General Battery Talk

[Frenchy]

So I'm not too sure what others here may or may not know, but I am aware that for any Lead Acid type battery(AGM included) there are really only 3 manufacturers for all these different brands.

These 3 Manufacturers are as follows,
EnerSys
EastPenn(aka Deka)
Johnson Controls(what you will see on most shelves)

In my opinion(notice the key word there?) I feel that those are listed in order from best to worst when it comes to manufacturers.

How did I determine this? Simple. To start let's look at Optima Batteries. When they first came out people loved them. After Johnson Controls bought them they went to shit. Clearly the quality went down and the price stayed the same......

Next we look at EastPenn. If you speak to anyone that has had a Deka battery, chances are they did not complain. But then again they usually are not raving about it either. I'm sure there are some other brands under EastPenn, I'm just not sure exactly who uses them.

Now we go to EnerSys. Now if you haven't paid attention to batteries much I'm sure you probably never even heard of EnerSys. Well they happen to be the ones that make Odyssey, X2 Power(Batteries Plus), Northstar(if you can find them anymore) and used to be the manufacturer for the Diehard Platinum AGM(can say for sure on the regular Lead Acid). There may be a few others as well, but again I am not too sure.

Now if you were used to the Old Die Hard Batteries, then you had an EnerSys product and clearly you were happy with it.

Now why did I bring this up? Simply because I am starting to see an increase in individuals needing to replace the batteries in their Rangers(and possibly other vehicles as well) and questioning what to get. If you ask me I would either go with the Motocraft battery(not sure of the manufacturer, but I think it could be Johnson Controls) or find yourself a nice EnerSys Battery.

For myself I have decided to go with the EnerSys line and just put a Odyssey on my 93 Pathfinder. Only time will tell for how it does, but I can tell it is cranking the engine over well in this cold weather.

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[TJC]

Optima Odyssey quality went down when they sold and production moved the Mexico. They are terrible batteries now. I still have a very old Yellow top that is still functional, but after purchasing 2 made in Mexico and having bad luck, I'm done with them.

 

[Frenchy]

Odyssey quality went down when they sold and production moved the Mexico. They are terrible batteries now. I still have a very old Yellow top that is still functional, but after purchasing 2 made in Mexico and having bad luck, I'm done with them.

Not sure what made you think Odyssey Batteries were made in Mexico, but here is something to show you otherwise.

 

[dtech]

This article speaks to WW producers, it's a year old and who knows what brands may have changed hands , I know exide went bankrupt some yrs back and someone picked them up but apparently the exide name is still used, I always thought they made lame batteries and glad to see Wally Mart batts are mostly made by Johnson Controls, now Clarios who ranks no 1 , they are huge. But with so many brands I wonder if the only real difference with some is the label slapped on the battery case.

https://www.blackridgeresearch.com/blog/do-you-know-the-top-lead-acid-battery-manufacturers

 

[Frenchy]

This article speaks to WW producers, it's a year old and who knows what brands may have changed hands , I know exide went bankrupt some yrs back and someone picked them up but apparently the exide name is still used, I always thought they made lame batteries and glad to see Wally Mart batts are mostly made by Johnson Controls, now Clarios who ranks no 1 , they are huge. But with so many brands I wonder if the only real difference with some is the label slapped on the battery case.

https://www.blackridgeresearch.com/blog/do-you-know-the-top-lead-acid-battery-manufacturers

For the most part that is pretty much it. It's mainly the label that gets changed. That said I am aware that Walmart, AutoZone and Walmart are currently under Johnson Controls. NAPA is currently under EastPenn. I'm not sure about Advanced Auto Parts right off.

 

[dtech]

China as a country makes the most lead acid batteries - now I bought the Chinese Weize AGM Lariat batt for a mere $126 , I think someone on here mentioned it's made in Germany - if so could be because the ones made in China aren't allowed to be imported to the US because the manufacturing doesn't meet US environmental standards, I think this area may be regulated.
I've not yet installed the Weize in the Ranger because after discoing the BMS and using a batt desulfator the oem battery endures.

 

[TJC]

Not sure what made you think Odyssey Batteries were made in Mexico, but here is something to show you otherwise.

OOPS! My bad! I was thinking Optima Batteries, not Odyssey. Odyssey still makes great batteries. Sorry for the confusion and thanks for the correction...

Anyway, Optima sold out to Johnson Controls years ago and production was moved to Mexico to cut manufacturing costs. Unfortunately, they also lost QC at the same time.

As of 4/15 when I purchased the Blue top Optima in the picture below, Optima was owned by Johnson Controls and the battery was manufactured in Mexico. They had been manufacturing in Mexico for a substantial time as I purchased several from 2006 to this last one in April 2015.

Click to enlarge. I have two more Optimas that died early deaths sitting in my garage that were also products of Mexico.

This one serves as battery back up for an 1200lb electromagnet securing a steel door at one of my business locations. I took this picture 10 minutes ago. BUT it is NOT an Odyssey

 

[Frenchy]

OOPS! My bad! I was thinking Optima Batteries, not Odyssey. Odyssey still makes great batteries. Sorry for the confusion and thanks for the correction...

Anyway, Optima sold out to Johnson Controls years ago and production was moved to Mexico to cut manufacturing costs. Unfortunately, they also lost QC at the same time.

As of 4/15 when I purchased the Blue top Optima in the picture below, Optima was owned by Johnson Controls and the battery was manufactured in Mexico. They had been manufacturing in Mexico for a substantial time as I purchased several from 2006 to this last one in April 2015.

Click to enlarge. I have two more Optimas that died early deaths sitting in my garage that were also products of Mexico.

This one serves as battery back up for an 1200lb electromagnet securing a steel door at one of my business locations. I took this picture 10 minutes ago. BUT it is NOT an Odyssey

Yeah, ever since seeing the Optima Garbage preform poorly in AZ I have never been a fan. I'm sure that was after Johnson Controls took over as well since I was working at Pep boys from September of 2011-April of 2013.

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