Battery weight?

Hello my fellow TFers.
I was looking at some GC2 batteries and I noticed that some of them are heavier than others. Does the weight of the battery a sign of its quality? Does this weight mean that the lead plates are thicker and of better durability?

L

Yes. Generally, all else being equal, the higher lead weight makes it a better battery.

Yes **if same AH** at 20-hr discharge rate.

​Best battery value by far is Duracell (actually Deka/East Penn) FLA deep cycle, less than $180 per 200+AH pair from BatteriesPlus or Sam's Club.

Trojan T-105s a bit dearer, RE version a big step up.

I am in NJ not too far from the East Penn plant.

They may be a bargain, but have never seen one. Between Golf Courses and Golf Cart Stores selling batteries, Trojans and US Battery seem to be by far the most prolific where I am.

I have bought both Trojans and US Battery 6Vs for under $175 per battery over the last couple years. Shop around, even then I found a spot that was $40 per battery cheaper down close to $135 per Trojan.

Up here price are a bit higher. Lowest price you can get for a gc2 is 189$, most of the are around 240$ whatever the brand is. Looking at different ones I noticed quite some difference in weight so my question. While the casing can make a difference I guessed that the main reason is the plate thickness.
I looked and the gc2 are quite cheap at Sam's and there is one Sam's shop on the other side of the border not so far from here what can be an option. However I was wondering if a Canadian can buy from Sam's as it appears to require a membership to buy there?

L

psneeld said:

I am in NJ not too far from the East Penn plant.

They may be a bargain, but have never seen one. Between Golf Courses and Golf Cart Stores selling batteries, Trojans and US Battery seem to be by far the most prolific where I am.

I have bought both Trojans and US Battery 6Vs for under $175 per battery over the last couple years. Shop around, even then I found a spot that was $40 per battery cheaper down close to $135 per Trojan.

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I agree, I just replaced the US Batteries in my boat this year and they were 7 years old and replaced my golf cart batteries with T-105s. The T-105s were $650 taxes included for 6 of them in Florida.

That's crazy cheap for Trojan. US Batt is at least as good.

Don't just buy on weight, maker is important.

Inquire about Sam's gift cards, may be able to redeem without joining.

They may have a "day pass" option?

Obviously you can go as a member's guest long as they're with you when they check out.

My Trojan T105s were under $100 each and no sales tax in Delaware.

Ted

O C Diver said:

My Trojan T105s were under $100 each and no sales tax in Delaware.

Ted

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Unfortunately a bit far from me

L

Lou_tribal said:

Unfortunately a bit far from me

L

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Lou

I needed 8 FLA GC 6v in a hurry while leaving for the south last month. A quick few calls to RV Stores got me a 20% discount for 8, so $Cdn151 each. (=$120US)
These are Interstate, so a brand with a good reputation.

Shop around at RV stores.

Interstate has a poor reputation for real deep cycling needs, certainly compared to the others so far discussed here. Made by Johnson Controls.

6V GCs won't be horrible, but better to stick to those mfg known for quality long lived true deep cycling.

Rolls/Surette at the top
Crown, Superior
then Trojan, U.S. Battery and Deka/East Penn

who makes Duracells

I should also mention that the GCs sold at Cosco are also known to be made by Johnson Controls.

So not as good as the Sam's / B+ Deka.

But likely just as good as Interstate, at I think around $180 the pair.

And note **everything** discussed here far surpasses anything 12V you can buy at any big box or an automotive chain, for true deep cycling usage, no matter what the label says.

http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/deep_cycle_battery

john61ct said:

I should also mention that the GCs sold at Cosco are also known to be made by Johnson Controls.

So not as good as the Sam's / B+ Deka.

But likely just as good as Interstate, at I think around $180 the pair.

And note **everything** discussed here far surpasses anything 12V you can buy at any big box or an automotive chain, for true deep cycling usage, no matter what the label says.

What Is A "Deep Cycle" Battery? Photo Gallery by Compass Marine How To at pbase.com

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I would be very interested in seeing your supporting data on Interstate vs. Deka vs. JC. What is your source or what are the conditions of your testing?

john61ct said:

That's crazy cheap for Trojan. US Batt is at least as good.

Don't just buy on weight, maker is important. ...

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Got to watch those battery mfrs. Some might slip some extra lead into the plates. Making it heavier, so you are deceived into thinking it has thicker lead plates.

It sounds like you may think lead qty is the only factor behind quality and longevity? It's not.

FlyWright said:

I would be very interested in seeing your supporting data on Interstate vs. Deka vs. JC. What is your source or what are the conditions of your testing?

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So far it sounds like the Mainecruising site and its new location.....

And a few other random internet sites that I have seen that provide similar info.

