loonwheeler
Adventurer
In our expedition camper, it is long overdue to replace our house battery bank for 4X GC2 batteries. I am looking to replace them with a high quality battery that will be reliable over the next 5 years or so. I don't need a "forever" battery and am not willing to pay extra $$ just to have a higher quality battery when I can just replace the more often (various schools of thought, discussed many times on various forums).
I am considering purchasing the Duracell Ultra GC2 battery (SLIGC115) mainly based on recommendations in past posts. With a 10% online discount, I can get these for around ~$112 ea if I pick them up from my local store. On the other hand, the next step up in quality / price are Trojan T105s which I can get for around ~$160 give or take (or T105 RE for ~$180-190). So given the prices today, I could replace the Duracell almost twice as often as the Trojan batteries based on the cost alone. Based on the collective opinion, do you think the Duracell is the better value when considering performance / quality / price? I understand it is a bit of a sliding scale depending on personal needs, opinions, etc but it is worth discussing IMHO. Any other brands / models that you would recommend around the same price point in the GC2 form factor?
Also, I know it is best to purchase all 4 batteries that have the same manufacturing date and preferably the same lot number. I have read that the Duracell is manufactured by Deka/East Penn and that the date and lot codes might be stamped on the casing (do not trust the sticker from what I have also read). From a post on another forum, I found an email response from East Penn about date codes on Duracell GC2 batteries:
"Based on the number 1177F28-29 I am able to determine that this battery was formed on the 177th day of 2011. The first digit in this sequence is the last digit of the year and the next three digits are the day of the year."
Does anyone have other advice of what to check or look for when buying GC2 batteries? Is it also a good idea to check OCV on each battery as well as check the date codes (closer to 7.05 V the better)? Any addition checks etc would be helpful making sure I am buying a "fresh" battery and not one that has sat in a warehouse or on the retail floor for 2-3 years while self discharging.
I am considering purchasing the Duracell Ultra GC2 battery (SLIGC115) mainly based on recommendations in past posts. With a 10% online discount, I can get these for around ~$112 ea if I pick them up from my local store. On the other hand, the next step up in quality / price are Trojan T105s which I can get for around ~$160 give or take (or T105 RE for ~$180-190). So given the prices today, I could replace the Duracell almost twice as often as the Trojan batteries based on the cost alone. Based on the collective opinion, do you think the Duracell is the better value when considering performance / quality / price? I understand it is a bit of a sliding scale depending on personal needs, opinions, etc but it is worth discussing IMHO. Any other brands / models that you would recommend around the same price point in the GC2 form factor?
Also, I know it is best to purchase all 4 batteries that have the same manufacturing date and preferably the same lot number. I have read that the Duracell is manufactured by Deka/East Penn and that the date and lot codes might be stamped on the casing (do not trust the sticker from what I have also read). From a post on another forum, I found an email response from East Penn about date codes on Duracell GC2 batteries:
"Based on the number 1177F28-29 I am able to determine that this battery was formed on the 177th day of 2011. The first digit in this sequence is the last digit of the year and the next three digits are the day of the year."
Does anyone have other advice of what to check or look for when buying GC2 batteries? Is it also a good idea to check OCV on each battery as well as check the date codes (closer to 7.05 V the better)? Any addition checks etc would be helpful making sure I am buying a "fresh" battery and not one that has sat in a warehouse or on the retail floor for 2-3 years while self discharging.
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