Costco vs Trojan Batteries

[Joli]

Well said.

Couple additional points. If you look at 20 Amp hour ratings that is a good start, then look at battery weight. The heavier the battery the more lead it has and the longer it should last, in theory.

Regarding China, it is more competitive to ship heavy dense product then it is to ship light bulky product. Our goal when building conatiners is to weigh out and cube out a container. You are trying to stuff as many dollars into a container as possible. So you ship batteries and fan blades toegether. Sometimes I've been able to ship containers with $200k worth of OEM products in a 40 foot high cube for under $5k. (ie shipping cost is under 3%)

Originally Posted by hellosailor

Maine Sail-
The proprietary attittude at Trojan may just be paranoia, but it isn't uncommon at many companies. I called Garmin one day to ask about how they were calculating something (I forget what) because the numbers a GPS shows can vary depending on what shortcuts it is taking, i.e. the time period used in averaging will affect speed readings. (Some cell phone GPSes show substantial movement +5 seconds after the car they are in has stopped.)
Garmin got REAL paranoid, they couldn't believe there were users who really just wanted to know how the numbers were being derived, in order to understand them better.
Then there's the mattress industry, if you want to mention an entire industry that depends on smoke and mirrors to differentiate products. Give 'em a chance, and the local mattress store will try to upsell you into a mattress that's now over 14" thick, at $1000 for a queen set. Want a 6-8" thick mattress? Sorry, they don't make those anymore. Can't understand how people ever managed to sleep on them.

Folks need to bear in mind that when a battery maker sells a battery under their own brand name (JCI's Optima line, or Odyssey, etc.) it tends to stay the same year after year until it gets "improved". But EVERY contracted battery (Sears, WalMart, Costco, Honda and other auto warranty replacements, etc.) is subject to change EVERY year, as those contracts are renegotiated. If the Costco buyer tells someone at JCI "I need a battery I can sell for ten bucks less than Sears" that's what they'll get. Maybe the plates are each 1/16" shorter and the casing size stays the same. Or someone uses a thicker, cheaper, heavier casing material. But that's all up for changes, every year.
Back in the 80's Consumer Reports did one of their regular auto battery reviews and one of the "Interstate" batteries got rave reviews. The next year, CR had to note that one of the relabels of it was no longer the same battery, no longer the same quality. So yes, we do pay for brand names. And sometimes, if you're lucky, you get what you pay for. Sometimes, more or less.

IIRC the three largest battery makers in the US (JCI, Deka, and ?) account for something like 85% of the entire market. So there aren't just three makers--but effectively? It isn't a very big lie to say there are just three, the rest are supposed to be radically smaller market shares.

And then of course there's China...how it can be cost effective to ship some of the densest materials in the world halfway around it and still make a profit selling the goods...I have to think that someone is cheating, somewhere in that equation.

[Maine Sail]

Originally Posted by Joli

We generally buy Sam's Club golf cart battery which are made by Deka.

EAST PENN manufacturing co., inc.: Lead-Acid Batteries; Battery Manufacturers; Thousands of Different Types of Batteries, Cable & Wire Product

But really any major golf cart battery maker is going to be a good bet.

Battery makers: Car and Deep Cycle Battery FAQ, Battery Manufacturers and Brand Names List, and

Which Sam's Club are you finding Deka/East Penn made 6V batteries? Every club here in the North East sells Johnson Controls made 6V batteries which are now sold under the Energizer Label. They say Johnson Controls right on the label. They have been JC batteries since at least 2001 at our local Sam's Club but they were not always labeled as Energizer that change only happened about 4 years ago IIRC.

I wish they were Deka/East Penn as I think the Deka is a better built 6V but the JC battery is not bad for the price.

[lookoutnw]

Originally Posted by Yachts66

Thanks, Ray. As I said earlier, I'm going to split the difference and buy 4 of the Costco's to get me home, the (thanks to Costco's no hassle return policy) take them back and get Trojan's or keep them and buy four more. This action buys me a little more time to make up my mind. In the 20+ years I've been a Costco customer they have never let me down or given me a hard time when I've returned items. They aren't perfect, but all in all, I've found the quality of the goods they sell to be far above average.

