Assuming Optima Red Tops are still the "thing?"

I'm really surprised to see all the AGM hatred. I have just never heard such bad things about them. Interesting for sure.
 
Another thing I don't like about the agm's, I deal with them on the boat side often. They'll drop the boat off and the batteries dead, I can hook up the charger and 15 mins later the lead acid battery is hot enough to fire the boat up.

It takes sometimes 2 or more hrs on the agm's with the correct charger.
 
Wait, you're supposed to use a different charger for agm batteries? I've got an older generic 1-1/2 amp charger I usually hook to stuff for a day or two at a time.

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4x4dually said:
I'm really surprised to see all the AGM hatred. I have just never heard such bad things about them. Interesting for sure.
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They're definitely fragile to over-volting or over-discharging, they won't come back to life like a lead acid will. The "smart chargers" with an AGM mode might help that, I'm not sure exactly how those work. Obviously my alternator doesn't work differently if you put in an AGM or a lead acid.

But if you keep them in their happy zone, I like them just because they don't grow new forms of life every few months. I feel that's quite a benefit. I also have one behind my passenger seat, so I'd rather that not be an acid bomb.
 
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My experience with Optimas are basically what everyone else here has said. If you neglect them on the charging side they won't last long but they will certainly come back strong after a full discharge and will take physical abuse like no other, if you charge them back slowly.

Bottom line is I rarely have had a set of lead batteries last more than 5-6 years no matter how well I maintain them but I have Optimas that are now 11+ years old that are just as reliable as the day I bought them.

I invested in their small smart chargers and they paid for themselves in less than a year. I run Optimas in the boat, pulling truck, the motorcoach and the trailer and never had a failure. I never have run them in my daily driver until this year. So, time will tell.....
 
J-Pipes said:
Wait, you're supposed to use a different charger for agm batteries? I've got an older generic 1-1/2 amp charger I usually hook to stuff for a day or two at a time.
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They will take higher currents but only if the temp is right.

Batteries are like anything else. Patience pays.
 
jasonc said:
Another thing I don't like about the agm's, I deal with them on the boat side often. They'll drop the boat off and the batteries dead, I can hook up the charger and 15 mins later the lead acid battery is hot enough to fire the boat up.



It takes sometimes 2 or more hrs on the agm's with the correct charger.
Click to expand...
VW is currently charging, it's been on "battery repair" for 3 hours and says it's at 9%
BT dongle stuck in the cigarette adapter kilt it ded

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4x4dually said:
I'm really surprised to see all the AGM hatred. I have just never heard such bad things about them. Interesting for sure.
Click to expand...


The math just doesn't work for me. Lead acid is around $100 for 36mo warranty (interstate), Interstate AGM same size is $165, Optima is ~$240. So multiply that x2 and the fact they are very unpredictable on life span I just don't see the love. Experience has shown I usually get 5yrs out of a set unless something ruins them. (had a few alternators cook them)



Sort of like buying furniture, I don't feel so bad spilling stuff on a $500 recliner as I do ruining a $2000 one.
 
4x4dually said:
I'm really surprised to see all the AGM hatred. I have just never heard such bad things about them. Interesting for sure.
Click to expand...

Same.

I've run them with no issues. Oddesy back in the day, Orilley now.

Less corrosion, won't spill or explode...
 
jfaulkner said:
The math just doesn't work for me. Lead acid is around $100 for 36mo warranty (interstate), Interstate AGM same size is $165, Optima is ~$240. So multiply that x2 and the fact they are very unpredictable on life span I just don't see the love. Experience has shown I usually get 5yrs out of a set unless something ruins them. (had a few alternators cook them)
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I hear ya on the math. Like I said, I've never had red tops fail at less than 7-9 yrs so my personal experience has been stellar. I'm sure quality has dropped. Everything else has. :doh:


This is the charger I use. It will recover batteries normally. It wasn't very expensive.

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Wow! This threads turning into an old school ATS vs DTT vs SunCoast death match!!!

Ill briefly add to it.
AGM- Optima yellow top.
L/A- Continental followed by Deka

All three have been outstanding in terms of service life and construction.
Never had single corroded terminal with any of the above.
 
I haven’t bought any new vehicle batteries for many years since I got a digital battery desulphator. I find a couple sulphated batteries in the core pile at work, put them on the pulsetech for about a week and they work like new for 3-5 years. Can’t do that with an AGM!
 
This is a common topic of discussion among myself and few other cousin’s. We all have diesels so we all buy two batteries at a time.

One of us even made a spreadsheet to make a fair comparison. End of it all, everstart AGM’s (group 34) from Walmart have the most cranking amps and the longest warranty period for the dollar.
 
mhuggler said:
I haven’t bought any new vehicle batteries for many years since I got a digital battery desulphator. I find a couple sulphated batteries in the core pile at work, put them on the pulsetech for about a week and they work like new for 3-5 years. Can’t do that with an AGM!
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I just did? Battery was down at least a month
It cranked the car at %51 after about 7hrs in battery repair.
7bfd236c3319a87948712f0cc5be176f.jpg


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biggy238 said:
I just did? Battery was down at least a month
It cranked the car at %51 after about 7hrs in battery repair.

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If the battery accepted a charge, it was not sulphated. Maybe partially, but not at the level that I was talking about.
 
I had optima red tops in my truck that where installed in the end of 2011, in 2016 I replaced one of them that was dual thermals when I remote mounted my battery's to fit turbos. Needless to say, the one from 2016 is junk and the one from 2011 is still in decent shape. So don't be surprised if you replace a set that lasted for a long time and the next set doesn't.
 
mhuggler said:
If the battery accepted a charge, it was not sulphated. Maybe partially, but not at the level that I was talking about.
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I could be mistaken, but I was under the impression AGM's don't sulphate?

I was referring to the reviving a battery more so than what technology.

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Deleted the grid heater and passenger battery and swapped in a Deka group 31 with 3 aught starter/ground. Cranks up quick, so far so good. Part # 1131PMF. 950 amps @ 0*F, 1170 amps @ 32*F, $142 at Napa or $120 if you have an EastPenn distributor nearby.
 
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