Re: Stus-List Batteries

[Bill Bina]

I am pretty sure that Sears Die-Hard batteries vary only in warrantee and price. That is a standard practice for many battery brands. However, the fact that many brands of batteries come from the same factory does not mean they are all equal. The easiest way to determine which battery is superior is to weigh the competitors. Factories build what the customer orders, and that is usually tied to the price point they want to hit while still maintain profit margins. If you weigh samples of various brands that all come from Johnson Controls, they will not all weigh the same for a given size. The heaviest battery is the winner. You cannot do this by reading and comparing the published specs. You have to weigh the actual batteries in person. Bill Bina On 4/28/2013 1:17 PM, Rick Brass wrote: I moved the (2) Group 27 deep cycle batteries purchased in 2004 from my 38 to my 25 when I upgraded the 38 for cruising and increased the size of the house bank. They have been in the 25 since 2009 and are still doing fine. These are GNB batteries (made by Johnson Controls) and I check the water about twice a year and trickle charge periodically.   I was in the heavy equipment and forklift business from the mid-80s until retirement in 2009, much of that time in Parts Marketing and engineering, and worked closely with the folks at Johnson Controls. The make all the batteries for GNB east of the Mississippi. They also make batteries and private brand for Exide, Sears, Wal-Mart (EverStart brand), and others.   Among the arcane things I’ve learned is that ALL Sears batteries of a particular size/type (e.g. group 27 automotive)) are chemically and structurally the same. The only variation is the color of the plastic top to the case and the warranty that Sears puts on the battery. That’s right – a 2 year warranty Sears battery and  6 year warranty DieHard battery are exactly the same in construction and capacity; only the color, label, published specs, warranty and price are different.   Base on what I learned while marketing batteries, all my recent purchase have been Exide batteries from Sam’s Club or EverStart batteries from Wal-Mart, since they seem to offer the lowest price available and a pretty high level of quality. And they are probably identical to the GNB deep cycle batteries that have lasted for 8 years on my boat(s).     Rick Brass Washington, NC

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