Regards,

Thomas

As a 'gotta get new batteries' guy, and a COSTCO Memeber, Spouse of amanagemment at COSTCO and a owner of a product at COSTCO I have a pretty good view of the operation. To get in with a product it has to be good. To deal with them on their return for all reasons SUCKS. I made and lost money with them. Very superior product of mine. Members seem to like to use and return so they can be cheap. COSTCO figures a % will be returned. Yep, the product manufacturer looses here.
COSTCO is getting to be all over the world. I am gonna get my 6ea GC6s, 2 GP 31 Depps, 1 Gp31 Start from them and put them on my Magnum Energy 'system'. I got the Emarine Solar & wind control unit with an AIR-X "screaming banshee' 400W and 2 ea 135 Kyocera/sharp panels. 5KW Northern lights with teh auto start from Magnum. 100A Balmar. I am a juice hog and like my electricity.

[hellosailor]

Will Costco special order batteries for you?

Because my local Costcos usually odn't have deep cycles or AGMs in stock, won't tell you over the phone what is in stock or might be coming in, all they say is "Sure, we've got it, come on in" when things haven't been there and won't be there.

Unlike any local battery distributor, who will say what is in stock, and when it is arriving.

[jenny2]

Originally Posted by Yachts66

Well Illusion, WalMart, what do you expect? ;-) LOL Still on the fence here, but I went over to Costco and asked about charging cycles and plate thickness. They didn't have a clue, but will check for me. The Costco battery weighs 63# and has 5 fewer ah than the Trojan, which weighs 10# more. So, it would appear Trojan wins the plate thickness test. However the best price I found locally on the Trojan's was $168 vs $75 for the Costco's. If Illusions experience is typical, then the Trojan would win big time, but others don't seem to have had Illusions poor experience. Whatever shall I do? At this moment, I dunno....but I'm thinking on it and hoping more folks will weigh in on this thread.

Regards,

Thomas

$168 is a bit high the local golfcart, and small engine shop where I am sale the t-105 for $99.00. The Interstate's I have are six years old and still going strong. I was going to get the t-105 batteries at the time I met a battery dealer and he gave me a great deal for trade of fishing numbers.

[denright]

If you want the "Best" you'll pay for it. What is it? That would be an Absolyte IIP. Here's the specs. GNB 1-100a75 Absolyte IIP Industrial Sealed Battery

[SV THIRD DAY]

Originally Posted by denright

If you want the "Best" you'll pay for it. What is it? That would be an Absolyte IIP. Here's the specs. GNB 1-100a75 Absolyte IIP Industrial Sealed Battery

If I had a dollar for every high priced product that used that line...ha ha ha.
Quite typically the BEST doesn't cost more...which is one of the Key reasons they can rightfully claim to be "the best".

[Cheechako]

Got a $20 digital bathroom scale? The plates are the heaviest thing in a battery. Weigh them to compare. The heaviest battery has the thickest plates....

[s/v Beth]

At the beginning of this thread (spring 2010) I wouldn't tell you the battery I got because I wasn't sure of the quality. They are on their 4th season now... Crown's. Let you know when I replace them.

[zeehag]

my costco 6v deep cycle batteries are still awesome and going strong since 2011, mexico, puerto vallarta.

[unbusted67]

This discussion seems weird. They are batteries not DVD players. This is a very very simple technology, I have every faith that the guy getting paid $3 a month to make Costco/Sam's Club batteries was able to master the same technology that the guy making them in America was.
1. fasten led plates to inside of container
2. place liquid in container
3. seal container.
4. mark up price accordingly

[onestepcsy37]

just my two cents.

someone mentioned battery weight being an indication of battery capacity, and i pretty much agree. but the trojan t-105 is not particularly heavier than other golf cart batts - according to their own specs it weighs in at 62 pounds. my sams club batteries weigh the same.

sams club batteries were sourced from johnson controls. when i bought my golf carts 2 1/2 years ago they were marked johnson controls. six months later i happened to be in the same sams club and noticed the batteries were all marked east penn. they are still using east penn, at least in my neck of the woods.

i'm also a big fan of flooded over agm for a number of reasons. the only reason i can see to use agm is when the battery is difficult to access and so checking the water level will not be done regularly. fortunately my batteries are very easy to check.

[SV THIRD DAY]

As a FULL TIME live aboard cruiser I've had two sets of T-105 (Bank of 8 total) and WILL NOT be buying a 3rd set. I'm fanatical about charging, topping off, keeping water...bla bla bla and I am just NOT IMPRESSED for the money spent.

[Pelagic]

Living in Asia I see a large mark up of high quality batteries made in China like Fullriver.

Battery: Fullriver DC260-12, Full River Deep Cycle Batteries, DC260-12

I can buy in HK for considerably less than half that price

Also the specs are important as often the exact same battery is re-branded for other supplies and again marked up considerably.
Welcome to Fullriver!

http://www.fullriver.com/products/ad...e/DC260-12.pdf

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, denright.