[aprssig] Re: Optima Batteries

[KC2MMi]

> The key difference is the spiral winding keeps the battery together in
> situations with lots of vibration, ...> Tony
>
I can testify to that!   The Optima Spira-Cell has lasted three times as
long as any other battery I have used in my Passat TDI TurboDiesel.
--Stephen

Gents, I do respect both of your opinions. I have to ask though, are you
comparing apples to oranges? In both cases, any AGM battery will resist
vibration better than a wet cell, since the plates are fixed into position
by the separator "cloth", exactly the same way that it separates the
windings in the spiral battery. And, in Stephen's case, any AGM battery will
be able to supply the deep cycle needs of a diesel, better than a
conventional auto starting battery.

So unless you are comparing flat-plate AGMs to the Optima spiral-wound AGMs,
your comparison is invalid.

AGMs are replacing wet cells in the transporation industries, not only for
performance reasons, but especially because they cannot dump acid at
accident scenes the way wet cells do. For "handled" power sources that hams
are moving around or working around, this safety factor is also worth way
more than the first jacket or pants or carpet you'll replace from acid
holes.