mikeyc6

Well, the Exide battery I put in my car a year ago after my DBS episode took a dump and wouldn't hold a charge even out of the car. This battery had never been deep discharged and had been kept on a battery tender almost every day. It went for a year and then decided to take a dump. I'm starting to think that the silly little batteries they put in these cars are just not up to the task and that a car with this amount of electronics needs a heftier battery. I decided to do it right this time and get an Optima Yellow Top but ended up walking out with a Deka Intimidator. Anyone heard of those? All the chatter here seems to be Optima but these Deka batteries have the same specs or better at a lower cost. Just wondering if anyone had any experience with the Deka Intimidator or any Deka batteries. The place I went told me they were a relatively new company but were giving Optima a run for their money. As an added bonus, my Priority Start fits better on a battery that doesn't have those rounded cylinders.

Link to Deka Intimidator



Mike

catbert

never heard of them, but I'm interested. What do they cost?

dennis50nj

me either

timd38

Optima has one big plate in each cell with multiple tabs, so if one of the tabs break off you still get the power from the plate, a flat plat AGM like the Deka, has mutiple plates in a cell and if tab breaks off, you loose that amount of power from the cell. Plus Optima looks cool.

'06 Quicksilver Z06

Hard to go wrong with the Optima. Definitely my next battery should I ever need one.

VET4LES

No question about it.

mikeyc6

Nevertheless, AGM designs like the Deka are designed for some pretty extreme abuse like offroad racing and other forms of abuse that generate serious vibration, the Optima is not. So while the Optima may have a little redundancy there, you are unlikely to need it in the first place with the Deka design.

The Optima was $199 at my local Battery Warehouse and the Deka was $119. You can get them both cheaper if you order online but unless you pick the cheapest shipping, that heavy frieght will get you in shipping charges. The Optima is 1.5 to 1.75 times as much and as far as I can see offers nothing more. I did a search and found the Deka Intimidator mentioned numerous times on car audio sites in comparison to the Optima and it seems those that have tried both prefer the Deka.

FWIW... (not much maybe)

I just wonder if Optima has become the "in thing" on the forums here and other options get overlooked.

Mike

cthusker

I've stated before that we've tried Optima batteries in some of our class 8 equipment which have extreme electrical draw while drivers are on the road. We found they didn't hold up nearly as good as advertised when deeply discharged. For more than double the price they weren't worth using them. We're trying some Deka batteries now but haven't used them long enough to make a recommendation either way. Perhaps Optima is the greatest thing since canned beer for cars....

mikeyc6

That's pretty much what the guys in this car audio thread were saying. Sounds like a lot of those guys are down on Optimas and have switched to the Deka with great results. Take it with a grain of salt maybe but it at least makes you wonder...

Mike

Jagcvette

Optima costs more, but they are the best.

mikeyc6

Based on what? Are there any independent tests that support this? So far all I can find are informal observations from people who have tried both and those seem to indicate that the Optima is inferior to the Deka. I searched for technical reviews that might have tested both but came up with nothing.



Mike

timd38

WOW! AGM is in most cases is always better than flooded, the exception being the Delco AGM in the 2003 (I think) that came in the Corvette and a few other GM cars. Optima was the first AGM battery that was widely sold to enthusists, so people have more positive experiences.