Battery Shock

[fishtolive_livetofish]

Battery Shock (or should I say Sticker Shock)

Just a note to anyone out there who is planning on replacing the battery(s) in the fishing boat this year; Be prepared for a price increase.

The battery manufacturers claim that the price of materials to make the batteries has increased dramatically and therefore the shelf price of the batteries had to go up. But, Holy Short Circuit, did they have to go up that much?

I just did some recent price checks at the Gander Mountain store and a Trojan deep cycle battery that cost around $80 last year is now in the $120 price range (ouch). Checking further, I discovered that the Optima batteries have kept their same (or close to it) pricing as last year, with a range from $130 to $170, depending on the capacity.

Needless to say, I’m going to look a little closer to the Optima battery this year. And, Oh yea, I’m going to take better care of the batteries in the future.

Good luck, and lets hear about it if anyone finds a good deal on batteries.

Jack

[chris63]

Try AA Battery in Mpls if you like Trojans...you might like the prices better!c63

[mnfishman]

I have had great luck with the Resolute brand at Fleet Farm. They are inexpensive and they come with a 1 yr full replacement warranty and then it is a prorated warranty after that.

According to one of my buddies there are about 4 companies that make wet cell batteries. The Resolute batteries are made by the same manufacture that makes Interstate batteries. Wet cell batteries will last a long time if you take care of them.

I thought about buying Optima's but I just can't see dropping $150 for each battery. I think I paid $55 for the Resolute battery.

[Sandmannd]

Has the fleet farm battery in my old boat and it worked just fine. I paied around $55 for it.

[sparkyaber]

Remember this, you can buy 3 batteries from fleet farm for the price of one optima. I am willing to bet that the optima will not last 3 times as long as the fleet farm batteries replaced 3 times. Did that make any sense? I think I am confusing myself.

[ChuckN]

Yeah, I hope the core is worth more on return.

From my experience, the FF batteries have been russian roulette. More often it's costed me more in the long (or should I say short) run. One deep cycle died this summer after 5 years of use...Orbital. Use in the boat all summer and fishhouses in winter. Worth the extra money IMO for overall performance and longevity.