AGM batteries - are they better?

pugslyyy wrote:
AGMs are fantastic - but only you can decide whether they are worth the premium to you.

Lifeline is a pretty well regarded and their website is comprehensive - worth a look for even general AGM info.

http://www.lifelinebatteries.com/rv.php

(I have over $2000 of AGMs in my rig)

How many AHs do you have in your bank?

I read the list of advantages. I saw nothing that convinced me, but it left questions open.

The high charge rate is nice, but it looked like it was avoiding the questions I have.

1) I'd have to buy a new charger to gain anything.

2) 500A is well beyond my gen capability, so I couldn't power that anyway.

3) It didn't say I could charge at a higher rate at the tail end of the charge cycle, which is where I run most of the time.

I'd need a charge diagram to see that, and so far I haven't found one. It's no good to me if my last hour of AGM charge is the same as the tapered last hour of my FLA that I currently see. I spend most of the time recharging in that last hour, and I already own a charger that's bigger than the FLA's will accept. It's not of value to me if the entire high charge rate advantage lies in the below 80% SOC charge region. I need better performance in the 80% to 100% region.

Finally, the improved cycle life is also nice, but it's eaten up by the increased cost. I already get 6-8 years of life depending on usage and care. I'm not convinced I'd really get 18-24 years of life, which is what the cycle life implies. My battery life isn't limited by cycle life, but by age of the batteries.

I'm looking for real world advantages in the way I use my batteries. I'm not trying to convince anyone else that AGMs aren't good for them, but so far I don't see advantages for me.

(The decreased discharge rate is also nice, but not something that concerns me. There's no significant discharge during my typical RV trip, and I keep the batteries plugged in and charge maintained when I'm not traveling.)