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Batteries - What is the best?

Die Hard Platinum is a rebranded odyssey and is said to be one of the best AGM batteries there is on the market. I have one in my truck and have piece of mind knowing I NEVER have to worry about that darn thing. Yes $200 is steep for a battery but you can have it warrantied at any sears and if you want a good battery with the non spill feature you're gonna pay.


Interstate makes good standard batteries as said.
 
Well running stuff for extended periods with the engine off is kind of the definition of a deep cycle application. "Regular" batteries are designed for starting. Any battery will die from running it too low regularly, but the starting batteries will die sooner. But what you find more often are marine batteries, which are sort of an in-between.


I've had a <$60 Wal-Mart marine battery running my aux stuff for over a year with no complaints. Last weekend at camp I pulled it out of the truck to run the portable fridge for a couple of days and it was fine.
 
I am a fan of Optima batteries. I currently have 3 red tops in separate vehicles, 2 blue tops operating in a boat, a yellow top in my Jimmy and a yellow top in my RV.
 
My Red top just died after 5 years in my DD with a very mild stereo that's not always used. Was kinda bummed about that. Ended up just getting an Oreily special :( My original factory installed AC Delco battery lasted 5 year too.
 
Who makes John Deere's batteries? They don't get used much when the engine isn't running, but they sure seem to last forever.

Martin
 
4X4HIGH said:
Interstate is the best by far IMHO (same batteries in my rig for 10 years now and still going strong).
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That's what I got after two $200 yellow top Optimas failed me, one in about a year, the other in less then six months.

I'll never buy another POS Optima again and I'll tell anyone that will listen not to buy them.
 
K85 Octane said:
My Red top just died after 5 years in my DD with a very mild stereo that's not always used. Was kinda bummed about that. Ended up just getting an Oreily special :( My original factory installed AC Delco battery lasted 5 year too.
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This is more along the line of what I am talking about. You pay a premium price for optima you expect premium performance. Optima's work their is no question about that if they didn't they wouldn't be in the battery buisness for long.

My observations are that an off the shelf "cheap" battery will do the same job for the same amount of time for significantly cheaper. So you aren't actually gaining any additional benifits by paying more for an Optima brand battery. This did not used to be the case. Optima's used to vastly out perform other batteries.
 
cuervo said:
That's what I got after two $200 yellow top Optimas failed me, one in about a year, the other in less then six months.

I'll never buy another POS Optima again and I'll tell anyone that will listen not to buy them.
Click to expand...

Same experience for me
 
I tried telling a friend not to buy an Optima a few years ago,when I read bad things here about them...he didn't listen,bought one anyway...had thesame sour experience with his..worked great for a few weeks,then it would go dead if you didnt drive the car daily--being a '62 Nova ,it didn't get used much,and it wasn't long before the battery wouldn't even take a charge!-no "drain" on the battery either,he checked for shorts and there was nothing drawing current with the key off.......he got an Interstate after that,and had zero problems....................................................................................................................................................................................................I hear Exide,Interstate and Johnson Controls makes 90+ % of all batteries,that are sold under a few hundred other "brand names"..but they can make some better than others too-Sears may sell only the "better" grade while Walmart might sell one a bit lower in quality,yet they might be made in the same factory...one has more plates,etc...........................................................................................Today I think its a crap shoot,getting a "good" battery...these days even trusted brand names arent always as good as they used to be.......................................................................................................I've had good luck with Duralast bateries,the two mis-matched ones in my diesel pickup since I got in in 2003 that were old looking when I got it ,are still starting it OK,and that truck sits idle for long periods often--only had to jump it maybe 3 times in extreme winter cold,and I rarely put the charger on them to keep them fully charged ...........but that dont mean if I went and bought two new ones,they would be just as good...the Die-Hard that was in my Ford Contour looks real old,was probably 5 years old when I got it in 2005,that one is hanging tough too!.........(all my batteries will die now that I went and boasted about them lasting this long I suppose!..:rolleyes:)
 
cuervo said:
That's what I got after two $200 yellow top Optimas failed me, one in about a year, the other in less then six months.

I'll never buy another POS Optima again and I'll tell anyone that will listen not to buy them.
Click to expand...

Been burned by 2 yellow tops myself I am done with them.
 
My optima I bought about 4 years ago did great I had a bad battery in my daily driver (dodge diesel) so I put it in there and pulled it out all the time for my other toys.. My dodge sit for 7 months while coming up with money to build the motor and get it back in and it turned over slow but still fired up.. My optima finally died on a sunday funday while back roading the hold down came loose and it flipped over onto the frame rail and melted the hot post off of the battery.. :(
 
Went looking for an interstate, deep cycle, group 87, dual terminal battery.

Don't think they exist. Going to check what costco has, before deciding whats next.

Really need to eliminate all my side post connections, but haven't found the terminals i like for the top. What are you guys running? The ones on my boat are bitchin, but havent' been able to find them.
 
Never mind, found them!
http://www.amazon.com/Pico-Military-Terminal-Positive-Negative/dp/B001QRTZR0
41FT73vgw9L._SL500_AA300_.jpg


These are way better than the top post to wing nut marine ones that walmart has.
 
we run a lot of those on the boats, that is a military style one... but I prefer to just run batteries with power studs on top, than just run an eyelet/lug on the cable and nut it directly to the battery...

#87? wtf size is that? you mean 27?


http://www.rtpnet.org/teaa/bcigroup.html
 
I meant grout 78. They came stock with 75 or 78's.

In a truck, i prefer top post clamps for some reason, rather than just the wingnut attachment. In boats, the wing nut is easier.
 
eh, we never run wingnut's in boats, CG don't like that sh*t, EVERYTHING get's nutted....

and I'm not talking about a clamp-on terminal with a cheesy post on it, I'm talking about running right to a post on the bat...

like this...


cables3.jpg
 
ryoken said:
eh, we never run wingnut's in boats, CG don't like that sh*t, EVERYTHING get's nutted....

and I'm not talking about a clamp-on terminal with a cheesy post on it, I'm talking about running right to a post on the bat...

like this...
Click to expand...

Understood. I guess I could do that too, just like it all compiled on one terminal to remove in the truck, rather than stacked on the top stud.

Both will do it!
 
just watch out for too many connections, that add's to potential corrosion/connection issues.. we hate when we see that in boats, owners putting all kinds of leads to the bat's... it's supposed to be 2, pos and neg, or as close to that as possible.....
 
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