Optima Batteries?

[roamingyak]

Hello there.
A quick post to see if I have the wrong information about Otima Batteries and to see what everybody else thinks?

First, a bit of background...

I have a ex MOD 110 (12 volt) that has two type 072 batteries in a split charge.

One of the batteries is confirmed dead, and the other pretty stuffed too. So two new batteries are needed.

As I'm preparing for a long trip next year, and various books like SO and Tom Sheppards say Batteries are pretty importent(obvious), I thought I would look at Optima Batteries as they seem to have a good reputation and appear to be targeting the "if your serious about batteries, then you need a" type market.

Quotes for two replacement 072's seem to come in around the £65-£85 each area, with all offering a 3-4 year warranty.

Reading up on the Optima's from optimabatteries.com and .se sites I came across the following:

"Off-road, on rough waters, or just braving the potholes in your SUV...OPTIMA Batteries are built to take a beating."

"the OPTIMA Red Top Starting Battery will perform extremely well, often providing up to two to three times longer life than conventional batteries. If the vehicle has few or no after-market accessories and uses a stock or upgraded alternator"

Given that the optima's are twice the price or more, I was some what horrified to find out that the yellow top only comes with a 1 year warranty (not international, return to purchaser etc) and the Red Top 2 years(or 1 depending on who you speak with.

Have I got it wrong? I spoke with Frog Island and Boyriven.

If a battery that costs twice as much and claims to last at least twice as long can only offer 30% of the warranty as others I think I will stick to standard 072's, despite the claimed benefits of the Optima's.

Anybody have any opinions on this, or show me where I'm going wrong? I'm reluctant to pay twice as much for something that won't last longer than 12 months.

Any comments welcome (including the best brand of 072's to buy etc)

Cheers, Darrin


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