Mena661 writes
โWhat'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.โ
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 โBETTERโ 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 โlifeโ 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 โlifeโ. 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 โlifeโ.
Battery life depends more on HOW YOU TREAT the battery and much less on the โconstruction and or materialsโ.
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, โwarrantiesโ, Trojan โoffersโ 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 โwarrantyโ 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 โreplacementโ Diehard for my DWs vehicle was nowhere โfreeโ, nope, that warranty rebate amounted to less than $40 off the price of the replacement which was priced at $130โฆ 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 โCONSUMABLESโ, 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 โmostโ folks โcampingโ, 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 โlifeโ 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 โfreeโ replacement) and they donโt tell you how much the โproratingโ 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..
