Best leisure battery?

[MrPlant]

Need to fit new batteries this weekend and was wondering what make batteries people are using? and which make would you say are the best?

Currently fitted are 110ah's. Running general interior fittings, no TV on12v but o have 12v fridge.

Done a bit of searching and websites appear to be full of the ''cheap'' looking ones. I do have a fantastic battery shop nearby where we get all our batteries for our vehicles and machines, but would like some advice before I ask there. Heres their link if you ever need anything in the KL area, I'm sure public are welcome. http://kingslynnautoelectrical.co.uk/

Thanks in advance for any help

[Hockham Admiral]

Boulters were selling Marine dual purpose 110Ah batteries last year, £75, which was about £30 less than the manufacturer's price on their stand at the Horning Boat show.... we've got two of them. 

 

http://www.boultermarine.co.uk/chandlery-store/

[JawsOrca]

http://www.halfords.com/motoring-travel/camping-caravanning/caravanning/halfords-leisure-battery-115-ah they are made by Yuasa and are decent quality.. if you can manage to get a trade account with them it's significantly cheaper..  

[MrPlant]

Boulters were selling Marine dual purpose 110Ah batteries last year, £75, which was about £30 less than the manufacturer's price on their stand at the Horning Boat show.... we've got two of them. 

 

http://www.boultermarine.co.uk/chandlery-store/

Yes was in boulters last weekend and saw the batteries, I always do this type of work myself and have always been put of with chandlery shop prices, I never even looked at their prices for batteries because of that, but that sounds a good deal from Boulters, I might give them a call as we are booked in for some decal work next week with them

[LondonRascal]

For what it is worth, let us just say for the sake of it, that I was going to get a leisure battery then I’d go with one from the Swedish manufacture – Varta.

Their Professional range of batteries always seem to have good reviews and are used for batteries on many of London’s Hybrid buses taking heavy daily punishment. 

They really do have some pretty advanced AGM batteries too, but if we keep things reasonable then you could increase capacity to 140Ah with this type:  https://www.tayna.co.uk/LFD140-Varta-Professional-DC-Leisure-Battery-930140080-P8722.html

You can also find a range of places online selling all the major brands of batteries with free delivery.

[Liberty]

I have 8 Multicell 110ah batteries from Boulters.  They were prepared to talk about price, whereas Multicell direct were not interested and were 'lacklustre' at best, even though they are in North Norwich.

So a big +1 for Boulters.

And their break-down service too.

 

Edited August 11, 2015 by Liberty
Sausage fingers

[MrPlant]

For what it is worth, let us just say for the sake of it, that I was going to get a leisure battery then I’d go with one from the Swedish manufacture – Varta.

Their Professional range of batteries always seem to have good reviews and are used for batteries on many of London’s Hybrid buses taking heavy daily punishment. 

They really do have some pretty advanced AGM batteries too, but if we keep things reasonable then you could increase capacity to 140Ah with this type:  https://www.tayna.co.uk/LFD140-Varta-Professional-DC-Leisure-Battery-930140080-P8722.html

You can also find a range of places online selling all the major brands of batteries with free delivery.

 

Varta are good batteries, yes, thats what we have on our telehandler.

[alexandlorna]

• We have just fitted 5x Rolls 120Ah batteries from Brian Ward a bit more expensive but worth it if looked after and reckoned to be amongst the best if not the best available.
• We did have Explorer 125 Ah previously and they seemed fine up to about 4 years old
• You pays your money etc etc

Edited August 11, 2015 by alexandlorna

[LondonRascal]

Let's face it, all batteries working on the basis of Lead Acid work the same and will over time all suffer the same degradation.  High quality batteries have more pure lead and thicker plates within them and generally are better constructed so will last (one hopes) longer.  Whether that extra life warrants the higher price or a cheaper more 'disposable' battery could do as well.

What I have been reading up a lot is the increased use of Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP Batteries)  They are one of the safer and more  robust lithium types than Lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO₂) or Li-ion batteries that you may find in your laptop.

LFP batteries can be cycled 5,000+ times (verses perhaps 800 cycles for a good quality Lead Acid battery) they also can be discharged 100% and not suffer problems from doing so, you therefore get more energy use because you can discharge more from the cells.

While 'ready made' LFP batteries cost a great deal, they are actually made up from several cylindrical LFP cells cased in a common format plastic box similar in size to a Lead Acid battery.  There is then a battery controller to supervise the charge/discharge and keep the cells all in balance and allow daisy chaining many LFP batteries together.  You can however buy the individual cells and associated controllers and effectively produce your own batteries - cutting down on the costs of the factory ready made ones.

I really think this is the future - lighter weight, longer lasting and believe Commodore the new duel helm cruiser from Richardson's features LFP batteries.

 

 

Edited August 11, 2015 by LondonRascal

[ranworthbreeze]

For what it is worth, let us just say for the sake of it, that I was going to get a leisure battery then I’d go with one from the Swedish manufacture – Varta.

Their Professional range of batteries always seem to have good reviews and are used for batteries on many of London’s Hybrid buses taking heavy daily punishment. 

They really do have some pretty advanced AGM batteries too, but if we keep things reasonable then you could increase capacity to 140Ah with this type:  https://www.tayna.co.uk/LFD140-Varta-Professional-DC-Leisure-Battery-930140080-P8722.html

You can also find a range of places online selling all the major brands of batteries with free delivery.

 

We have used Varta batteries for a number of years on large UPS installations of up to 8KVA, they are also used on a number of scooters, maybe Iain's "Scoot" uses them.

Regards

Alan

[Oddfellow]

We stopped using Multicell batteries in fleet quite some time ago. Whilst the warranty is decent, is is by no means a no-quibble warranty and the failure rate / warranty quibbling was unacceptable to us.