Costco 6v batteries

EXCELLENT POST Gdetrailer!

Mena661 writes “What's BS about it? If the Trojan's lasted longer in that environment than the JC non-branded stuff then they have the better built battery. Quite frankly, unless you're a full timer that lives off grid, your batteries are living an easy life so it's no surprise that the JC non-branded lasts a long time. IMO, they SHOULD last a long time. With the light use we RVers give to our batteries I would expect nothing less. Personally, I expect to be selling my rig with the batteries FULLY functional like I just bought them.”


Chipper made a blanket statement and mentioned Trojans last 4 yrs vs JC at 2 years in golf carts.. I take it that you FULLY agree and support that false statement..

What I have found over the years is the MOST EXPENSIVE batteries DO NOT NECESSARILY MEAN THEY ARE “BETTER” OR LOST LONGER.

Comparing apples to apples, Trojans offer a SLIGHT more usable Ahr capacity over other brands (IE Trojan at 225 Ahr and at 50% DOD that gives you 112.5 Ahr vs other brands at say 210 Ahr and at 50% DOD that gives you 105 Ahrs) .

That equates to Trojans only having 7.5 more usable Ahr capacity or about 7% but yet from my research Trojans CAN cost as much as 40% MORE to purchase.

This 7% more capacity could potentially give you a bit more “life” but it definitely will not give you 50% more life as Chipper stated..

Typically Wet cell batteries which are not over discharged and are recharged quickly after being discharged will typically result in a 8-10 year usable “life”. Basically 7% more capacity might gain you 7 months (8yr life) to 8.5 months (10 yr life). But yet you WILL pay up to 40% MORE to get that extra few months of “life”.

Battery life depends more on HOW YOU TREAT the battery and much less on the “construction and or materials”.

Example of this is my vehicles..

My DWs vehicle (a 2006) is now on its FOURTH battery, OEM lasted 3 years, TWO EXPENSIVE DieHards that only lasted 1.5 years each.. Replaced the last Diehard with a Sams club special for HALF the price of a Diehard..

My vehicle (2003) the OEM battery lasted until this winter.. or TEN years of service!

Why the difference in life?

Simple, DW commute to work is 11 miles ROUND trip, drives 5.5 miles in the morning and 5.5 in the afternoon, 10 minutes each way.. The battery NEVER, EVER gets fully recharged after being drained from starting.

I commute 100 miles round trip, 50 miles in the morning and 50 miles in the afternoon, 60 minutes each way, the battery in my vehicle ALWAYS gets fully charged EVERY drive..

Something else to consider, “warranties”, Trojan “offers” a longer warranty (the caveat however is the extended length is PRORATED which means the amount back DECREASES OVER TIME) , but really how many times have YOU personally been successful at getting a 7 month or older battery replaced for FREE?

You PAY for that “warranty” UP FRONT in the purchase price and you have a very slim chance of even getting any of that extra money you paid back.

The “replacement” Diehard for my DWs vehicle was nowhere “free”, nope, that warranty rebate amounted to less than $40 off the price of the replacement which was priced at $130… After getting burned on the Diehard I decided if I was going to be replacing batteries this often I may as well buy CHEAPER batteries, I can replace them more often at less cost overall.

Batteries ARE “CONSUMABLES”, they WILL eventually need to be replaced and most if not all WILL last way past the warranty period as long as you treat them right. For “most” folks “camping”, Costco or Sams Club GC batts will work perfectly fine and give a decent life as long as the batteries are cared for properly (golf carts and camping ARE two distinct uses of a battery, golf carts tend to get HEAVILY used for 10-14 hrs per day and will be fully discharged at the end of the day which turns them into doorstops fast). There is no real good reason to pay as much as 40% more for a battery if you only get 7% more “life” or capacity..

One example of Trojan T105 prices.. HERE at $148 plus shipping..

