View Full Version : The Battery Question Again - Optima v. Interstate

10-19-2006, 01:28 PM
So I was going to upgrade to an Optima Blue Top since I just added an amp and two speakers. Did a little research and only the smaller of the two Blue Top deep cycles will fit in my battery well. Compared its specs to the cranking Interstate 24M XHD that's in my boat and the Interstate has a higher CCA, CA and reserve capacity than the Blue Top.

So my question is; why switch?

Is the deep cycle Optima going to offer more power/longer hours in a 'motor off, accessory on' situation, or is it simply that a deep cycle battery is going to tolerate drain/recharge/drain/recharge better and live longer? If it's just the latter, I'll wait until I kill the Interstate before replacing such a new battery. If it's the former and I can get more hours from the Optima at those lower loads, I'll probably switch it out.

Comments appreciated.

in my boat to replace my In

10-19-2006, 04:21 PM
If I may.....
There are so many variables in a battery. You can get longer hours from one battery to the next I mentioned before that not all batteries are created equal. I have had owned both Interstate and Optima batteries and have had good luck from both.

I think price should be a desiding factor on this one. One of the great features of a optima (which made them popular in the car audio craze years back) is that there a gell cell. Inside of them is a gelitan instead of regular led, acid, water. This meant they could be mounted on there side, inside a cab of a car due to the lack of fumes they exhale when hot... None of which you may care about due to your application.

BTW.... Interstate owns the Optima Company.

10-19-2006, 04:31 PM
Thanks. Yeah, I noticed that Interstate owns Optima. A learned friend once told me that every battery that's sold in the U.S. is manufactured in one of three plants and that similar purpose/size batteries of all the major manufacturers are essentially the same battery, just in different packaging. Don't know if that's true or not.

The Interstate battery's brand new in my boat, so I'm only gonna replace it with a Blue Top if it affords me more time on the accessories without running down. It doesn't offer more starting power and I don't need to mount at an angle.