http://www.batterymart.com/p-battery-mat-black.html

Great product and a great price.

 

I think the OP asked for opinions on battery replacement , not just a CHEAP battery. There is a thing called Value. The most expensive isn't always the best value, especially when you calculate individual needs. I too agree cheapest isn't the way to go either.

 

WOW....
Having a bad day? Cheer up you're driving a Vette!!

 

Does a Rolex keep better time than a Seiko? Are Bayer aspirin really any better than generic aspirin? Marketing influences price and some people will pay the higher price thinking they are getting a better product when in fact they really aren't. They are paying for the name. Most times the cheaper product will do the job just as well as the expensive one. Batteries are like that.

 

The difference in the quality of a battery from expensive to cheap is the difference in reliability. Batteries are one of the most unregulated parts on a car.. same with camera batteries, cheap batteries don't last and are poor performers. So many doubters....when the cheapest is the mission statement of any manufacturer, Quality does not enter the equation.... AS a design engineer who works directly with manufacturers to produce 1st and 2nd tier products for the 6000 parts in a Corvette, I can tell you from long standing experience that the Cost of quality is high.. bui the cost of the lack of quality is even more expensive..

The neurosurgeon was an analogy...the ignorant here did not even get that.... bad day indeed.. I laughed at the comments and the level of maturity.

the cost of a " Cheap " unregulated, ( built to be cheap, ) battery charger can be devastating, ask those who use o9ne and you can see why they bad mouth a red top.... people who buy a good battery, for 200 dollars ,like a red top, buy a cheap 20 dollar charger to save a buck.. and wind up with a 2 year red top...and have thrown away 200 dollars because they wanted to cheap out on a charger. Those of us who are actually intelligent especially when in comes to automotive technology and don't use " cheap " products see seven, eight and even ten years out of a red top.. its no accident that I have never had an issue with a red top ( 3 red top battery's ) in 15 years..3 different applications.

Like I said , when something is designed and built with quality in mind and with high level quality control,, using SPC ( statistical process control ) the final product is not cheap and its performance is reliable...

You keep using your cheap brakes and cheap batteries, and Ill do things my way.. Ill buy the quality product, and have no issues.. you save your buck.... IM 70 years old, but when I was young and dumb, I thought the same as others here...why spend 60 dollars on a charger when you can buy a charger for 20. I did not come on one of my favorite tag lines by accident.... " I can Not afford to buy anything too cheap " For those who have been there and done that, the adage is very profound... for those who do not even understand the analogy... here it is.. buy something cheap, it destroys something expensive, you then have to buy what you should have bought in the first place and you still have to replace what ever the cheap thing broke..

People buy cheap wheels...they hit a pot hole and the wheel bends,,, it's a fact of life.,.. you can buy a wheel for a corvette, for 100 dollars, and you can buy a wheel for 600 dollars, and to say the 100 dollar wheel will perform as well as a 600 dollar forged wheel, you have to be insane to think for one minute that a wheel is a wheel..no matter what the cost.

Smart people learn life lessons throughout their life.. some retain them so that when they get to be my age, they can pass on the wisdom of a lifetime... but then, as this forum sometimes shows, you just cant fix or teach stupid.

Rolex??? some of us with new and vintage Rolex watches bought their vintage Rolex 15 years ago for 3 grand.....they can now get 7 grand for that same Rolex,, try that with a Seiko. A New Sub Mariner is going for 10,700 dollars... no different than buying a diamond ring...

Some people dream of owning a Rolex someday... because it represents a certain level of success in life...something to be proud of, and don't forget the actual science and craftsmanship of the movement.

The children on this forum who mock quality, are the ones that go out a buy a Knock off Rolex for 10 dollars ( the same movement they give away in a happy meal watch for kids )and pretend to be successful until they show it to someone like me.. who knows the difference immediately.. and now knows the caliber of a person who tried to pass off a knock off as a genuine article...

 

Had it discharged from sitting idle. Bought a battery tender and no probs since. Only use the charger if I'm not driving on a reg basis.

