matter what the plug size is.
Safety and noise
This unit has what is called a Battery Management System (BMS) that protects against electrical issues like overcharging, overheating, and short-circuits. This helps to make sure that this unit is safe to use and greatly reduces the chances of fire hazard. It also helps to make sure the device is going to last an extremely long time.
When using this UPS, I couldn’t really hear it at all. GoldenMate says the noise levels are below 50dB. So, still, very quiet operation whether you are using this for a home office computer, or some of your home lab gear.
Unboxing the GoldenMate
Pros and cons
Let’s take a look at a few of the pros and cons of the GoldenMate 1000VA UPS Review.
Pros:
- Long Battery Life: The LiFePO₄ battery will make sure this unit is going to last a long time with essentially no need to replace the battery
- Compact: This is a lightweight and sleek design for this UPS. It is surprisingly lightweight and doesn’t occupy much space.
- Pure sine wave: This makes sure this UPS is compatible with sensitive electronic devices and protects your investment in your home lab or home office gear
- User-friendly: The LCD display is fairly clear and gives you accessible information
- Outlets: It has 8 outlets on the rear for a good number of power outputs
Cons:
- Customer confidence: A bit of an unknown brand at this point to many. So many may steer more to brands they know like APC, TrippLite, etc
- LiFePO hype? In a review of the unit, it is hard to test the manufacturer claims of 10 years of battery life. I really hope the specs and marketing live up to what we see in the real world. I have no reason to doubt it at this point, but this is just one of the unknowns that I feel we need to list as a con.
Cost and buy
How much does this little UPS unit cost? You can find it right now on Amazon for $199, with 9% off applied and you can also clip a $25 coupon. (below is an Amazon affiliate link that I earn a small commission on)
Wrapping up
All in all, the GoldenMate 1000VA with LiFePO4 Review went well and this little UPS is a great little battery backup solution that so far in my testing has worked well. I like the design of the unit and layout of the power outputs. The LiFePO4 battery is supposed to last long enough that you will likely we changing out the entire UPS before you will need to replace the battery with 5000 charge cycles and 10 years of operation.
The purported 10-year battery life is definitely interesting; but without the ability to run realtime updates to your PC, how could this be good for virtualization? It needs NUT client support or it won’t be taken seriously.
The manufacturer has already fixed a loud-fan defect, if they integrate USB-to-PC/Mac support let me know and I’ll be happy to replace one of my Cyberpower units to test it.
Kingneutron,
I agree, definitely makes me wonder. However, I know new battery tech is pretty incredible. I am hopeful that we are getting past the days of UPSs failing due to batteries. However, I also think we are still early in the game on some of the new batteries to know if the marketing is actually correct on some of the battery life specs.
Brandon