AGM or Lead-Acid?

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I cleaned connection points and unplugged/reconnected. Now the maximum voltage at high RPM is 14.6V
I do have a Battery Maintainer that auto identifies it as AGM. it backs off at 13.1V to a very small current.
I will watch it a while and then get another AGM.
Googling Battery Reviews is a joke. I think they are funded by the Mfr. No two reviews seem to agree on a Brand.
I do prefer to buy where I can get access for a warranty exchange if away from home.
 
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dkamp said:
I do prefer to buy where I can get access for a warranty exchange if away from home.
Click to expand...
Kinda why I bought my most recent battery purchases from Sams club. Walmarts' everywhere. When my Costco batteries died, the nearest Costco was 100 miles away.
 
Our local Samsclub only sells Duracell. Most have 36 month warranty. I didn't notice any AGM.
 
I've always used Optima red tops in my Dart, I'm on my second one in 30 or so years, they were always on a Optima maintainer when parked.
 
Batteries are a problem. Period. The brand you bought 'last time' may now be manufactured by someone else than made the 'last time' battery or, at the least, it won't be the same in mfg spec or quality. By 'spec' I don't mean useless CCA or AH numbers, but plate thickness and spacing, quality of the plating...that sort of thing. How a battery is treated is critical to its lifespan.

Example: Yuasa used to be 'The Best' battery to buy for any motorcycle that used a battery. ...back then. Today that is no longer true. That said based on my personal experience of buying many batteries for many motorcycles. The last Yuasa I bought lasted a couple of weeks past its one year warranty period. It failed 30 miles from anywhere on a FS road.

Kind'a like, 'What oil is the best?', a 'What battery is the best?' will get you lots of opinions...which are all 100% right! ...so the folks WITH the opines will say. My opinion comes from buying batteries for dozens of rigs for over 50 years. You can consider it worth what you paid for it.

I've had excellent luck with WalMart lead/acid batteries as long as they are EverStart MAXX. Gott'a be the MAXX. They have a 3-year replacement warranty. I replaced such a battery in my Duster after 10 years. It still worked OK, but with problems with today's fuel and hot-soak HARD starts, I changed it recently...bought another Everstart MAXX. Hopefully it will perform as well. Who knows.

I do keep a DelTran Jr. charger on it. 'Keep' means all the time. 'All the time' means if I'm not driving the car, the Jr. is on the battery. Do NOT try that on a small (10-14AH, as in motorcycle) battery. The Jr. charger WILL eat a small battery if it is connected 'all the time'. Deltran SAYS that will happen.

AGM charge rates have gotten a LOT less picky over the years. Used to be 14.3V was bad news, then the number changed to 14.6V. I don't know that I would trust anyone telling me that 15V was OK.

AGMs are certainly useful...particularly if the rig they are in might be upside-down from time to time. I use AGMs in quads for that reason.

Dry cells (Optima in particular) have plenty of 'Not what they used to be' stories told.

To answer your question: I choose lead/acid/wet. IF I can get one I can count on. Replacing them at long intervals? Then you can not possibly know if the 'same' brand is any good or not...any more.

Which brings me back to, 'Batteries are a problem.'
 
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