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I just came from my local Sam's Club and noticed that they have changed their battery manufacturer from JCI (Johnson Controls) to Deka / East Penn. I was told this is a new account for East Penn and the Duracell branded East Penn batts may not yet be in all stores. If the batteries still say Energizer on the label they are JCI batteries...
I took some pics at the store and then called Deka / East Penn tech support and spoke with a very nice lady, and very knowledgeable, named Carol G.. She informed me that they DO NOT build the Sam's Club, O'Reilly Auto Parts, NAPA or West Marine batteries any differently and they are all the SAME. They all roll off the same assembly line and get the sticker for the retailer they are going to.
The only thing you want to be certain of is the type. Deka makes dual purpose and deep cycle marine batteries. NAPA & WM sell both the dual purpose and deep cycle versions and Sam's only has the deep cycle versions.
Flooded Deep Cycle Marine Batteries:
The batteries Sam's Club is buying are the Deka / East Penn deep cycle marine batteries and NOT the dual purpose/starting versions. This is GOOD!!! What is even better is that these are the EXACT SAME battery that West Marine sells only for LESS THAN HALF THE PRICE! These batts have a 12 month free replacement warranty, same as West Marine.
As an example the Group 27 Deep Cycle at Sam's Club is $69.87 the SAME EXACT battery at West Marine is $169.99 (2010 catalog price).
There is absolutely NO DIFFERENCE in the WM battery compared to the Sam's Club, NAPA or other resellers battery other than the label/sticker. Sam's is using the Duracell brand name on these East Penn batts but they are the same high quality battery.
They offer two 6V GC2 batts one with a 215 Ah rating and one with a 230Ah rating and are $78.87 (GC2) and $84.87 (EGC2).
AGM Batteries:
Once again these are the SAME EXACT AGM batteries WM sells and they stock the group 24, 27 & 31 and 6V AGM's.. As an example the group 31 AGM at Sam's Club is $166.32 and at West Marine this SAME BATTERY runs $299.99. The 6V AGM is even more drastic at Sam's it runs $159.73 and at West Marine it costs $389.99!!
This new deal between Sam's Club and East Penn represents a tremendous value for the American boater..
She informed me that they DO NOT build the Sam's Club, O'Reilly Auto Parts, NAPA or West Marine batteries any differently and they are all the SAME. They all roll off the same assembly line and get the sticker for the retailer they are going to.
It may be time to take on the golf cart battery upgrade project. Now, any tips on making cheaper battery cables...!!! I've seen your site, but the wiring itself is crazy expensive.
Is Sam's Club any better than Costco when it comes to inventory? Costco stores never know which batteries are in stock, can't order them to request, and generally make it a treasure hunt to find ANY battery except the common auto batteries.
Our local club always has a good stock of marine batteries and they turn over fairly quickly from about late April to October.. They had about 6-7 of everything when I was there today getting some microfiber rags... For the price savings alone, even if it takes a week or more to get what I want, who cares.... Wm charges up to double or more on batteries that you can now buy at Sam's...
Take a look at "Dyno" batteries in Seattle, over by Fisherman's Terminal. Excellent heavy duty batteries. Got almost 7 years out of my 6V golf cart batteries from them.
Are you looking for batteries for your house bank?
Deep cycle does this best as they are designed to handle more discharge cycles. And deep cycle batteries can still start an engine without a problem. The dual purpose are not as tolerant of constant cycling and are better suited to a small day use powerboat.
FWIW, I believe West Marine still has a price matching policy, and will match any advertised price from a competitor on any item in stock. Certainly worth asking.
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Deep cycle conventionally means thick plates, designed to last a long time. A thick plate cannot supply as high an impulse current as thinner plates, so an SLI (Starter-lights-igntion) battery uses thinner plates.
A "dual purpose" battery uses plates somewhere in between.
What do thick and thin mean? Varies with the maker.
And the makers will all tell you, you can use deep cycle batteries for starting with no problems, as long as your battery bank is large enough to supply the impulse power your starter needs. i.e., you don't use a 50AH rated deep cycle battery as a starter for a big diesel. But a 400AH bank won't blink at the power need. (Depends on what you call "big", I know.) And on the other hand...yes, I've used a 17AH AGM backup battery to start asmall diesel. It didn't mind in the least, but I would use it that way on a daily basis.
Thanks for the comments. All sounds logical. BTW, I have two Group 27 batteries on a [Off - 1 - Both - 2] switch.
I was looking at the Costco Group 27 Marine battery ($83; was $69 in Sept 2010!). It is labeled as Starting/Deep Cycle, 750 MCA, 115 Amp Hours, reserve capacity 160.
So I really don't know if it is a true Deep Cycle, but it sounds like a dual purpose. I'll check next time to see if there are more details or manufacture identified.
For the best deep cycle for the dollar get two 6 volt golf cart batteries and wire them in series. Thicker plates, handle many more cycles than any dual purpose and most any 12 volt battery as well.
Hmm I'm pondering my choices. I have a blue sea charging relay waiting to be installed and want to simplify. I currently have two group 27 house batteries and a standard car starting battery. With my small 1GM10 and nothing to run off the batteries except lights and the depth finder I'd like to simplify and cut down weight and complexity if possible.
Given my light load what do you think about this option?
House: Group 27 wet deep cycle
Starter: Group 24 dual purpose
The dual purpose would only be the backup starting battery/backup house battery if the house failed. The group 27 house would be expected to do all the work normally (I assume a good group 27 house can start my 1GM10). Or should I stay away from dual purpose batteries all together?
Edit: Also, thoughts on an even smaller backup/starting battery? Perhaps jetski/tractor size?
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No they are not the same, they used to be decent batteries but the new ones, as of a few months ago, are dual purpose, not deep cycle. On top of that the Ah rating is rated at a 1A draw which is NOT how the industry rates deep cycle batteries.
This is good information. In fact, many things we use are manufactured by only one or two companies but branded for the retailer. Same construction, same specifications but often a large price differential.
I used to work at the largest wholesale bakery in Houston, TX. The round top and sandwich bread came down the conveyor through the slicer and went into what ever bags were called for for that order. Name brand, store brand, generic, all were the same bread in those different bags sold at different prices. There were some specialty products that we made for only one customer but not many.
Sorry but he was either not in the loop or lying. They just inked this deal about two months ago and have a HUGE inventory of Deka/Duracels here in the North East, and in many parts of the country, as reported by many who've bought them since I posted this. I've probably installed close to two dozen of them at this point...
Mainsail, do you know if the 12v Johnson Control batteries (red boxes) are any good? You mention these batteries in the first post of this thread. I've found them here in Brazil (EXPENSIVE, like everything else in Brazil!) and they claim to be deep-cycle batteries with a 2-year warranty. The other option is a so-called "marine" battery made by Moura which is more expensive and has a 1-year warranty. I'm just about to buy new house batteries and I'd like to get the best value. Thanks in advance.
It's been a few months, I assume Sam's Club is still stocking these? I plan to get a Group 24 dual purpose starter and a Group 27 Deep Cycle House for my 1GM10.
How do I identify if they are the Deka / East Penn /Duracell batteries?
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