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Best leisure battery - Optima or Elecsol?

Lorin

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Mar 28, 2010
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I'm about to install a leisure battery and wondered if anyone had any experience of Elecsol batteries?

I am getting an AGM due to the better vibration resistance as opposed to a standard lead acid or sealed lead acid (which rules out Numax etc) and was going to get an Optima YT5.5. However, I've just come across the Elecsol EL135F which appears to be considerably more battery for virtually the same money (£210 versus approx £195). More info here: http://www.tayna.co.uk/product-detail/E ... ochure.pdf

135Ah versus 75Ah
7 year warranty versus 2 year
Both virtually the same size.

I know the Elecsol is 6kg heavier but that is purely due to the extra capacity.

Looks to me like a much better bet than an optima....?
 
Have you google'd Elecsol for customer feedback? I bought a pair of Elecsol 110ah sealed units. After they'd been installed for a few weeks I noticed signs of fluid leakage, contacted the dealer, who told me it's just spilt fluid under the covers from being overfilled, yeh right thinks I and sure enough a month later one had lost so much fluid it was scrap. That one is sitting on my garage floor, the 'good' one went in the caravan and I replaced them with something like a NuMax but the one that can take more discharge cycles (sorry I'd have to dig a bit to work out what it really is or where it came from :roll: ). I can't be arsed to chase the dealer to replace the bad Elecsol, by the time I've made phone calls, got mad about it etc it just aint worth it.

EDIT: ebay item 270559954858 is what I replaced the Elecsol's with, so far no problems.
 
Lucas 110amp/h leisure battery is £70

What makes these "named" batteries better?
 
I had two Intimidator batteries (I can't remember how much they cost) fitted by Frogs and they both failed under warrenty :thumbdown: so they replaced them with two Optima redtops, I've since fitted a leisure battery, Optima yellow top (eBay £140) and had no problems with either after 2/3 years :thumbup:
Chas
 
Just checked out the customer feedback. If it's too good to be true.... :thumbdown:

Scrap that then!
 
24Seven said:
Lucas 110amp/h leisure battery is £70

What makes these "named" batteries better?
For an extra £10 inc delivery you can have hardened plates to stand more deep discharge cycles :mrgreen: As far as I can tell the ExRider is a rebadged Lucas anyway.
 
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I have to say I'd go with the Numax (gel filled glass mat tech) I had one on my Vit & was very pleased with it :D :thumbup:

Here's a link to my original thread on the subject on SS http://www.shropshire-suzuki.co.uk/foru ... f=6&t=6025

And some text from the thread :arrow:

The battery on Snowy has finally given up the ghost with all of the cold weather and lack of use :roll: :) It's on charge now for the third time in as many weeks, but to be honest I've seen more life on a Butchers pencil :)

So 'Time for a dual purpose yellow top Optima me thinks' and set about searching the net for the best price and the correct fitment, but here starts my bemusement as the Optima that seems to be the most widely available and most commonly used by the off-road fraternity is the YT U 4.2 55Ah 750 CCA battery

Photo:

with additional terminals for the easy attachment of boys toys :) :wink: a close match in size to for the current factory fitment of an 70Ah 400 CCA battery :) But imagine my dismay to find more negative reports about Optima batteries than positive and a price tag of £165 plus postage :shock:

So after further investigation I have found two other batteries that seem to be getting good reports from the leisure/off-road community as a dual starting/deep cycle battery :)

The first being the DEKA Intimidator 9A78DT

Photo:

again a 55Ah 740 CCA battery with additional terminals, but I can't realy find anyone activly selling these on-line and the prices I do find are around the £120 mark plus postage :)

So after much reading and searching I find another new battery to the market place that many peeps are ranting about made by NUMAX called the CXV-X

Photo:

this is 86Ah with 1000 MCA (Marine Cold Cranking current is measured at 0 degrees C whereas the more commonly quoted Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) is measured at -17.7 degrees). So again a very simular batery to the others if not just a little bit more gutsy also with the additional terminals for those boys toys :) :wink: Delivered to your front door for only £100 from X-Eng :)

I'm prety certain my mind is made up :) :wink: But wondered if any of you lot had anything to add to my findings before I pull out me plastic and blow the kids school uniform money =))

Hope that this helps you :D
 
If money is no object and you want the best, get Gel batteries. Exide do some excellent ones. Coming from a Telecoms background, the best DC power systems - especially those specified for the miltary - have been Gel for a while.

Also I would chose Exide Maxima if price was more of an issue - come in cheaper than Optimas and generally better regarded
 
Hi Gav, I only have experience of fitting Yuasa batteries to heavy commercial vehicles, they have been of good quality & I have never had one come back with a problem.
 
Thanks Dave - I think I'll have a punt on a couple of them for MUX @ £58 a piece...
 
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