Best brand name batteries?

Re: Best brand name batteries?

What's the BEST Motor Oil?
What's the BEST TV?
What's the best car or refrigerator? Who's the best Doctor? It's all about the same kind of question.

How will the product/service be used, what are the important factors to the buyer/user, what is the relative budget, etc are all very important considerations before purchase. And, these variables and many more are very specific to the nature of the use or expectation of the buyer/user.

I have had very good service from Surrette batteries, as have a number of neighbors, but your needs might well require a different solution.
YMMV, Good Luck, Vic

Re: Best brand name batteries?

Hi Wayne,

Great on the bank of new Surrette 2V L-16s. Looks like a great way to go -- real 2-volt single cell batteries.

All of the Surrettes here, and those at neighbors were drop-shipped from Surrette in NS. It took a while to get to CA, but by the date-codes they WERE fresh. Good that they are built to order.

You have done so well with your batteries, these should go almost forever! Good Luck, Thanks for the info. Vic

Re: Best brand name batteries?

Im also in the market to purchase cells.
Been pricing & looking for a while now.
So is NorthGuy In Tuktoyaktuk ? Im on VI BC .. So Nova Scotia is like China to us westerners. Shipping is more than the cells cost..
Most of my purchases are sent to my WA house because I can't get decent shipping to Canada. I just bought a clothes line dryer from Auzi , Tent to cover in Rain from soggy home . Both Commonwealth , but had to be shipped to USA for duty free and no VAT. Canada would of cost me more than the purchase price . (ya but you have "free" medical, that I pay every month)
VT

Re: Best brand name batteries?

Cariboocoot wrote: »

... The fact is you're probably better off with whichever ones you can get for the least amount of money. This includes "no name" "warehouse" brands from places like Costco or Sam's Club. Especially as a first set because it's so easy to do something wrong when you first start out and wreck them.

I would second that, although I would add the precaution to the newcomer that some dealers would love to do nothing more than sell you batteries that have been sitting on the shelf for 2 years without a charge whatsoever. You, having the presence of mind to bring a voltmeter with you measure something nice like 14.7 volts at the store, only to discover that this is a surface charge, and the voltage of the sulfated batteries you brought home reveal themselves under their first load. Ask me how I know.

So whatever you do, or whatever brand you pick (just be sure it is NOT an SLI car-starter battery), try to get fresh batteries so you'll have a half-way chance of starting out on the right foot and possibly not blaming your fledgling solar setup, when it is your crap batteries that are causing all the trouble.

That being said, on a small scale for AGM's, I've found Deka (East Penn is the parent company) and rebadges like MK, to be second only to Odyssey agm's. For a starter, Deka / East Penn would be a fine choice, but it doesn't mean a hill of beans if they have been sitting on the shelf for two years without a charge. In that case, the cheapies from down the street, if they are fresh, would beat a shelf-queen any day. I also like yellow-top Optima's for small scale solar - but again, freshness is crucial, along with proper charging techniques thereafter. Some day I'll try a Sun-Xtender and I'm sure it would be tops too.

I guess this is my long way of saying I agree with you.

Re: Best brand name batteries?

waynefromnscanada wrote: »

And NorthGuy, I ordered them through a dealer not far from the Surrette factory. I can PM you the link to that business if you like. Not sure how the deal works, but he tells me that when they're ready, they will notify him, then he will notify me and I can pick them up at the factory and pay for them there. They must then send him a commission I suppose, as he wouldn't do the arrangement for free. He also told me that Surrette offers free shipping (don't know how far) for orders of 12 or more. Perhaps that's only in Eastern Canada I don't know.
Just let me know if you want the dealer link. I definitely do not want to direct business away from out host, they've been very good to me in the past. This order however, it made no sense for me to order from NAWS, as the batteries are made right here in my home Province.

Thank you Wayne. I thought you have found a way to order directly from the factory. I'm not currently buying batteries, but I have no idea how long my set is going to last. Could be 15 years, but could be 2. If I were in the US, I would go for cheap no-brand L16s, but they're extinct in Canada. So, my next set is probably going to be Surrettes. I'm just gathering information on what would be the best way to buy. NS is very far for me, but I think if your dealer could arrange direct delivery, I should be able to find a local dealer that could do that to me. I would be needing 24, so I'm supposed to get two free deliveries

The best prices I could find on Surrettes were in the US, in places like NAWS, but there are always difficulties with shipping.

Re: Best brand name batteries?

Vic wrote: »

What's the BEST Motor Oil?
What's the BEST TV?
What's the best car or refrigerator? Who's the best Doctor? It's all about the same kind of question.

Motor oil is easy if you are seeking synthetic - Mobile One and Amsoil are the only ones that produce true synthetic oil. All the others use a legal loophole to label extra-detergented petroleum based oil as synthetic. TVs are volatile. Refridgerators don't know. Good doctors are rare and when you find one, it is at least 2-3 weeks to wait for an appointment. Cars I prefer Honda and Toyota - they don't break, but are expensive & are not for performance cars. Hyundai appears to be emerging.

Re: Best brand name batteries?

Cariboocoot wrote: »

Aw, c'mon VT: where are ya gonna find "cheap" anything in British Columbia?!
We're living in the Sachs Fifth Avenue of Canadian Provinces!

Agreed, And our regurgitated crusty just gave more major money away while the Rural province is being dismantled & sold offshore. The P-Rupert oil is already moving by train,the pipe is being built,while you hear radio news about when it starts ! You see the Taxi I can view with !
The disparaging way the price per/lb is advertised when you purchase it's price per/ gram/litre (volume corrected for fuel) [Not-A-Pigging Clue] , Biggest Bravo-Serra & canuks are none the wiser.

I buy my supplies state side. Almonds here are 7.65 per pound(grams figured by convert :http://joshmadison.com/convert-for-windows/) , Winco there 3.32/per but in bulk there 2.20 a pound for a box of 50 pounds . every can of beans to soup is one to almost a dollar to two cheaper. Just READ ! the labels of the contents , I buy the least amount of GMO or fructose / natural flavors etc. It's a great way to spend 1000.00 and a few hrs for a quarter/full years basic food pantry.

Coming soon Cariboocoot is Double wide doors for all buildings ETC.
OK so Canadian BC folks need to fix the problem , Im at the end of my working , should of retired my shoes years ago. Problem is , they left a huge VOID !! I feel the string is guitar tight , and any more tightening the non city / non gov workers /private sector is about to explode. I see rural folks (down2earth/normal/drugfree) starving, to feed themselves they cut firewood etc,but was a ticketed worker.

Back on track , I still don't have a "Smart Meter" But my Neighbours are choked that there bills are larger than last years .
I need to purchase battery's , I have over 100 cores I have been saving / scrounging bc CHARGES EPA TAX , WA charges if you don't bring one back .In
BC you buy a new boat battery (pay EPA tax) , replace it ,dump it in the harbour , done!! In WA you get 10.00 credit for returning your extinguished battery. I have done alot of marina boat diving with a few garbage cans to float the lead up.


SO back to the links for purchasing ????

VT

Re: Best brand name batteries?

Tecnodave wrote: »

Just my two cents worth. Surettes are great batteries as are Rolls and Trojans. I just bought Interstate L-16 375 ah @ 6volts for $219.00/each delivered to my local dealer in Watsonville,CA from Interstate battery in Salinas, CA. ABOUT $475/each from solar dealers. It was $475 per pair with tax and environmental fees. I am looking for max bang for the buck and am a very hands on electrician

Great info Dave ! We have a account with interstate .. and sometimes we are the hot shot delivery (if were going that direction)
Thanks.
VT