Warranty 6/36 Months Prorated (the battery would have to fail within 6 months to get a “free” replacement) and they don’t tell you how much the “prorating” is but I can tell you from the many years of dealing with batteries you will only get a small percentage back for every month past that 6 months and that percentage DECREASES as each month passes..

Sams Club you can currently get a GC2 at about $89 with membership (we get a discounted membership through DWs workplace and use the membership for other things), that IS 40% LESS than a T105 and 6/12 month warranty..

Pretty much a no brainer, you can almost buy TWO Sams or Costco GC batts for the price of ONE T105.. So who cares if a Sams or Costco battery only lasts 8 yrs vs a T105 at 8 yrs and 7 months..

If you could get a T105 for $5 above a Sams or Costco GC battery then it would be a no brainer to buy the T105, but you simply are not going to buy a T105 for Sams or Costco pricing..

Bottom line, CARE is more important than the NAME on the battery..

I have 4 of the Sams Club golf cart batteries marked 2005 in my 93 PADB (Currently for sale)!!!
8/9 years sounds good to me. I'll replace the batteries in my NEW coach with the same Golf Cart batteries.

You can't go by anecdotal evidence on how long batteries last or which brand is better. My first set were Trogens they last 4 years. My next set were Sam's Club they are 8 years old and I am still using them. Most of my camping is without electricity. Are the Sam's Clubs better, I don't think so but they are cheaper. So for me listening to BFL13's and others advice on how to maintain batteries is more important than the brand.

Here is a couple of GOOGLE PHOTOS showing display info on the GC2 6VDC batteries..







For the most part they are somewhat similar to the TROJAN T105.
Their spec sheet might be useful for you...


Roy Ken

jgrimes wrote:
In general terms, how do trojans compare to interstate batteries?

When you get into the more expensive batteries like Trojan, Crown, etc., you're getting better ingredients and a more robust construction. They also tend to have more amp hours than a less expensive battery.
My own experience is that in some situations the Trojan is a better choice but, like Mena states, we use these batteries so infrequently that any brand should last a long time. Especially true if we maintain them.

In general terms, how do trojans compare to interstate batteries?

Gdetrailer wrote:

BS, Johnson Controls makes A LOT of NON BRANDED batteries and is pretty well regarded for their batteries.

What's BS about it? If the Trojan's lasted longer in that environment than the JC non-branded stuff then they have the better built battery. Quite frankly, unless you're a full timer that lives off grid, your batteries are living an easy life so it's no surprise that the JC non-branded lasts a long time. IMO, they SHOULD last a long time. With the light use we RVers give to our batteries I would expect nothing less. Personally, I expect to be selling my rig with the batteries FULLY functional like I just bought them.

chipper wrote:
When I checked 2 years ago, they were made by Johnson Controls, a well rated company, however not up to the same standard as Trojan.Trojans last 4 years in a golf cart & Costco batteries about 2 years.

:R

BS, Johnson Controls makes A LOT of NON BRANDED batteries and is pretty well regarded for their batteries.

Even if a Costco battery had a "shorter life" it is WELL made up by the fact that it IS far cheaper than the Trojan "brand".

Additionally your mileage in a golf cart highly depends on just how much you ABUSE the batteries and Golf carts tend to be extremely heavily abused.

To the OP, Costco batteries like Sams Club batteries typically will have a 20hr rating of 205 Ahr-215Ahr. Trojans of the same size will have 225Ahr BUT the Trojan "brand" will set you back easily 25%-40% MORE per battery depending on how greedy the dealer is.

I am using Sams club GC batteries to power my home fridge conversion from an inverter. One pair of the 6V GC batts gives me PLENTY of capacity to operate my fridge, some lights, and furnace for 24hrs before needing charging. I do not have solar either.

So far my Sams Club GC batts have given me EIGHT YEARS of usage and STILL going strong.

I had Trojans for 10 years and sold my TT with them still working perfectly. My new TT has new Trojans. Can't mess with success!