Best deep cycle ?

tplife wrote:
Beemerphile is correct about AGM batteries not being the best solution for everyone. I am sorry if he or anyone are insulted - I backed up my experience and findings with links all the way. Sometimes the difference between long-term cost efficiency and "I want it right now" is the money that pays the fees at the campground or puts gas in the tank for the next campout. The references in my posts are legitimate charts from real-world experience of a lit of people (like myself) who have been buying flooded batteries for decades and are taking an open mind

I consider myself to have an open mind (who doesn't :) ). I looked at one link you provided. If you have any more, I missed them, but would like to look at them. The one link you provided had four comparisons - energy stored per weight, energy stored per volume, cost per energy stored and total cost over life of the battery. In 3 of the 4, the flooded cells beat all others (AGM, gel, and more). In the total cost, the AGM won, but only by making assumptions that weren't warranted and don't apply to most of us.

I am of the opinion that AGM batteries are better than flooded cells in many ways (gas emission, vibration resistance, extreme charge rate and others), but not in lifetime cost, nor in the other measures of that article that I care about:
Battery Type Comparisons

If AGMs ever drop in cost to the level of flooded cells, I'll buy them. Until then, I'll stick with flooded cells.