Optima or store brand?

drew and not u

drew and not u

New Member
Joined
Jun 15, 2006
Location
Chapel Hill
I have to get a new battery as my current one has had it. I asked this on JF, but I guess I should have expected the retarted "JUST GETS TEH YELLOW TOPS EVERYONE SAYS ITS BEST" responses that I got...

I have the opportunity to get an optima red top 1000CCA Dual Terminal for $107. Apparently it went through one charge cycle and then sat for 3 weeks, though it tests like new. Is it worth it to pick this up or should I just go get a decent battery from walmart/Advance Auto? I don't have much extra drain on my electrical system, just 4 overhead lights I rarely use. I do take it off-road fairly often, so I like the idea of having a spiral-cell battery.

If not the optima, what in-store brands do you guys recommend?
Thanks!
 
I have HEARD that the optimas can take a beating as far as power draw, etc., but I've heard that if they sit for a while withought charging they can go bad faster than a typical battery. I think the differences are the Optima is a gell while the typical batter is acid.

Hopefully somebody here has more first hand experience.
 
Thanks Dave, the fact that it sat for three weeks is really what's got me worried too. Even though it tests well, I don't think a battery tester can determine the batteries longevity.
 
I have always enjoyed my optimas. My first one never really sat but the most current one sits all the time for a long time on end and I haven't had any problems. For anything that I take offroad I require myself to buy a optima or similar battery. $107 doesn't seem like a great deal on a used battery though so I would pass that one up. I think I only paid $120 for my red top and $140 for my yellow.
 
Where were you able to find it for that price? If it sitting isn't really a problem then it seems like an ok deal, considering it includes shipping, plus the fact that it's the 1000cca Dual-terminal model. But I don't know much about batteries, so I could be wrong.
 
Optimas are hit and miss... I've replaced my yellowtop twice under warranty, and have had problems with it discharging itself to near dead in about 3 days..... I am back to using the original mopar battery that was installed in the jeep 5 years ago... Costco here in Myrtle has them for around 120.00 last I checked (red top).

JR
 
Thanks bud. Does anyone have any recommendations as far as a good brand I might find at Advance/Walmart, etc? To be honest I don't know the difference between an Interstate and a valuecraft. Until now I've just always used whatever the little computer in the aisle told me to! :shaking:
 
Optima hands down. Thats a killer price on it. My alt went out and ran for 20 miles on it with headlights on and had no problems.:Rockon:
 
the interstate batt. shop near me told me the only thing that happens to optimas is that when they are discharged most people dont have a strong enough charger to charge them back up. they also have a pallet of used optimas that they have charged back up and they garuantee them to be good. they sell the used red tops for $50 bucks a pop.
 
I've never had any good experiences with optima batteries. Wal-mart sells the "extreme duty" type batteries that work pretty well. Mine has been at every angle imaginable and still works/doesn't leak anything. Plus it doesn't ever let me down--unlike the three different red tops in two different vehicles have... :rolleyes:

On the downside, it doesn't look as cool.
 
If it's your DD, get the optima. Seems like lots of people have problems with them if they let them set. (Trail rigs.) I have had a red top that never had a problem and currently have a yellow top that has run the truck for 20-30 miles when the alternator crapped out. It would still start like nothing was wrong after that too. I recommend them or an Odyssey, though the Odyssey is a bit more expensive. I've heard good things about them. You can get them a a place like Batteries Plus and the like. Probably can't get them at Wal-Mart or Advance.
 
red top

Had a red top for about 8 years in a trail only vehicle that sat about 30 days between rides. Always worked and would pull the 8274 like it was going to melt the cables. I could kill it to the point that the jeep would barely run (winching 15 consecutive trucks one time) and it would always charge right up, no worries.
When it finally bit it- with very little warning, I got a yellow top and love it. Cant seem to kill this one either. No matter what you get, get GOOD cables and get good connections.
Now where did I put that :beer:
 
Thanks guys!
I ended up just getting an Autocraft from Advance. We don't really have any other places that sell batteries around here, and I had to have one now (the current one wouldn't start the truck even moments after driving it). It has a 3 year free repalcement warranty and 84 month pro rated warranty. I guess if it sucks I'll just get them to replace it. This is one receipt I'm keeping. :rolleyes:
 
wanna pass that deal on the optima on to a fellow member? that was a heck of a deal... and even if it did have problems the red tops have a 3 year warranty... drill a hole in it and cover it with a sticker or grey rtv... bam, new battery under warranty...
 
thanks... i'm sure someone on here would love to have that thing for that price, especially since the warranty, IF THEIR WERE AN ISSUE WITH IT, is good at any retailer without a receipt.
 
I just bought a Yellow Top from Sam's at $159. A bit pricey but better than the $189 I'd been seeing. I love mine so far. I screwed up and left the ignition on the day I bought it and drained it completely after 2 days. I put it on trickle charge and left it for a day and it charged back completely. I have no worries anymore about running all my accessories and still have plenty of back up juice.
 
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