AGM Battery Suggestions - Good, Better, Best?

KenMast wrote:
Hi,

Any suggestions on 12V AGM Batteries? I'm looking for Good, Better & Best battery choices.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Ken

I use two Optima Red Top battery in my ford. I keep them in the ford for 6 years. Then I replace them. They will last longer them 6 years but this way I know I won't have a battery problem in the truck. I take the 2 red tops from the ford and use them in the trailer. Good thing their is I don't have to worry about the water in the batteries

Concordes (other than those for aviation) are designed for static installation while Lifelines are for mobile applications. Such Concordes are only warranted for one year in mobile applications while Lifelines are have a five year warranty; one-year replacement, four additional years prorated.

I'm using four Fullriver DC220-6 AGM batteries and like them a lot.

My 2 UPG 45981 AGM GP 31 coach batteries @ 110 AH (Universal Battery)are now 6 YO and have been performing as expected until just recently. One is beginning to lose capacity. At $200 ea., they are costwise in the running IMO.

Like I said, I am working on year 11 with my Lifeline 8Ds. I dry camp probably 60 to 90 days a year and I do run my inverter for the residential refer.

So, in my opinion the Lifeline is "good enough".

KenMast wrote:
I'm the OP on this thread. Never did I think it would be so complicated to just replace a battery. That's what I love (not) about RVing.

It gets complicated when you ask what's the "best" because "best" often depends on the exact situation. Often "good enough" really is good enough. (Yes, Rolls Surrette are the best - are you likely to notice? Probably not ...)

smkettner wrote:

KenMast wrote:
I'm the OP on this thread. Never did I think it would be so complicated to just replace a battery. That's what I love (not) about RVing.

Simple, get the Lifeline deep cycle and get on with enjoying the RV.
Good part is that charging specs are very close to the typical 3-stage converter voltage specs.

smkettner,

I like your comment best. Thanks to all that offered advise and suggestions.

Ken

On my 5th season with a Lifeline 4D. Average 150 nights per year. Mostly on shore power but a fair amount of dry camping. Absolutely no maintenance during winter storage. Expect at least minimum 3 more years before possible replacement.

KenMast wrote:
I'm the OP on this thread. Never did I think it would be so complicated to just replace a battery. That's what I love (not) about RVing.

Simple, get the Lifeline deep cycle and get on with enjoying the RV.
Good part is that charging specs are very close to the typical 3-stage converter voltage specs.

westend wrote:

dons2346 wrote:

westend wrote:
Good= UPG, Diehard, Interstate
Better= Trojan, Enersys Pure, LIfeline
Best= Concorde, Rolls/Surette, some telecom batteries that are exorbitantly expensive

On what basis did you determine the ratings you gave the batteries?
You have Lifeline as a "better" and a Concord as a "best".

Interesting as how they are the same basic battery

Experience and ratings.

I do not know that a Lifeline is identical to a Concorde but it could very well be.

Edit: looked at a 100AH battery in both product lines. A 100 AH Lifeline weighs 62 lbs. A 100 AH (extrapolated rate) Concorde Sun Xtender weighs 66 lbs. That would kind of show that not all Concorde and Lifeline batteries are identical It's kind of a moot point with me. You can put them in the same category if you wish.

When I was battery shopping back in '04, I inquired about the Concord Sun Xtender versus the Lifeline. I was told by the Concord rep that they manufacture both batteries. They are the same electrically except the Xtender is for fixed applications. The Lifeline was developed for the aircraft industry where the battery would operate in extreme environments. He specifically said do not put an Xtender in an rv.

dons2346 wrote:

westend wrote:
Good= UPG, Diehard, Interstate
Better= Trojan, Enersys Pure, LIfeline
Best= Concorde, Rolls/Surette, some telecom batteries that are exorbitantly expensive

On what basis did you determine the ratings you gave the batteries?
You have Lifeline as a "better" and a Concord as a "best".

Interesting as how they are the same basic battery

It should also be noted that the Enersys is the maker of two other labels; the Sears Diehard AGMs, and the Odyssey.

Concord/Lifeline/SunXtender are the same quality as well.

Anyhoo, I find that Deka/East-Penn and Johnson Controls(JC) make an economy priced AGM. I got the 100AH 31C from Sam's Club for $199.

The Deka AGM is labelled Intimidator and can be found at Bass-Pro labelled as XPS.

HTH;
John