From: Sonny Heath (sonny@defuniak.com)
Date: Fri Jan 20 2006 - 19:12:00 PST
I know what you mean Dave. I figured it up a while back and on average it
costs me a dollar a day to stay in batteries. I have about twenty five
batteries right now in vehicles. It does get expensive, especially on a
Soldiers retirement check.
Sonny
----- Original Message -----
From: "MV" <MV@dc9.tzo.com>
To: "Military Vehicles Mailing List" <mil-veh@mil-veh.org>
Sent: Friday, January 20, 2006 8:34 PM
Subject: Re: [MV] Optima batteries
> Wow, thanks to everyone for the responses!
>
> The suggestion to use solargizers is probably a very good one. I have
> gone to using cheap solar battery maintainers sold by Harbor Freight and
> they really help but I really don't know if they are as good as the
> Solargizers, I suspect not.
>
> I think I bought about 10 batteries last year, so it gets to be a major
> expense. I just have a lot of equipment that takes batteries. And it is
> not used daily which is really hard on a battery.
>
> But the problem I am having is this:
>
> If I go the cheap route and buy $40 batteries from Sams or Walmart or
> similar, they tend to be of fairly low performance (low CCA - regardles of
> the actual rating) and I can get maybe two years out of it. If the
> Optima's are good enough for a 3 year replacement warranty, then I am
> already ahead since I can at least get a replacement after two years even
> if it works only as well as the batteries I am buying now. So I think I
> will pick one up and give it a shot.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Dave
>
> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>.
>
> Sarge wrote:
>> Dave, I can relate my personal experience with Optima batteries.
>> I have used one in my Jeep for the last ten years. I originally bought it
>> because of three reasons.
>> The first reason is that Optima advertising claimed that the batteries
>> were
>> superior for the 'shake and rattle' of driving off-road. Something about
>> normal lead-acid batteries self-destructing under severe vibration.
>> The second reason was that they can be mounted in any orientation without
>> spillage.
>> The third reason was that our entire military fleet (300 vehicles)
>> converted
>> to them to save money from constant replacement costs.
>> That is, with the exception of the vehicles requiring huge amperage.
>> I cannot testify about the technical claims, but I'm sure there are
>> people
>> on this list who will be quite capable of backing up or refuting the
>> technical aspects of gel-cell technology.
>> I can testify to their maintenance free performance and to their
>> longevity.
>> If an Optima costs twice as much but lasts 4 times longer, I think that
>> it
>> makes good fiscal sense. Also, I do abuse my batteries. Long periods of
>> disuse, many jump starts of other vehicles, severe off-road beatings etc.
>> I am totally convinced that Optima red-tops are worth the price. Blue
>> tops
>> and yellow tops (marine and deep cycle, not sure which is which) I cannot
>> talk about as I have owned neither.
>> I personally will stick with red-top Optima's in everything I own.
>> Do not expect miracles, the ampere rating is governed by the laws of
>> physics. You cannot use a 650 CCA battery in a 1300 CCA application. You
>> use
>> two of them!
>> If you are using several batteries a year in your equipment, there is
>> another fix action you may be interested in.
>> A couple of years ago I was visiting a tactical unit in Oklahoma. They
>> had a
>> 400 vehicle fleet. They deployed on average 4 times a year. The rest of
>> the
>> time, the vehicles sat idle. There annual battery costs were around
>> $37,000
>> to replace dead batteries. They reduced the cost to $11,000 annually by
>> installing Solargizer battery maintenance systems. Even though their
>> initial
>> cost was frightening, it was a one time cost and was offset in under two
>> years by the money savings in not buying replacement batteries. Save a
>> little now or a lot later. The government does not normally follow that
>> route, but it seems pretty sensible for you and me. You can read all
>> about
>> Solargizer's at http://www.pulsetech.com
>> Don't be alarmed at the prices, they are available much cheaper from
>> other
>> sources, such as E-bay. A quick search shows me that there are 8 for sale
>> right now. I have used a Solargizer for two years on my M35A2 and it
>> appears
>> to work as advertised.
>> -Sarge
>> (who owns no stock in Optima or Solargizer!)
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "MV" <MV@dc9.tzo.com>
>> To: "Military Vehicles Mailing List" <mil-veh@mil-veh.org>
>> Sent: Friday, January 20, 2006 7:10 AM
>> Subject: [MV] Optima batteries
>>
>>
>>
>>>What is everyones take on Optima batteries?
>>>
>>>They are about double the price of a "normal" battery.
>>>
>>>Are they worth it? Why?
>>>
>>>I've got to replace several batteries per year in the equipment I own
>>>and the expense is getting old.
>>>
>>>Dave
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>>
>
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