It's always interesting to read up on theories surrounding the Optima battery brand and others, although the logic used to reach conclusions often ends up having flaws. I would definitely agree with toymaster regarding taking a good look at a warranty before purchasing a battery. You can read our consumer warranty
here.
The length of a free replacement warranty and ease of warranty service are definitely important considerations and not all warranties are the same. Be sure to read the fine print, because if some batteries aren't used exclusively in starting applications, the warranty term can be significantly less than what someone might think it is.
2drx4, Optima still manufactures all of their own batteries in their own production facility and they are the only batteries produced there. Optima never re-brands or re-specs their batteries for specific retailers, nor does it outsource production to third-party manufacturers. I think you are confusing warranty restrictions regarding chargers, as Optima does not have such restrictions in their warranty coverage, but other brands do.
Read deep enough into some of those threads on Pirate4x4 and you will find folks having issues with every battery mentioned in this thread, employees of other battery brands getting caught attempting to anonymously promote their own products and theories that Sears stopped carrying Optima and started carrying another brand because of quality-related issues. If that were the case (and it wasn't at all), why does Sears no longer sell that brand, but once again sells Optima?
Batteries are not cheap investments, so it makes sense to take care of them, including maintaining voltage when not in use. If you don't do that, you're likely to run into trouble, regardless of what brand or manufacturer you choose.
Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries
www.facebook.com/optimabatteries
