Leisure batteries, buy by brand name?

[ghost123uk]

Looking at sourcing two 110AH leisure batteries (not for my van, not that that matters).

On Ebay there are a wide range of prices from £50 each to over £100.

Brands for the cheaper ones include names I haven't heard of "Auto Elite" - "Lion" - "Enforcer" - "SuperBATT" - "Titanium" etc.

Then there are dearer ones from names I do know, like "Powerline" - "Hankook" - Numax" - "Exide" etc.

It's tempting to save >£40 and go for 2 x £50 ones with little known names.

Note, although they all offer a guarantee, I find this makes little difference because that only covers faulty batteries. They can easily claim (correctly in most cases) that the battery is not faulty, it has been mistreated.

What, dear reader, do you reckon?

[paperhouselad]

Hi
We have had a ( lion) starter/ main battery on the camper for approx 2 years this has been fine so far, £40 delivered free next day. Also have an exide on my work van which is still going strong after 12years. cheers.

[CJH]

I bought a 90AH Auto Elite earlier this year, from the seller who I expect you've seen selling a pair of 110AH batteries for £100 (free delivery, which was next day in my case). A few months isn't enough to learn much about it, except that it holds it's charge well and the capacity seems reasonable. Who knows how long it will last though. I'm of the opinion that if it isn't abused I'll easily get a few years out of it. If it lasts the length of the 3-year guarantee it will have been a good buy, and if it doesn't I'll claim against it.

I note that his advert now states that these batteries are made by Yuasa. He also says it's 'dual use', and is suitable as a starter battery - I don't know how true that is.

[ghost123uk]

Reading up as bit more I found this (one the "BatteryMegaStore" website:-

The Deep Cycle DC battery range unlike most leisure batteries on the market (which are dual purpose) are designed to be purely cyclic, this allows you to get a far higher number of life cycles out of the battery. This battery is perfect for the high usage user and can run up to 550 cycles

Wondering if that is true, the "dual purpose" ones are not as good for our purpose as solely leisure only designs. I reckon it might be the case.

[CJH]

...and what does a 'cycle' mean. If you are regularly off grid long enough to flatten the battery, then that's clearly 'a cycle', but if you only take a bit from the battery in the evening before topping it up with a solar panel the next day, is that 'a cycle'?

[ghost123uk]

...and what does a 'cycle' mean. If you are regularly off grid long enough to flatten the battery, then that's clearly 'a cycle', but if you only take a bit from the battery in the evening before topping it up with a solar panel the next day, is that 'a cycle'?

Yes, as you may know, I am pretty conversant with electrics and that reference to a "cycle" is a very grey area. Obviously it doesn't mean flat as in virtually zero volts, I reckon it means down to the usual, say 11.5 V minimum. But it doesn't say that does it This is how they wriggle out of guarantees of course.

What does interest me though is the "Hankook" website reckons 250 "cycles" for a "dual purpose" battery, and 550 "cycles" for a "camping/leisure" only one.
To me that indicates that, for our purposes, a pure "leisure" only one is a better bet?

Deffo tempted to order 2 of THESE 550 "cycle" ones.

p.s. = I will be fitting one of those low voltage disconnect thingies I am always banging on about to my mates system (it's not for a T25 by the way = long story) so that should take care of over flattening them.

p.p.s. I don't think they should advertise them as "deep discharge", should they

[ghost123uk]

Deffo tempted to order 2 of THESE 550 "cycle" ones

So, on the grounds that a true "Leisure only" type is listed as 550 "cycles" versus 250 "cycles" for a "Duel purpose" battery, I ordered those ^^^.

Still think they shouldn't advertise them as "deep discharge" though