On Sun, 27 Jul 2014 08:32:41 -0700 (PDT), True North
wrote:

On Saturday, 26 July 2014 23:06:54 UTC-3, Wayne. B wrote:
On Sat, 26 Jul 2014 21:37:44 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"

wrote:



Diehards have a good reputation but I am not sure how much of that is

based on actual performance or on good marketing.



===



The key word in my recommendation is "Platinum". The Platinum

Diehards are made with Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) technology. AGMs

have a higher charge acceptance rate, superior resistance to deep

cycling damage and low internal resistance (higher cranking amps). I'm

still on my first year with them so stay tuned. So far I'm happy.

Previously I'd been using Exide 8Ds and getting really lousy service

life from them, typically less than 2 years. The 8Ds are real back

breakers so frequent replacement was more than just an issue with

cost.



My inverter bank is going on 5 years now and still performing fairly

well considering how hard the batteries are used. I switched from

Trojan T-105 golf cart batts to the heavy duty T-145s. They cost

more and are a bit heavier but I'm very happy with service life

compared to the T-105s.



These people claim to make a good quality lead acid battery.
http://www.ic.gc.ca/app/ccc/srch/nvg...d=781&app=sold

===

Surette makes excellent lead acid batteries but they are pricey and
hard to find here in the US. If you can'y buy them locally, shipping
costs become prohibitive also. I had one on my old sailboat that I
used just for distance racing at night.