Rednroll

I'm sure they're a good battery, but I'm not so sure how you can say they're just as good as the Odyssey where I posted their comparison specs, where the Deka weighs 10lbs less, and explains why they have 100 CCAs less than the Odyssey.

I'ld likely just go to Sam's Club and get the Duracel which looks like it cost less, and is the same battery made by East Penn than go with the Deka branded version.

jchappies

It only takes about 400CA to start your Jeep so unless you live in sub-zero temps anything more is just over kill. Yes the Odyssey is the better battery but not when the price point is almost twice that of a DEKA where the specs are really close.

Brand Price/AH 20Hr Price/RC Price/CA Price/CCA Price/Lbs
Deka ___$2.87_____$1.32____$0.19___$0.23____$3.90
Odyssey $4.49______$2.26___ $0.29___$0.36____$6.16

DEKA is 55ah 120min reserve 840CA 700CCA 41lbs and 160.00
Odyssey is 68ah 135min reserve 1050CA 850CCA 49lbs and 300.00

For me CA or CCA was not as important as reserve capacity and price, at almost half the price I could live with 15min of less reserve and it even made really more sense since I had to buy 2 batteries for my genesis dual battery setup.

Rednroll

For sure, the Deka is the better "value" battery if that's what you're after. However, over 100 Amps of additional current draw is a substantial amount in regards to performance differences. Nobody really cares what it takes, to start your Jeep. If that's what really mattered we would all still be running the stock battery and getting their $75 equivalent replacements which would also be a better "value" than the Deka at half its price.

In real world terms, everyone will have different applications where that additional current draw may be needed. You can't look at an individual property spec of a battery and make a comparison conclusion, since it's those combined individual specs which translates into a batteries overall performance. So looking at RC while ignoring CCA specs is pretty naive since they will both be relevant in a batteries overall performance. In an apples to apples real world comparison of where that additional power and capacity the Odyssey provides may matter to most, alls one has to do is look at the JP Magazine summary I posted and based upon specs you can easily interpolate where the Deka battery would fall in those same comparison tests. The Deka battery specs are very similar to the Sears Die Hard Gold in that comparison.

Die Hard Gold - Deka Intimidator
CCA= 795 - 785
RC= 105 - 120

From JP Magazine winch uphill pull results
Die Hard Gold= 295ft
Odyssey= 382ft

Which then interpolates to where that Deka battery should comparatively fall in performance. The Deka will be closer to the 300 ft range of pull similar to the Die Hard Gold battery, where the additional power/capacity of the Odyssey provided an additional 80ft of winch pull over the Deka in a real world use case comparison.

This is the reason I outlined "weight" is an important factor when comparing the same size batteries with each other when they're using the same AGM technology. More weight, means there is more AGM material packed inside the same size (Group 34) container. More material translates to more power (CCA) that can be delivered AND more storage capacity (RC)/(AH) which when combined together translates to better overall real world performance.

The point you're trying to make is the reason I stated earlier the Sears Diehard Platinum was the best "value" when it was available. I paid $180 for my Diehard Platinum which is really an Odyssey at a significantly reduced cost. "Odyssey" and "Die Hard Platinum" are just brand names. The technology and manufacturing behind both is what really matters, which is "Enersys". The comparison matrix I started is an effort to show where similar value vs. performance can be found when looking at these different batteries. The Duracell is currently the best "value" since it's the exact same battery as the Deka at a lower cost, where the Odyssey(Enersys) and Northstar batteries are the top performance batteries. Deka=Duracel, which are the brand names put on the outside but they're both really the exact same East Penn battery.

However, if you want to continue with the value comparison, then you're going to make a really good argument of how my dual HF $50 12V 150psi air compressors are "just as good" as your $500 ARB air compressor. However, I would never make a claim that the HF compressors are "just as good" as the ARB but the HF are however the better "value" and perform very well for their price.

jchappies

I can only give you my real world expertise and not some article you read on the internet

My last setup was with Sears die hard platinum batteries, my current setup is with DEKA AGM Intimidators, my work exclusively uses Odyssey so I see the abuse they can take on a daily basis with surveillance type vehicles that are used without the engine running. We've tested multiple batteries in this configuration just for this purpose.
I'm not saying anything bad about the Odyssey battery, they are a very good battery but dollar for dollar the Deka performs very well at half the price.

