Kings Battery Box products have become very popular in the Australian market over the last few years, but before you purchase one there are some important things to be aware of.
This Kings Battery Box Review will look at the two Adventure Kings battery box products currently available and the accompanying batteries that can be used with them. Below is a brief comparison of the two boxes, followed by a more in-depth analysis of each individual product.
Kings Battery Box
The Kings Battery Box is a very affordable, feature-packed camping battery box that would be useful in many camping situations.
There is no better battery box available at the same price (under $70), with the same features and design.
When fully assembled the box measures 44cm long, 26cm wide, and 28cm high.
- Affordable
- Great Mix of Inputs/Outputs
- No 240V Inverter
Safety Switch
The inbuilt on/off switch means you can shut the battery box down when not in operation. This saves your battery and prevents potential damage from constant operation.
There is also a resettable circuit breaker that prevents damage to the circuitry if a component becomes voltage or a connected appliance delivers an unexpected surge.
Display
The box includes an LCD voltmeter, so you can see the voltage of the box at any time.
To make the voltage appear on the screen you just need to press the red button.
Box Material
It is manufactured with tough polypropylene material meaning it can withstand the inevitable bumps and knocks it will receive when camping.
It can be mounted to a trailer, or ute canopy, or even used loose and carried around where you need it.
Power Outputs
The Kings Battery Box is equipped with 2 x USB sockets in addition to a 12v cigarette socket.
There are two Anderson plugs on the roof of the battery box and they can be used as inputs or outputs.
Given there is only a single 12v Cigarette output, I bought a splitter that converts a single plug into multiple plugs.
This gives you a lot more flexibility and the ability to run a few sets of lights as well as a fridge.
Charging Terminals
The Kings Battery Box can be charged in two main ways. It includes positive and negative terminals that can receive charges.
Some solar panels include adapters that can be attached to these terminals, but other alligator clips from dedicated 12v battery chargers will be the main use for these ports.
The other way to feed power to the battery is through the Anderson plug terminals on top of the box.
You can connect your car’s 12v system to the battery through these ports if you have the right wiring, and most solar panels also include Anderson plug terminals.
You cannot connect your solar panels directly to the battery box, as the current could be too strong and damage your battery, so you need to ensure there is a solar regulator connected between the solar panel and the battery box.
Adventure Kings Maxi Battery Box
Adventure Kings also manufactures the larger maxi battery box if you need extra battery capacity.
What’s the difference between the Kings Battery box and Maxi Battery Box?
The Maxi Battery Box is comparable to the standard Kings Battery Box in every way, except the size. It has the same outputs, inputs, switches, and circuitry, but is designed to fit a larger battery inside.
- Massive 138Ah Capacity
- Great Mix of Inputs/Outputs
- No 240V Inverter
This video looks at the features of the Kings Maxi Battery Box:
Battery Box Basics
What is the purpose of a battery box?
Provides you with a mobile and portable source of power for a range of 12v and USB devices.
A battery box provides a safe and secure way to store a deep cycle battery while making it easy to connect it to your appliances.
Battery boxes are very popular in camping situations but are also used for a caravan, camper trailer, or on vehicles where additional power storage is required.
Common appliances powered by battery boxes include camping fridges, camping lights, and camping showers.
They often also include USB ports that are designed to charge and power smartphones, tablets, and more.
How does a battery box work?
Battery boxes typically consist of a plastic casing that the battery sits inside, and circuitry manufactured into the box that connects the battery terminals to the outputs, switches, and voltmeter of the battery box.
Finding a Battery For Your Battery Box
What type of battery do you need for a battery box?
Battery Boxes are typically fitted with heavy-duty batteries. They have far more power than the standard household batteries we usually use, as they need to produce a lot more voltage over a longer period of time.
There are two main types of heavy-duty batteries: cranking batteries and deep cycle batteries. Heavy-duty cranking batteries are used to start engines.
They need to produce a large amount of current in a short period of time to turn an engine over. Deep cycle batteries on the other hand are designed to produce a smaller amount of current but deliver it over a sustained period of time.
Deep cycle batteries are best suited to battery boxes, as power camping appliances need a slow trickle of current, over a long period of time.
Different Types of Deep Cycle Battery
Lead Acid Batteries
Wet Cell
The wet cell is used to describe a traditional lead-acid battery, where the liquid flows freely through the interior of the battery. Wet Cell lead-acid batteries tend to be the cheapest, and they are quite robust, and not prone to overcharging like some other battery types, but they do come with some limitations.
Given the liquid acid, they are potentially hazardous and need to be stored in spaces away from humans (i.e. in the engine bay. Lead-acid batteries also require maintenance to top up liquid levels.
Other downsides include the weight, they are a lot heavier than some of the other battery types, the flow of power tends to dissipate, and be less consistent, and they are not fast charging.
AGM (Absorbent Glass Matting) Battery
AGM batteries rely on the same chemical process as wet cell lead-acid batteries, but instead of liquid, store the chemicals in an absorbent glass matting.
This means there is no liquid moving around inside the battery. This provides some considerable advantages in that the safety risks are eliminated and makes them leakproof, shockproof, and very versatile in a range of situations.
They tend to have a more efficient discharge/recharge capacity and are also less sensitive to overcharge (compared to gel or lithium).
They are still reasonably heavy, but at the price point you can get them, they are very popular in the caravan and camping world.
Gel Cell Battery
Another variant within the lead-based battery family is the Gel Cell. They differ from wet cell and AGM batteries in that a substance is added to the liquid to convert it into a gel-like substance (hence the name).
This gel substance delivers some significant advantages in terms of consistency in power flow from the battery but also brings some vulnerabilities, particularly with sensitivity to overcharging.
Lithium Deep Cycle Batteries
Lithium batteries are the newest, and most expensive batteries, but come with some significant advantages.
The three key advantages of Lithium batteries are that they are lightweight, can be re-charged at a rapid rate, and can handle a deeper level of discharge on a regular basis.
The lightweight nature of lithium batteries can be a real plus, especially when you are craving portability. I personally have an AGM battery inside of my battery box.
Though I’m very happy with its performance overall, it is not light to carry around, and my wife would not be able to move it around and set it up herself if she wanted to.
Kings Deep Cycle Battery Options
Adventure Kings sells three different 12V batteries for their battery boxes. The batteries are deep cycle, fully sealed, lead-acid AGM batteries.
This means they are safe and perform well. They have M8 terminals for connecting to the battery box and operate between -20 and 50 degrees Celsius.
Kings Battery Box – Frequently Asked Questions
How is a Kings Battery Box delivered?
4WD Supacentre has its own posting and tracking system that manages the delivery of its parcels.
Upon purchase, you can elect to receive SMS updates of your parcel progress and dispatch them to the courier.
Is Adventure Kings the same as 4WD Supacentre?
Adventure Kings is a brand of camping goods, available through a variety of different retail outlets.
4WD Supacentre is one of those brands and is closely affiliated with the Adventure Kings brand, but they are separate things.
Kings Battery Box Charging
You can charge a Kings Battery Box in multiple ways. It has positive and negative terminals that you can connect a 12v battery charger or solar panel to, and also has two Anderson plugs which can be used to attach solar panel, or car 12V supply to charge while driving.
But basically any power source you can feed in through an Anderson plug, or 12v terminals could potentially charge a Kings Battery Box.