But info in a vacuum, there is an Interstate deep cycle battery that gets great reviews as a trollong motor battery. So brand selection is more than a name. And sure there are battery companies out there like Rolls, just like car companies with the same name I will never buy from nor would the vast majority of TFers.

Most folks are still learning when starting to cruise , life away from the dock is totally different living on a batt set than a power cord.

Many items in the boat have to be changed or at least their use has to be monitored .

For most refrigeration is the hardest learning experience.

DEAD batts are more common while learning , so Interstate or Sears batts are probably the easiest to exchange underway as there are so many shops.

Bestitis for batts is expensive , those Roll$ should be the 3rd or 4th set you get , only worthwhile after the learning curve has peaked.

For my money a SOC meter is more important than any brand selection.

Keep in mind that big buyers like Costco or Walmart can have batteries made to their specifications. Just because a well known manufacturer makes them doesn't mean they are the same quality as the ones they sell under their own name or some other name.

It's also possible that batteries sold under a certain brand name could be made by different companies depending on what part of the country they are being sold in. Shipping batteries is pretty expensive.

And to answer the OP's question, more weight indicates more lead. More lead generally indicates more capacity but there are other things that make a battery better or worse than a similar battery from a different company.

At this point I have different options. The easiest is to get gc2 from the nearby canadian tire shop for 219$ each, battery brand would be shop own brand. Second would be to get them from battery expert shop nearby. They offer multi brand among which their own TransCanada, price would range from 189$ for the entry level model (220ah), to. 229$ for their higher model (235ah) to 275$ for trojan T105. I found some better prices in canada but at 5h of driving one way it is not so tempting. I still need to check in some RV specialized shop to compare.

About weight, heavier is canadian tire one with 29kg followed by trojan with 28kg, followed by the two Trans Canada at 27kg.

L

Lou, don't overlook Krown Batteries. I have had great service from them over the years. Carquest often puts the GC on sale.

Worth paying for the Trojans compared to relabelled.

Duracell as a brand is licensed by Deka, exactly the same batt as their own label.
It happens to be sold by Batteries+ and Sam's Club.

I completely agree that otherwise consumer big box does not sell any decent true deep cycling, same with automotive channels.

The point with buying good quality - and with the Deka FLA GCs we're not talking about spending any more money, they're often *cheaper* per AH than cr^p batts

is longevity. If you take care of them properly they can last 6-8 years before capacity declines 80% (definition of scrap time) or even past a decade if you want to push your luck.

That makes their cost per year much lower than buying lower quality. Plus less headaches.

And if you're the type to say who cares, not take care just buy more often, then don't spend more on Crown or US, get the cheapest but at least proper deep cycling so they last as long as possible.

I guess in the trawler world alt charging is pretty constant so perhaps this topic area is not as critical as it is for cruising sailboats and boondocking campers.

Depends, some here anchor out quite a bit and stay for awhile.

But more so than sailboats and RVs, my guess is the house battery banks tend to be larger on cruising vessels. Maybe boondocking RVs have large house banks, and brousing off grid solar battsries an Renology as well as a few others yet to be mentioned scored well.

Different people do different things when anchored or parked. Some are burning up the amp hours and have a high drain much of the night. others may read tablets and use flashlights with small fridges and almost no drain.

So theory kinda has to bend to fit the setup and use more than the people are going to. Also econonomics as well as convenience.

Plus quality is a slippery thing to sell. I bought the cheapest start batteries from Walmart 6 years ago. I am actually using one as a deep cycle for my mast winch, and gets left partially charged for weeks. Funny, they are all still scoring top marks on my snap-on load meter tester. Who woulda thunk?

john61ct said:

It sounds like you may think lead qty is the only factor behind quality and longevity? It's not.

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Missed the irony/humour/,eh?

Yes I can be too literal I guess, no cues for subtlety

I was a partner in a golf course until It sold in June of 17. I have 14 blems 6V of various brands (we used at the course) on my boat that I installed two years ago $50.00 each (purchased 25 at a time by the golf course )

What do you use to charge a bank of 14 GCs?

FlyWright said:

What do you use to charge a bank of 14 GCs?

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Certainly a portable nuclear plant

L

magnum 2800W Pure Sine Inverter Charger 10 on inverter and 4 house all the room I had.

john61ct said:

Yes **if same AH** at 20-hr discharge rate.

​Best battery value by far is Duracell (actually Deka/East Penn) FLA deep cycle, less than $180 per 200+AH pair from BatteriesPlus or Sam's Club.

Trojan T-105s a bit dearer, RE version a big step up.

Click to expand...

Agreed...

For those who boat in the PNW. Fisheries Supplies sells Dyno batteries. Dyno are made in Seattle. Dyno builds batteries for the commercial fleet, the railroad and many custom needs. They are not the cheapest but they are the best you can buy.