Battery Trojan vs. LIfeline

brulaz wrote:

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
I dunno. I sort of like the THOUSAND AMPS overkill for inverter high loading and being able to charge the battery in half the time. The AGM also tolerates 80% discharges a lot better than flooded.

Make up a list of plus and minus features.

When the B2 bomber starts using Trojan AGM then I will feel they are competitive with Concorde's Lifeline. Call Trojan and ask them specs for thickness of positive plates. The Lifeline has .090" plates. And envelope separators. If Concorde gets some serious competition their retail price will drop.

Is battery weight per amp hour any indicator of quality or longevity in AGM batteries? I've heard it is in other types.

Was looking at Group 31 AGMs and was surprised to see that Lifeline has the lowest #/Ah:

Lifeline, GPL-31XT, 74#, 125Ah, 0.592#/Ah
Lifeline, GPL-31T, 64#, 105Ah, 0.610#/Ah
FullRiver, 115-12, 72#, 115Ah, 0.626#/Ah
East Penn Deka, 31M, 69#, 105Ah, 0.657#/Ah
(also Duracell Total or Sam's Club)
Exide Nautilus, XMC-31, 71#, 100Ah, 0.710#/Ah
(Also Canadian Tire Nautilus Ultra)

Lifeline and FullRiver seem to be packing more Ah into their batteries for a given weight.

Better technology, or lighter (cheaper?) plates, or ...?

When taken care of and maintenanced properly the thicker the positive plate (all other things being even) the longer the battery will live. Very dense properly prepared and cured plate paste has a lot to do with the longevity of the plate in addition to plate thickness.


It is difficult to manufacture a good AGM in the first place. The more plates stuffed into the cell the greater the capacity. Couple plate count with plate thickness and just so many plates can be stuffed into a cell.

When a responsible company offers thicker plates but similar or less ampere hours, CCA and reserve capacity it is an excellent indication that the battery will endure significantly more usable cycles than a lighter weight battery with similar 20 amp hour capacity. The thicker plate battery will be significantly heavier.

I keep harping about the cost the TRUE COST of a customer enduring a failed battery. I buy Gates hoses for my car that cost a lot more than Pep Boys specials. Per month of service they cost LESS. They also reduce the liklihood of losing forty dollars of antifreeze and stranding me.

Positive plate THICKNESS is an essential indicator of battery durability. Concorde Lifeline brags the positive plate thickness of it's AGM is .090" It doesn't take a genius to understand that these plates will outlive .045" plates which are all too common in many, too many other brands of AGM battery. Unscrupulous battery manufacturers REFUSE to tell inquiring customers the thickness of positive plates. Similar to a jeweler refusing to tell a customer the karat value of a gold item. It's plain hucksterism pure and simple.



"Doctor oh doctor where did you study medicine?"

"That's proprietary information"

When I was rebuilding alternators the vendors posted signs on their sales counters listing EXACTLY parts were ALWAYS changed and brand and rating of those parts. They were niche alternators made especially for RV's, yachts, and emergency vehicles.

The world is full of phonies, con artists and slimy shysters. No I do not like them. I do my best to try and educate folks who wish to make themselves more B.S. resistant in the lead acid battery field.

I get sucker-punched enough with non battery purchases. It stings.