Gizzu rechargeable bulbs and lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries tested – Reliable load-shedding solutions for South African homes

Gizzu’s rechargeable LED bulbs boast built-in batteries that keep them running for hours during load-shedding, and you can also choose from three brightness settings.

The lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries are an ideal replacement for your old gate or electric fence batteries as they support up to 2,500 charge cycles – approximately ten times longer than a standard lead-acid battery.

Gizzu sent us both sets of these products to review, and we put them through extensive testing to see if they deliver in key areas.

The results of our testing are below.

Gizzu 12V 7Ah Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) Battery

Our testing found that the Gizzu 12V 7Ah Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) Battery is the perfect candidate to power your old gate motor, alarm system, or electric fence.

Traditionally, lead-acid batteries have been used for these jobs, but the reality is this technology is completely unsuitable for handling load-shedding.

If you’ve ever heard alarm systems going off when load-shedding ends, it is usually because the lead-acid battery the alarm uses ran out of juice before the end of load-shedding.

While the post-load-shedding noise may be inconvenient, the bigger problem is that the security system was not operational for a significant portion of load-shedding – heavily impacting your safety in your home or office.

The exact same problem comes with using lead-acid batteries to power your electric fence – if your lead-acid battery runs out of charge during load-shedding, your perimeter will no longer be protected.

Thankfully, there is an accessible and affordable solution to these challenges – the Gizzu 12V 7Ah Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) replacement battery.

It uses the same form factor and capacity as traditional lead-acid batteries, which makes the replacement process seamless.

Where it stands out, however, is its significantly longer lifespan of approximately 2,500 charge cycles.

In a real-world situation, this means you could discharge and recharge this battery every day for nearly seven years, or you could even run two cycles per day for over three years.

Under the same loads, lead-acid batteries usually only last a few months – and towards the end of this shorter period, they will suffer from wear, tear, and reduced capacity.

In fact, experts agree that lead-acid batteries generally shouldn’t be discharged below 50% because discharging beyond this point will increase a chemical reaction called sulfation.

Increased sulfation will reduce the battery’s performance and lifespan, and it also runs the risk of more direct damage to the battery.

Sulfation is not a concern in lithium iron phosphate batteries as they use a different storage technology – meaning you can access at least double the energy capacity from your Gizzu lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) battery from each cycle without risking your battery’s health.

You will therefore be able to power your gates and security system for longer on a single cycle – making it extremely unlikely that your battery runs out of charge before load-shedding ends.

Gizzu claims that the battery supports constant discharge rates up to 10A, and our testing found this to be true.

We tested the capacity at both a 5A and a 10A constant, and in both cases, the battery easily achieved the quoted 7Ah rating.

Other key features on offer include an integrated battery management system, and a sealed, non-liquid design that ensures no leaking or fumes.

Thanks to these features and their massively improved lifespan, Gizzu’s lithium iron phosphate batteries are a great way to power your gate, alarm system, or electric fence in South Africa.

Gizzu Everglow Rechargeable Emergency LED Bulbs

Gizzu provided us with two rechargeable bulbs to test – its 9W standard bulb (available in bayonet and screw-in) and its 3W downlight.

Both of these bulbs are great options if you want to keep your home lit during evening load-shedding.

Many South Africans will be all too familiar with how challenging having no lights on can be.

It is a pain having to carry portable lights around with you as you walk, or even using your smartphone torch to illuminate your path.

Another concern with not having lights on during load-shedding is the security risk this brings.

Criminals will notice homes that do not have lights on during load-shedding, and are more likely to target them for break-ins and thefts – particularly during the pesky 20:00 to 22:30 load-shedding slot.

Thankfully, Gizzu’s Everglow Rechargeable Emergency LED Bulbs make it much easier to keep your home lit at an affordable cost.

We tried both the 3W and 9W bulbs in one of our homes, and we were super impressed with how seamless the whole process is.

When load-shedding is not happening, they operate just like normal bulbs – offering a comfortable, warm white light and delivering 810 and 250 lumens respectively.

When the power went out, they changed to a cooler white (delivering 450 and 90 lumens respectively) and kept illuminating our home using their built-in battery storage as long as the switch remained on.

It is important to note that every time load-shedding hits, the bulbs will default to the 100% setting – but switching the brightness setting to 50% and 25% is as simple as double-tapping your light switch (one double-tap for 50%, and again for 25%).

Then, when load-shedding ends, all we had to do was leave the light switch on, and the bulb automatically recharged itself to be ready for the next load-shedding period.

Watch the video below to see how simple it is to use these bulbs.

Our testing found that at maximum brightness and from full charge, the bulbs impressively lasted for nearly two hours running exclusively off battery power.

When running on the 50% or 25% emergency brightness settings, this running time increased significantly – up to five hours at the 25% brightness setting and up to three hours at 50%.

This makes Gizzu’s Everglow Rechargeable Emergency LED Bulbs a great option for even the longest periods of load-shedding on their emergency brightness settings.

After testing these bulbs out at different levels of load-shedding, our recommendation would be to run the lights at 50% during ‘standard’ two-hour load-shedding spells where there is enough time to charge the bulbs up between outages, and at 25% at higher levels of load-shedding – like Stage 6.

In terms of recharging, our testing found that after only two hours of charging time, they all had about 50% of their capacity available.

This made these bulbs particularly valuable during lower and medium levels of load-shedding, as they could be charged relatively quickly between outages.

For higher levels of load-shedding, the 25% emergency setting was our best bet, as it uses far less capacity during each outage – therefore requiring less charging to recharge the bulb back up, too.

It is unsurprising that these bulbs are so suitable for load-shedding situations, as Gizzu is a South African brand that is known for delivering power solutions that solve the specific challenges faced by local consumers.

Overall, we were impressed by the performance of these bulbs, and with a lifespan of over 25,000 hours, they are an excellent set-and-forget way to keep your South African home lit at all times.

Click here to buy your Gizzu bulbs and batteries.