 

Yellow top's suck, red tops do better.

The truth is they are both good batteries but like any tool they are different for a reason. Don't take my word for it, pull up the owners manual from Optima's website on the intended use of both.

I have a yellow top in my truck on air bags...what it's designed to do (High load/fast discharge/heavy deep cycling. I have a red top in my Vett that sits all winter....what it's designed to do...dependable starting, shelf stable, deep cycling.

 

You really are a piece of work, aren't you.
The questions were, does a Rolex keep better time than a Seiko? Are Bayer aspirin better than generic aspirin? The answer is no. Are most batteries pretty much the same? Yes they are. Most are extremely reliable. I have been driving for almost 50 years and have had a lot of experience with all brands of batteries. The price of Rolexes prove my point. People pay for the name. Not for what it does.
Question for you. Why are so many of the parts on a Corvette of such poor quality? Did you have something to do with that?

 

I've had a yellow top for almost 7 years in my silverado.

 

The answer is yes on both of the products you referenced just in case anyone is keeping score.

With all due respect; where do you think the "name" comes from that "people are paying for"? The name comes from years of respect which is earned by producing a superior product. That name isn't pulled out of thin air because the price is high. It started with quality; that's how a brand is built. YOU don't need to buy it....Walmart needs your business. But don't assume that just because your satisfied with average crap, that everyone else is and there's nothing better out there. That's ignorant which in hindsight makes sense regading your stance on the subject.

I love the marketing factor...yes Optima is so expensive because I've never heard a Sears commercial but those damn Optima superbowl ad's are out of control.

 

Been meaning to get one of these for a long time.......thanks for the link, ordered!


.

 

Sorry. Aspirin is aspirin and almost all modern watches keep time just as well as Rolexes. Do you know what marketing is? It's using advertising to make people think their product is better than the competition even though it's not. There really is a sucker born every minute. You guys have proven that.
I don't know much about Optima except they cost twice what I paid for a battery that gave me 9 years of hard service and was still going strong.

 

 

I don't have any problem with people buying cheap things, I do it too from time to time depending on the need.

The issue I take is calling out high end products as overpriced. They are that way (generally) for a good reason. My plastic chevy will get me across town just like a Bentley but I'd be a MORON to think that the Bentley wouldn't make for a more enjoyable trip. Yes it cost's more and YES ITS WORTH IT.

 

I'm guessing there are more than a few of us that drive C5 corvettes that on occasion shop at the dreaded Walmart... that makes us substandard...cheap...satisfied with average? Some of us can't afford to shop on Rodeo Drive (wouldn't if I could) and try to live within our means...That doesn't make us inferior. Some of us would LOVE to put a set of stainless steel KOOKS longtube headers on our car... but, we can't afford them. So, if something comes along that is the BEST quality we can afford, we don't expect to be put down or made fun of because we aren't running KOOKS.
This isn't the koenigsegg forum so let's take it down a notch or two.

 

I could reply to this but you would not understand...remember what I said.. you cant fix stupid.

 

I guess you win and we've been put in our place


No.....
You sir, seem bent to some extreme opinions on things I cannot comprehend. Your diatribe does little to convey relevant information to this thread. My thought is hang on to your Rolex's. You can barter with them for a jump start when your "Red Top" goes dead outside the Waffle House. Even better, to pay your neurosurgeon for that over due lobotomy, an expensive one, don't be cheap!

 

I've been using Wally World batteries (Everlast) for quite a while in my streetrods and DD. I get a good 7-8 years of life out them and are relatively cheap!

 

I just sold my original submariner Rolex because I hated it. Got good money for it and went out and bought a $25 solar watch. Gives me the time just as well as the Rolex. I even get more positive comments on it! I don't need a Rolex to impress anyone that I'm successful. Nobody cares!
How did this post go from batteries to Rolex watches?

 

Most likely because we are all sick of battery threads so any argument to deflect from the beat to death subject is welcome. Speaking of batteries, how long is the lifespan of the average honey badger?