Costco vs Trojan Batteries

[Yachts66]

So I stop by my friendly chandlery to pick up some odds and ends and struck up a conversation with their battery salesman. I told him I was planning on buying Costco golf cart batteries and he had a cow. Well, he's a salesman, so I expect some of that, but he said his Trojan's were far, far superior to the Costco brand. I dunno, I've had good luck with Costco, but I'm always eager to learn, so.....what has your experience been? Are the Trojan's worth the extra money? In this case more than twice the price!

Thanks,

Thomas

[s/v Beth]

I just went through this. I ended up with batteries that were not Trojan, even though they were initially my first choice. Plate thickness of the Lead is the primary factor. I had to call the factory tech specialists, but I got the thickest plates I could for the $$.
Just my two cents

[Yachts66]

What brand did you end up with? If you don't mind saying here.

[Yachts66]

Wouldn't the batteries weight be the significant factor in evaluating two batteries? Meaning the heavier battery would have the thicker plates....right?

Thomas

[s/v Beth]

Not necessarily. One battery had more amp- hours, more plates (according to the salesman) more weight but the thickness of the plates were the same.(more cost) The total deep discharge cycles can be a hint- I found if the companies did the exact same discharge cycle then I could compare them.
I prefer not to sell a company name. Four or six years from now if they are still running strong I will endorse them, but not now. I just went with the physics.

[foggysail]

I stopped purchasing pedigree batteries years and years ago. I found even with certified papers, they lasted no longer than many less expensive. I am not getting into battery names here.

Many times a manufacturer will charge more for his product only becuase he can get what he charges.

[Adelie]

Checkout Systems at Beth L & Evans S's website.
Evans is a poster on this forum.

[S/V Illusion]

Long story short - we had a bank of Trojan 6Vs which lasted 8 years. Replaced them with cheap Costco type (actually Sams Club which are Johnson Control batteries) and they lasted less than 2 years - same conditions, charging regime and use throughout.

Ever hear the expressions - "you get what you pay for"?

Your choice.

[Ziggy]

Originally Posted by S/V Illusion

Ever hear the expressions - "you get what you pay for"?

I think I'm going to throw up if I hear it one more time. It may be true that Trojan batteries are better than Costco, but in general, it is certainly not true that higher cost always means better value or even quality.

[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

[DeepFrz]

Plate thickness is very important for a house battery. The thicker plates allow you to discharge to 50% for a certain number of cycles (hopefully stated by manufacturer). A dual use/starting battery will have more thinner plates which allows a large current flow for a limited period of time. Discharge a dual use/starting battery to 50% a few times and they will be toast.

I'm not advocating Trojan, just stating what you want to be looking for. I believe Interstate make a good "deep discharge" type battery at a reasonable price. I'm sure there are others.

I also don't know anything about Cosco batteries, but most of the "marine" batteries you see listed in Canada are really "dual use" batteries and made for small fishing boats.

[Jon D]

It also depends where you are cruising. In the states or other first world, who cares, they fail at that price replace. If going way off the beaten path spend the money for better batteries where your chance of short term failure is much lower.

[Yachts66]

The Costco batteries in question are not "marine" but "gulf cart" 6v. I think the gulf cart designation has to do more with size and voltage than anything. If weight is a measure the two batteries are very similar in weight. Weight may not be the best measure, but they seem to have about the same amount of lead, but whether that lead is distributed to fewer or more plates I don't know. There are few obvious differences at this point.

Regards,

Thomas

[Boracay]

If the batteries are enduring regular heavy discharge and removing and replacing them from the boat is not easy then the Trojans may have it.

On the other hand if usage is light and the batteries are kept fully charged by a quality charger then cheaper batteries may be OK.

I Australia, despite what warranties say, getting a retailer to do anything for you after the ink is dry can be very difficult.

[Pblais]

On the other hand if usage is light and the batteries are kept fully charged by a quality charger then cheaper batteries may be OK.

Is it true or is it what you want to be true.

Cheaper batteries are cheaper for the day you buy them. You can bank on that much. So they can be OK today if you need them to be. Costco goes out and finds a battery that is deep cycle that they can sell at a discount else they don't buy them. They may not be bad but they would sell another brand if they could sell or buy them for less. Being a CostCo member I know they do it with breakfast cereal. I suppose batteries are different.

If the usage is light you don't need as many batteries.