[knox]

my red top is dead so i'm gettin a yellow top, who's got the best prices? looked at lordco and edmonds batteries so far, $230 was best price i could find....

 

[VanBCguy]

Why buy Optima? It's made in China now and isn't near the quality that they used to be (the company was sold to some Chinese outfit). If you want a good AGM battery, try the Deka Intimidator available at Polar Battery. $175.00 (ish). Dual post, all the same numbers as a good DieHard Platinum kind of battery high CCA and reserve #'s. Besides, why buy something that wastes so much space available to hold a charge? See pic below.

Deka, DieHard, other on the left, Optima on the right.

 

[Kula]

Sales pitch? I got two yellows tops for $240 a piece so I think your not far off?

 

[VanBCguy]

Nope. No sales pitch. No vested interest in the wellness of East Penn Batteries (yes, they make Deka). Just personal experience and passing along great info. given to me when I bought a new battery while considering an Optima thinking they were the best of the best.

 

[knox]

hmmmm, never heard of that battery.... i'll look into it....

 

[VanBCguy]

hmmmm, never heard of that battery.... i'll look into it....

This is what Polar explained to me: Because it's not well known and not advertised hardly at all, East Penn sells them dirt cheap. I was looking for a Sears Diehard Platinum 34/78 when I went there, but they aren't sold in Canada (go figure). But when they crunched the #'s for me, the Deka is exactly the same thing. Same CCA, reserve, etc. It's dual post and is AGM. And you can mount things (a winch?) to the side posts the same as the top posts and get the same power, unlike the Optima. All for about $175.00

I also noticed a bunch of movie posters on the wall and realized that Polar battery is where my Teamster brothers buy all their batteries for all our film trucks, cars, trailers, etc. I made a few calls and everyone gave the Deka a huge thumbs up. After some use, I do now too.

Why pay more for a brandname that has less plate/energy storage area?

 

[Bush_Rat]

Would the Deka battery take mounting on the side, I see that might be the only advantage of the Optima as they are side mountable, so in a Jeep you could double stack 2 Opti's under the stock location on their side.

 

[xj_ridin_dirty]

trade show [email protected] lordco

red top series 34/78 #8004003 $140.99

yellow top series 34/78 #8014045 $169.99

month of April only

come see me @ the Squamish store, if the city boyz give ya a hard time

 

[bigass78]

I bought that Deka battery from polar battery. I haven't put it to use yet...(my truck is almost finished) and I paid $175. You WILL NOT find a place with nicer guys to deal with, hands down. I've been going there for years and will continue to

 

[rkjplt1]

Is the Deka a Gell cell? If not, then you also have to worry about leakage.

 

[Sero]

Would the Deka battery take mounting on the side, I see that might be the only advantage of the Optima as they are side mountable, so in a Jeep you could double stack 2 Opti's under the stock location on their side.

Is the Deka a Gell cell? If not, then you also have to worry about leakage.

Take a close look on the battery's label....

 

[rkjplt1]

Take a close look on the battery's label....

Thanks, I did. It doesn't tell me anything. 90% of batteries made today are spillproof/leakproof.
It doesn't even say anything about mounting it on it's side.

 

[Sero]

Thanks, I did. It doesn't tell me anything. 90% of batteries made today are spillproof/leakproof.

90% are not spill/leakproof, most are "flooded" battery's. It says it's AGM or absorbed glass matt battery which is spillproof and can mount in any orientation. It's all on the label.

A google search:

http://www.windsun.com/Batteries/Battery_FAQ.htm#AGM, or Absorbed Glass Mat Batteries

 

[steve604]

this is interesting. i hadn't thought about using a dual post battery before. it would be very handy for the accesories so i won't have to mess with cutting the factory wiring out of the crimped battery terminal.

i've heard a few times now that using a deep cycle battery in a vehicle doesn't work well. deep cycle batteries are designed to be run down and charged. in a vehicle it never really gets discharged so it ends up getting killed. it was an actualy optima battery dealer that told me this which is wierd because people will usually try to upsell on the more expensive battery to make more money.

anyone have much luck with the canadian tire drycell batteries. i think they have a lifetime warranty.

 

[Lone Ranger]

Yeah, I've noticed that Optima's quality has really gone downhill two. I bought two redtops last summer and one died within a month, the store I bought it from gave me such grief with returning it I gave up and bought a yellow top from Lordco.

Deka makes good batteries and I've been heard good things about them. I get a work discount at Polar so if I end up replacing my yellowtop as well, I know exactly where I'm getting my next one from. The side posts should put out the same (or near same power), don't see why the won't unless its just a design flaw. Everything GM pretty much uses side posts including the diesel pickups (from what I've seen of them), so why would they not make the side posts up to par? I have my winch mounted to the side posts and it works just fine. LR

 

[steve604]

after doing some research i think i am going to go with the canadian tire battery
http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/brow...er%2BEliminator%2BSpiral%2BGrid%2BBattery.jsp

10 year warranty, 3 year replacement. i am tired of dealing with other manufacturers warranties. at least this one is straight replacement for 3 years.

if i'm somewhere like moosejaw and the battery dies i can just go to the nearest canadian tire for a straight exchange.

 

[Lone Ranger]

If they're anything like those 'purple haze extreme cycle' ones they used to sell, they're actually not a bad battery at all. We were heading out on a Harrison run about 4 or 5 years back and my redtop died in the Mission CT parking lot, so I quickly ran in and that was about the only good AGM one they sold then... and its still running strong in my camper. They look pretty ghey but I honestly haven't been able to complain about it. IIRC, Exide makes them. LR

 

[VanBCguy]

Yeah, I've noticed that Optima's quality has really gone downhill two. I bought two redtops last summer and one died within a month, the store I bought it from gave me such grief with returning it I gave up and bought a yellow top from Lordco.

From what I've read and heard from others, Optima has been owned and manufactured in China for at least 2-3 years now. And that coincides with when people started to have troubles with the previously long life and reliability of them.

Deka makes good batteries and I've been heard good things about them. I get a work discount at Polar so if I end up replacing my yellowtop as well, I know exactly where I'm getting my next one from. The side posts should put out the same (or near same power), don't see why the won't unless its just a design flaw. Everything GM pretty much uses side posts including the diesel pickups (from what I've seen of them), so why would they not make the side posts up to par? I have my winch mounted to the side posts and it works just fine.

I don't have any real experience in this issue, but upon reading many reviews and stories on other sites and forums, I've concluded that the Optima (and to be fair, many others too) don't have the same current available through the side posts that the top posts do. I don't know how, I don't know why, but when I brought it up with Polar the day I bought the Deka, they concurred too.
LR

10 chars

 

[WstCst420]

how is Magnacharge , I am able to pick one NEW for $53 ..list price is $140?

 

[riotwarrior]

Well for the best of the best...try http://www.odysseybattery.com/batteries.html Ya pricey...but man what a battery...!!!!