Which batteries are the best?
 

Looking to replace the batteries on my 25 ' Powerplay. I've been looking at the sealed gel batteries. They are about twice what a normal battery runs. Is it worth it ? Any suggestions ?

I've got an interstate in my boat. Take it out every winter and slow charge it at the beginning of the season, 3 years old, (crossing my fingers).;)

The Gel cell are the ticket, may try one when the present battery goes.

I've tried them all and everyone has an opinion but the gel cells are killer if you charge them slow they will last forever ,they don't have alot of cold cranking amps most of the time ,but as a starter battery their great !!
My favorite all time long laster is the interstate megatron !!!;) ;)

I use interstate here never had a problem or complaint yet!:eureka:

The best battery I have ever used is the Stinger by AAMP of America. They are made in the same plant as the Ultima's but they are a newer technology that give MUCH more CCA and also lasts longer. The cost is VERY high however.

Ultima's are good also. They seem to have a high defect rate but they do seem to take care of warrantee issues. They last well and the good thing is you can get custom battery holders for them.

Other then that believe it or not the Autozone batteries have worked well for me in all aplications. They are of course a standard acid battery.

I'm about to purchase new Blue Gel OPTIMA deep cycle batteries - I hope there worth it $$$$ ?? Mainly for longer play time on the tunes. I'll let you know soon how long they last...

I have dual batteries in my 97 diesel truck and have Optimas I bought well over a year ago and they spin that starter like it's still a new truck. Although they were over $300 for the pair, I most likely won't buy anything different than these for a replacement. Nothing wears out a starter and electrical system any faster than low battery power! :D :frog:

I ran an Optima red top in my Jeep for 5 years. Hard use including a lot of winching. It's now 7 years old and dead. I let it run down as I didn't use it for two years as it sat in the Jeep and it won't take a charge. I liked it for the fact that it didn't leak at all. 7 year old and looks new. I bet that if I kept it charged it would still work now. When you look at how long they last, it doesn't seem as expensive. Go with gel IMO.

Optima here since 1999 and no problems.

Check Sam's Club
 

They just started carrying the new gel type by Exide at a good price!

Wannabe

isn't the amp hr. rating very low on the spiral core batts. (optima)

Also, look at Costco. They carry the Optimia's now.

Optimas are the way to go. We ran them in the race boat. I also run them in my Velocity as well as having one in the Whaler. It's a battery that is really hard to kill.

Not arguing the technology available, but unless you are subjecting the batteries to race-level vibration and impact (which will shake a normal battery apart), it is HARD to beat the bang for the buck of an AUTO ZONE GOLD group 27 battery at $56.99 with a 3 YR FREE replacement and a 90 month prorated warranty.

The exceptions are:
Heavy impact and vibration (already noted).
Frequent discharge to less than 10 volts (a deep cycle will be needed).

Just my .02

I like the optimas, give em a try.

While I have considered the Optima battery many times myself, it's still tough to beat the Auto Zone Gold battery like others have mentioned. You get a lot of bang for the buck with a warranty that is tough to beat.

The ironic thing about this? I can buy Optimas at wholesale anytime I want.

Buck

I have the autozone maine deepcycle going on 3 years now and beat the snot out of them with 1100 watt tunes and they have only left me stranded once but that's was at 9am and started jammin at like 9pm