Sears Optima Batteries?

Optima is not a Sears brand. They are widely available at many stores. They are good batteries, but they cost twice as much as conventional premium battery and 3-4 times as much as conventional low-end battery.

Ever try Google?

Consumer Reports tested Optima several years ago and rated it highly, especially for its lifespan test (simulates hot underhood conditions).

I live in Arizona, but the conventional maintenance-free batteries I've used never needed water, except possibly the black ones made by AC Delco, which i couldn't check (one 60-month failed at 59 months, another from the same batch is still OK at about 75 months).

No, what's Google? ;-)

I really didn't find any useful information that way. Eventually one site said that Optima batteries are made by Johnson Controls. That does me a lot of good! Actually JC aquried Gylling in 1999. Another site said they're not gel cell, but lead wrapped in something.

The Consumer Report writeup didn't appear, which is typical of Google. It's often a huge waste of time, especially when asking questions about commercial products. Used to be great, but no longer.

Then, YOU are not using it properly. Google is a TOOL, not a solution.

>

Gone from their website. Search doesn't find the article, anyway, only stuff about the Kia Optima and the Optima gas grill.

The last couple of CR reports have leaned toward Interstate batteries. You can find them with that name, and they also manufacture for other companies. I don't recall which, though.

Toyota dealers sell Interstate batteries.

Yes, that and other websites lead me to believe that Optima batteries do not have higher capacity, longer life, or more cold cranking amps than ordinary car batteries, they just cost more.

Plus you can turn them upside down! So they would be good for SUVs, which roll over all the time. ;-)

I bought a used pickup truck in 2001, that had an OPTIMA battery in it.

on two different occasions, due to my health, and hospital visits, the truck sat for a month,

when I went out to start it, it cranked over, like it had been parked the night before

I sold the truck in 2004, with the same battery, and I have not had to replace a battery in a vehicle since then, If I ever do, I am sold on the Optima

Here are the ratings from the 10/2002 issue:

Some libraries have Consumer Reports available for free online.

My 1998 OEM battery (Panasonic?) lasted until 2005 when I replaced it as a precaution (there was nothing wrong with it that I could see). Several times the car sat for 30 days when I was out of town, and the car started normally when I returned. I did make sure the battery had enough distilled water about once every year or two.

DO NOT buy them. They will NOT last when used in an automobile!

I'm a retired telecommunication technician with battery maintenance experience. Up until about 10 years ago, all telecom companies used wet-cell or flooded-cell batteries for their emergency back-up power sources. The equipment actually runs on 48 VDC and a regulated battery charger supplies all the power under normal conditions with a

48 v battery string floating across the power bus (like your 12v car battery floats across your electrical system while your engine is running). When the commercial power fails, the batteries take up the load with no interruption.

The EPA has declared sulfuric acid as a hazardous material and required everyone who uses flooded cell batteries to install a dam around the batteries (in case of a case leak) and build a disposal containment device (separate holding tank that the dammed area drains into). This is expensive to retro fit and maintain. So all of them have gone to gell-cells or reduced electrolytic cells.

They have a limited lifetime of some where around 5 to 10 years when used in float applications (flooded-cells will last over 50 years) and one deep discharge ruins most cells. They will not recover capacity after being subjected to a deep discharge. Frequent shallow charge-discharge cycles also will greatly shorten their life.

In short, they are not suitable for use in cars. Stick with the old tried-and-true wet-cell batteries.

Jack

Thanks!

I take it the columns represent price, overall rating, longevity of charge, cold cranking amps, ???, ???, and warranty. The Optima is warrantied for 36/100 now at Sears.

Since those rating are more than 4 years old they are worthless. Some of those brands may have changed suppliers or specs. There are about 3-4 manufacturers that make almost all of the auto batteries sold in the US, and they are sold under various brand names by the retail companies.

To find out more about this, refer to this website:

Personally, I don't trust the CS ratings on batteries any more than I trust their ratings on child car seats (which turned out to be bogus and was "recalled").

Thanks for your post, Jack. Sorry, I probably misled you into thinking the Optima battery is a gel cell. It is not. It is a spiral-wound AGM (absorbed glass mat) of boron-silicate over lead.

That explains why my friend with an electric bicycle was able to get a gel-cell to operate the small motor. Industry uses them.

According to

gel-cell has several disadvantages, including a requirement forslow charging at lower voltage, shorter lifespan from overcharging ordeep discharge, and poor resistance to heat. The AGM battery overcomesall these problems, and is no more expensive than gel-call, but still2-3 times as expensive as flooded cell.

Wow! Although not in my car. ;-)

Here are the ratings from the 10/2002 issue [of Consumer Reports]:

They're worthless for all the other batteries, which usually seem to change every year, but apparently the Optima has stayed the same.

Unfortunately there are often no other sources of product reviews, but at least they owed up to their mistake.

no water to check on the OPTIMA..... totally sealed

I am not willing to pay double the price (at least) for that.