Ryan0260

I have had good luck with Optima batteries, and also the Deka Intimidator, which are less known but very good quality.

theksmith

genuine Odyssey are pretty much the best you can buy - but pricey. i had back luck with a couple of the Sears Platinum and then they were a$$hats about the warranty as well. so i've switched to the X2Power, which when they first came out had a 4 year full replacement warranty - not prorated like most. not sure if that's still the case.

Rednroll

Like Jedg mentioned the Sears Diehard Platinum has been discontinued (that's the only one on the list) and that was due to Sears and Enersys discontinuing their contracts. That was the "magic bullet" I was referring to earlier where it was really a re-branded Enersys Odyssey but at a significant cost savings when purchased from Sears. That's what I currently have in my JK and is one of the reasons I started this list, in anticipation of when I may need to replace it. I'm at 5 years with that battery currently.

What I mentioned earlier when I was doing some research, I read some information that stated Enersys had landed a contract with Motorcraft for batteries built for Ford vehicles. What I additionally found is that there is a Group 34 AGM Motorcraft battery sold through Ford dealerships and it's price is very similar to the Sears Die-Hard platinum. I still need to connect the rest of the dots of getting the specs, confirming the price, and confirming it's an Enersys manufactured battery where it just may be the next "magic bullet" similar to the Sears Die-hard platinum where you're able to get an equivalent battery to the Enersys Odyssey, but at a significant cost savings. See where I'm going with this list?

Most look at the name brand on the outside of the battery, where what I feel is more important is determining who the manufacturer is of that battery. There's only a few battery manufacturers but many brand names stamped on the outside of them. When you look at all the manufacturers and compare the different brand names, internally they're essentially the same. The "weight" is a key spec in connecting those dots. Thus, you can find essentially the same battery at a cost savings and with better battery warranties. For example, look at the NAPA branded battery. It's only slightly higher in cost than the rest of the batteries manufactured by East Penn, but it's specs are exactly the same as all the other brand names but has a 6.25 year warranty. So with that, if you're considering purchasing any of the East Penn batteries, regardless of the brand name on the outside, you may be better off getting the one from NAPA due to the extra warranty.

Essentially with all these batteries if you dig deep enough, you start to identify the only differences between them are....
1. color/shape of the case,
2. name brand on the outside
3. the locations and amount of terminals
4. The warranty
5. The prices

Mr.T

I've a fair amount of experience with Odyssey, and did an some testing in this review of the PC1500T. Also have three X2Power from BatteriesPlus (NorthStar), an Optima Red, two Exide Edge AGM's, and a AC Delco AGM. I had the Diehard Platinum made by Enersys as well.

• I've the most experience and confidence in the Odyssey Extreme series. If 4Wheel parts is within driving distance, that might save on shipping. The review has all the testing for the one in my JK. Everything else in this list is too new to have a long term opinion.
• The X2Power from BatteriesPlus can also save shipping cost if they are near enough. They have the best guarantee, 5 year full replacement. Cost is a bit lower than the Odyssey Extreme. Two of mine are Group65 and initially tested above rated CCA. The other was a Group34 (same as the JK) which tested less than rated CCA. My experience is that initially testing high is a good sign, indicating long life ahead. However, my test equipment for CCA is better at comparing like batteries than absolute accuracy for all sizes, brands, and types. It was a special order so there wasn't anything to compare with at the store. This battery is in my mother-in-laws car; usage is short trips and often parked a couple weeks between starts. She's hard on batteries, especially interested how this one holds up.
• The two Exide Edge batteries and Red Top Optima were bought late last year. Can't remember how they tested, but the initial CCA must have been close to rated.
• The Delco AGM is the small size made for a Prius, and is the starting battery for a generator. It initially measured above rated CCA, and is always connected to a CTek charger. The prior battery was a yellowtop Optima that measured low initially, and only lasted about three years despite it's easy life.
• I had high hopes for the Diehard Platinum that isn't available any longer. I remember that it tested over 100 CCA low initially. At about 5 years it was over 300 low. It fit another car, so it was used there for another year until it lost enough that it wasn't reliable.

Rednroll

Great stuff as always!! I saw 4 years warranty on the X2Power batteries for the Group 34 AGM. Is that incorrect? or maybe that difference is because I listed the 34"M" for Marine, because I wanted to include the additional terminals that typically come with the Marine options. Often the marine versions seem to have a slightly lower warranty. Likely due to the fact that most marine applications, people tend to drain them more often which leads to a shorter life.

Mr.T

Thanks -- Didn't notice that, the 34M (marine) does have a year shorter warranty than the regular 34. Your probably right about it being the same battery internally, with additional marine terms, and less warranty due to sitting longer with deeper cycling in marine applications -- Much like the use in my mother-in-laws car, she has not had a battery that lasted even 4 years!