Topic: Beware of Optima!!!

[Birfailed]

Anyone have any experience with Magnapower batteries?  I have been using Optima for the last 4 years and I fawking hate this battery.  I trashed it and bought a magnapower today.  The local battery shop that supplies these batteries used to have optima but has cut all contracts.  Apparently Optima has landed big contracts with the Military for the war, soooo quantity of units has gone up and quality control has gone down.  Theyre just pumping out units to meet military demand now.  Magnapower is the same AGM cell (absorbed glass mat) no fluid cell.  This is just to let everyone know what the time is.

[COToy91]

man thats weak about optima, used to be the best battery out there

[KYOTA]

Exide Orbital is another option

[Hyena]

Exide Orbital is another option

thats the one i use.  killed it many time (because of some wiring issues) and it still is working great.

[REG535]

umm never heard of them, what about dynabatt ones?, i never tried optimas because paying almost $200 just for a battery seemed crazy to me
but, i dont have offroad lights, winch, and all that stuff like all you do

[jimbo74]

Exide Orbital is another option

i have fried and heard of many more fried than optimas....


currently running a duralast gold wet cell.... dry cells cant compare to a wet cells power or longevity... todays wet cells are far superior to batteries of the old days....

the only drawback is that the wet cell will leak if rolled over... but if i roll, im worried about mroe than my battery leaking....



odyssey batts are sweet

[COToy91]

what do those run $$?

[Birfailed [OP]]

My magnapower is all dry cell...set me back 125...will never again go optima

[Thomas P]

3 of my vehicles have optimas, and I have never had an issue with them they are lifesavers, ive had my stereo blasting pushing 2 amps, for hours at a time until the stereo starts cutting out, and my truck would fire right up, and I would do that over and over all weekend long, and its still hanging in there. I hope that their product isnt going to hell, because I swear by them

[porkchop]

I running rock lights ,cb, radio and winch on my year old red top I would have a problem buying anything else. If goverment buying them for war hey that is good enough for me!

[KYOTA]

   quantity of units has gone up and quality control has gone down. 

are there any real facts to back this statement up other than hearsay?

[WHITE_TRASH]

Kyota actually there is a thread on PBB about this.  One of the guys is a battery dude and he put up a bunch of data on the new optima's and in the end that was his attitude as well.  That the new ones aren't nearly as good as the older ones.  Hell I still use my wifes 5 year old yellow top, running strong!  My blue top exide isn't nearly as good though....  I've already warrantied it once.

[KYOTA]

yeah my optima hasnt let me down and its been in the 83 since I built it. I am interested in seeing those results though. There are a ton of other options to an Optima, and a good solid comparison would be awesome

[WHITE_TRASH]

I did kill 2 red tops about 6 years ago though...  Drain them totally and they don't like to recharge.  I tossed them before I knew about shocking them back into working

[OOPS]

Here is another thread over in the pickup/runner forum. My is in it and I am to lazy to type it over here.

http://board.marlincrawler.com/index.php?topic=44879.0

[Birfailed [OP]]

I running rock lights ,cb, radio and winch on my year old red top I would have a problem buying anything else. If goverment buying them for war hey that is good enough for me!

Funny how the Armed Forces buy everything from the lowest bidder though huh.

[DTB]

Funny how the Armed Forces buy everything from the lowest bidder though huh.

thats a great point

[kneedownnate]

Exide Orbital is another option

I strongly, strongly suggest not choosing this option!  We sent 4 or 5 back when they were brand new last year.  I personally probably parked well over 50 last year alone because they drop like flies.  Nice shiny ones, year old, 2 years old, doesn't matter.  They're junk, period.  Bad cells are super common!

thats the one i use.  killed it many time (because of some wiring issues) and it still is working great.

You're lucky    In my experience they don't like coming back from anything under 2 volts, and even that's pushing it.  They don't handle a load well when slightly discharged.

[88_Pathy]

Optimas have the dead cell problem too.

[BaconBoy]

i have fried and heard of many more fried than optimas....


currently running a duralast gold wet cell.... dry cells cant compare to a wet cells power or longevity... todays wet cells are far superior to batteries of the old days....

the only drawback is that the wet cell will leak if rolled over... but if i roll, im worried about mroe than my battery leaking....



odyssey batts are sweet

As far as roll over my truck sees more side hill action that flat land i have had a optima for years shortist i think i have had one is 6 years and it went through 3 or 4 rigs. i understand its not the new ones but so far i have a new one in my toy and it has not let me down. i think its like owning a powerstroke some have no problems at all and some sit at the dealer for repair more than it sees the road. regardless its nice to have a battery that can handle being put over. wouldent that suck if thats the one thing keeping you from wheeling again that weekend?? not trying to cause a conflict just adding my 2 cents

[jimbo74]

Optimas have the dead cell problem too.

not like an orbital....

[zuksarge]

someone commented on shocking the optimas back to life. mine are acting up can you please explain

[Angler]

I have had nothing but great experiences with my optima red top it is going on 5 years not it has outlasted 2 vehicles, I am also in the Army and stationed in Fairbanks, AK all new batteries that are coming in are Optimas and in the winter when its -50F the only vehicles that don't need to be slaved are the ones with Optimas.  If there is a decline in the quality I have not seen it. I stand by their product till they prove me wrong.

[superyota]

Exide Orbital is another option

thats what i run, very happy with it.  my wife had one in her 4runner that was in there for almost 6 years, ran it dead 5 times because of lights being left on, and when we sold it, it still worked great. 

[kneedownnate]

Optimas have the dead cell problem too.

All batteries do, it's the nature of the beast.  BUT, most our optimas lasted substantially longer in our fleet than those junk orbitals.  Remember, I'm not offering up an opinion based on a brand name, I'm offering up several years of dealing with these batteries 

[Twisted]

All batteries do, it's the nature of the beast.  BUT, most our optimas lasted substantially longer in our fleet than those junk orbitals.  Remember, I'm not offering up an opinion based on a brand name, I'm offering up several years of dealing with these batteries 

I dont know, i have two dead optimas sitting in the garage. Neither lasted longer then 6 months,  i have no experience with the orbitals however?

[Inittowinit]

I have one good (Yellow) and one bad(Red).  Both were bought about the same time (2004/5)