Now I don't think many of us are going to do 400ft winch pulls, but if you are then get the Odyssey. I give classes on winching and recovery techniques and the majority of us just need\do quick pulls of 10-30ft. For me the Deka provides enough amps for my winch which is rated for 9.5K(450ish amps at max load). My winch actually gets used, it's not there just for looks.

Rednroll

I got the Diehard Platinum because my headlights would dim when the subs would hit on my 3000 watt audio system and so I wouldn't need to run a dual battery setup like you are doing for my winching uses. It has worked well. Dual battery setups seems like you're losing that value aspect to me. Maybe you can explain the reasons why you're having to run a dual battery setup? Is that something your real world expertise told you, you needed to do or is that something you read on a Jeep forum that told you that is something you needed or is that something someone told you, you needed? My EE real world expertise in the auto industry with power sources and the associated technologies really would like to understand those reasons, since to me there seems like better solutions available which cost less, take less space and could provide better performance. So please explain, that real world expertise which told you you had to have a dual battery setup and how that dual setup works and what advantages it provides you.

dahreno

I've gone through a couple red tops and just replaced one that lasted 6 years almost to the day. ( I write the purchase date on top of batt.) I probably would have tried something different but I got this one on sale for $155.00 and they gave me back 16 bucks for the old one. Every place else I looked, they were 237.99.

paintm4u

Good info on the batteries, Thanks guys. I have to replace mine today it shot craps. I was surprised to find its the original one, my Jeep is a 2011 Rubi, pretty good for a factory batt.

Rednroll

What I'm finding is that when you start doing comparison shopping for the Group 34 AGM batteries, is that there are really only 5 different batteries. All the rest seem to be just the brand names put on the outside and their price differences. The Sears DieHard gold AGM batteries are a Deka/East Penn battery.

Here's how I'm currently seeing how they break down after you remove the brand name on the outside.
1. Enersys
2. East Penn
3. Northstar
4. Johnson Controls
5. Johnson Controls (Optimas)

I would further summarize that the Enersys and Northstar batteries seem to be the best in regards to performance, and the East Penn are the best value. I'm trying to hunt down some "exide" batteries to add to my comparison matrix as well.

Here's a post where someone else had similar findings when they looked into it as well.
https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/bat...mation.610857/

--------------------------------------------------
Who makes my battery:


Sears- Diehard: Lead Acid- Johnson Controls, Platinum AGM- Odyssey, Gold Advanced AGM- Eastern- Penn.
Interstate- Johnson Controls.
Walmart Everstart- Johnson Controls (Exide Contract Cancelled).
Autozone Duralast- Lead Acid- Johnson Controls, AGM- East-Penn.
Pep Boys (including Bosch)- As of Aug 2012 Exide
Napa- Lead Acid- Johnson Controls; AGM- East-Penn.
Optima- Johnson Controls.
Varta AGM- Fall 2012- Johnson Controls in a new US plant.
Costco-Johnson Controls.
Northstar- Northstar and also distributed by Batteries Plus as the X2Power and Exide under the Northstar label.
Duracell- East Penn (Deka)
Rayovac (Batteries Plus)- Lead Acid- Johnson Controls; AGM- East Penn (Deka)
Deka- East Penn

paintm4u

Are they really the same battery? I know from the a different industry that when a company manufactures a product it carries their proprietary specs. but when that same company manufactures the same product for another company it uses that companies specs. Does this not carry over into the battery world? Why would a company price their product well above the competitions when they are manufacturing the competitors product? I guess I just don't get it. To my way of thinking it looks like you would be cutting your own throat, but I really don't know about things like this so don't get mad if I'm wrong I just don't know.

Rednroll

Just compare the specs to the batteries I posted already. That was the purpose of me posting the specs, along with the manufacturer of the battery.