Battery Type AGM

[Islandtrader]

A little over 2 years ago I bought a Brute Force AGMHC 34 type...

The thing was only used approx. once a month to start the motor. Put on a battery tender brought up to full charge, and then let it sit for another month to six weeks.

Now it does not have enough juice to turn the motor. Even though fully charged.

Two things...I need another battery any recommendations...

The second gripe I have is this was bought at a local dealer and his take on it is basically we don't handle them any more TS.

I have had it with local dealers...in my area they SUCK! So when someone suggest buy local, well unless they have 10 or more stores, forgetaboutit

[DonV]

Terry, you have a Sam's Club close by? They sell AGMs with their better than average warranty.

[kmoose]

There seems to be two distinct user oppinions for AGM batteries...
1-Best battery I have ever used!
2-They suck so bad I want to use it to kill the guy who sold it to me.

I am in the first catagory. My first set lasted 5 years and I am now on my second. Where my batteries are makes them a PIA to check and add water to. The AGMs fit the bill for me but I have friends who have had nothing but bad luck with them so I don't feel comforatable recommending a particular one. That said, I have a Sam's membership and buy all my batteries from them. The are pretty good with their customer service if you can handle the wait they will take care of you. If money was no option, I would buy from Sears. They have the best rated AGMs and replacement policies.... but you pay up front for sure.

[Islandtrader]

The bad part is I need the group 34 because of the stroker and the size of the battery . So off to Sams and Sears, and see what they have.

[Bushwacker]

Terry,

I've had good luck with Deka wet batteries. Typically get at least 5 years out of them. Bought 'em from a local electrical shop I've been dealing with for about 30 years, were the owner is a real mechanic who will overhaul an alternator or starter instead of just swapping parts! Had good luck with an Optima AGM, but he quit carrying them because they didn't hold up. Switched back to a wet battery because it's not a good idea to mix types (charging requirements are different!). I used Sears Die Hard for a few years until I concluded it was just a battery rental program . . . none of them lasted more than 2 years but the warranty allowance was enough that it was slightly cheaper to buy another one than buy a REAL battery! Finally got tired of the hassle and bought a real battery! Denny

[DonV]

From what I hear......as with most everything they sell, the Sam's Club AGMs are made by DEKA just branded as "DuraCell". I think they are group 31 and cost about $170.

[ct9amr]

Great results here with AGM (Odessey), rolling into year 4 with them.
They get topped up once or twice a month by onboard Marine battery tenders.

They are suppose to be more finicky about charging so I went with the battery tender and so far I have been very happy.

[FishStretcher]

Deka makes great batteries. In another life I used hundreds of the group 27 and thousands of the group 24 gel batteries. Really consistent.

AGMs can make great (cranking) power, but are finicky with charge profile. You can dry them out. A tender/maintainer designed for a wet battery might do this.

I have had decent luck with walmart batteries for my powerstroke diesel. Get the newest date code in the rack, and pick them up. Often times the $107 battery weighs 8 lb more than the $104. (The group 65 diesel battery price)

That's a lot of lead, and resulting capacity for $3. Totally worth the difference. As is a 6 watt solar panel. The 6 watt Ganz Eco-Flex does a great job on my flooded batteries in the center console. And you can step on the solar panel, too.

[Scampi 814]

I've been using Optima batteries for the last 13 years. I have 4 in the 33', 2 big blues for house and port engine, 2 reds, 1 starboard engine, 1 genset. They are now about 6 years old and holding up well. They are on an automatic charger full time. I also have a small blue top on a small jet boat (175 hp sport jet) that's not getting a lot of use this and last year, battery switch off, no charger, cranks good after several months. I did loose 2 on another boat because the charger died. All in all they have been real good. I should note that I sell Interstate batteries and they handle optima.

[Old'sCool]

I have 2 Optima blue tops that stay hooked to an on-board charger. They're 6-7 years old.