My Walmart marine battery died at 2 years and 4 months [the Canadian Tire Energizer power pack saved us and got us going]. Two questions:
1. Is that about normal for battery life? It's the only battery I have in the boat. No electric downriggers, just a VHF, fishfinder and GPS.
You get/got what you pay for! If you got 2 years 4 months out of a battery that designed to last a year and had a one-year warranty – I would say you did good! If you got 2 years 4 months out of a battery that was designed to and had a three-year warranty – I would say you did bad!
2. Any recommendations on a replacement? Should I just go with a starting battery or a "dual purpose" starting/deep cycle? Any brand better than another?
Thanks in advance.
Buy from Wal-Mart, Interstate, and most of Sears if you look closely somewhere on the battery, it will probably say "dist. by Johnson Controls Group Inc." Take a closer look at Sears ‘Die Hard Platinum’! It will probably say “dist. By EnerSys” (aka Odyssey) and take a VERY CLOSE look at those two batteries, which btw... I would recommend to those who actually need a deep cycle (e.g. those electric downriggers running on those "kickers")!
DieHard Platinum Marine Battery - Group Size 34M (Price with Exchange)
Sold by Sears | Sears Item# 02850134000 | Model# PM-2
This product is available through a Sears distributor. To purchase this product please visit our International Distributors page
Reg Price: $219.99
Savings: $22.00
$197.99
Product Description
THE MOST POWERFUL AND RELIABLE DIEHARD PLATINUM MARINE BATTERY EVER!
3-year FREE Replacement Limited Warranty
880 Cold Cranking Amps – Provides power for RVs, trolling motors, marine accessories, and starting needs in all weather conditions, due to the use of 99.99% pure virgin lead plates and tin-coated brass terminals
135 Minutes of reserve capacity - Ideal for multiple electronic accessories.
Deep discharge recovery – Ideal for marine & deep cycle applications
Combination stud/post terminal design – for multiple connections
Longer off-season storage time – Ideal for boats
AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat) construction - Provides mounting flexibility & guarantees longer service life
Worry and maintenance-free operation - High purity grade acid held safely in place by glass mats makes a non-spillable design that gives mounting flexibility
Military-grade construction & proven vibration resistance – Offers superior vibration resistance
Now, right on the same website, Sears has this advertised:
Odyssey Odyssey 34M-PC1500ST TROLLING Thunder Marine Dual Purpose Battery
Item# SPM6145168607 | Model# 34MPC1500ST-92595
$674.15
Additional $89 savings
Applied at cart
Go to the Odyssey website and you will see these Specifications:
Pulse (5-second) Hot Cranking Amps (PHCA) 1500
Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) 850
20Hr Nominal Capacity (Ah) 68
Reserve Capacity Minutes 135
Dimensions L x W x H (in) 10.85x6.76x7.82 Metric L x W x H (mm) 275.6x171.7x198.6
Weight (lbs) 49.5 Weight (kg) 22.4
ODYSSEY Marine Battery Model 34M-PC1500ST-M
(Group 34 with tin-plated SAE posts, 3/8 inch positive and 5/16 inch negative thread SS stud terminals)
Like an athlete that is both a sprinter and a long distance runner, the ODYSSEY Trolling Thunder/Marine Dual Purpose battery has both massive starting power and amazing deep cycling capability — up to 400 cycles at 80% depth of discharge. With twice the overall power and three times the life of conventional marine batteries, the ODYSSEY battery is ideal for trolling, starting, and for powering the many on-board electronic accessories common in today’s boats and recreational vehicles
They look the same, smell the same, because they ARE the same battery; made by the same company! Better yet, you can pay that $674.15, with the additional $89 savings applied at cart; or just buy it directly from the manufacturer (cheaper if you look around) for:
34M-PC1500ST-M
USD$ 348.80
Item is available.
Item # 0785-2050C0N0
http://shop.odysseybattery.com/prod...785-2050C0N0/7457.0.1.1.126.8430.0.0.0?pp=12&
In the end - All batteries are NOT created equal! Each is made per the requested specifications, and they sure in the hell are not priced the same, so know what you are getting and paying for!
http://www.odysseybattery.com/marine.html
http://www.trojanbattery.com/Products/Marine-RV.aspx
http://www.enersys.com/
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_02850134000P?prdNo=2&blockNo=2&blockType=G2
The GPS, Fishfinder will use a couple of AMPS, the VHF radio will use somewhere between 1.2 AMPS while just on and 5 AMPS while transmitting, so if trolling on the main, you really don’t need a deep cycle – just get a good marine battery.
I run with battery banks, as I overnight and run all sorts of goodies off my batteries draining them. Unless, you are going on extended trips and using that battery power reserve… The “MAIN” purpose (and only purpose) of running two batteries is to have a back-up battery, in case of a battery failure. You are running with a “power pack” which is accomplishing the same thing. IMHO – that is the correct thing you should be doing and you do NOT need the additional weight of any additional battery!