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Deka battery

dubbinxj

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Bay Area, CA.
Anyone heard of these or had any experience with them?
Yesterday I scored a yellow top deep cycle Deka battery.
Initially, I wanted to buy a red top Optima. But while at the battery shop, the guy that owns the place told me that it is comparable to the Optima yellow top and $50 cheaper. He also says that Caterpillar batteries are infact Deka batteries but the casing just says CAT on it.
Any info about Deka is appreciated.
Thanks, all!

-Charlz
 
They sure are not Optima's,its just a standard core lead acid battery!
 
I have used Deka batteries for over 15 years. They are excellent products but they are still old-school lead-acid batteries. :wave:

Travis
 
dubbinxj said:
Anyone heard of these or had any experience with them?
Yesterday I scored a yellow top deep cycle Deka battery.
Initially, I wanted to buy a red top Optima. But while at the battery shop, the guy that owns the place told me that it is comparable to the Optima yellow top and $50 cheaper. He also says that Caterpillar batteries are infact Deka batteries but the casing just says CAT on it.
Any info about Deka is appreciated.
Thanks, all!

-Charlz

Ask the guy if you can mount it sideways or upside down, if the answer is no then it's not even remotely like an optima. If you shake it and it sloshes, it's not even close to an optima. Can youi drain it dead and then have it recharge it with no damage to it, if the answer is no then it's not an optima yellow top equal.
 
no battery, no matter what type of chemistry or cell arrangement should be drained ALL the way dead. It will damage it. Some types like the yellow top will not be AS damaged as others, but its still not a good thing.
 
jjvande said:
no battery, no matter what type of chemistry or cell arrangement should be drained ALL the way dead. It will damage it. Some types like the yellow top will not be AS damaged as others, but its still not a good thing.

Agreed. Especially a non deep cycle optima.
 
i dont' get it everyone is sold on the yellow/red top's you can go to walmart and get there max bat or whatever for under $50 and mine has been perfect for the year that i have had it so far and i winch/run all my lights off is with no probs or failure of it so far. i guess if you have the money the 130 for an optima is a place to put you money but i dont' feel there worth it. prob a milion other people that say the yellow top is the king of bat's and nothing else is worth using. o well.
 
I've been running an Exide Orbital marine deep cycle for a while now. Great battery. I'd say they're neck and neck with Optimas.
 
I don't know if the Deka is as good as a optima...I do know they are good batteries...they have been building industrial batteries for ages.
 
bj-666 said:
i dont' get it everyone is sold on the yellow/red top's you can go to walmart and get there max bat or whatever for under $50 and mine has been perfect for the year that i have had it so far and i winch/run all my lights off is with no probs or failure of it so far. i guess if you have the money the 130 for an optima is a place to put you money but i dont' feel there worth it. prob a milion other people that say the yellow top is the king of bat's and nothing else is worth using. o well.

I guess it's a name thing? I suppose that with the name brand, comes reliability and stability. I actually got my Deka for less than $100. Not bad...I think. There was an article in one of the major 4x4 publications ( I forget which one) that compared 4 batteries including the red top Optima. Optima beat the others hands down. I should write them and inquire about the Deka.....hmmmmmm.
 
RCP Phx said:
They sure are not Optima's,its just a standard core lead acid battery!

It appears from their site that they are more like an Optima than unlike it since they're both AGM (absorbed gas matt) batteries:

Might be worth a look.
 
Just another thought:

When Standard Oil of Ohio (Sohio until the merger w/ BP) had a private brank of auto parts (Atlas - wiper blades, batteries, oil filters, etc) Deka make all of the Atlas brand batteries. I installed a Premium Power (top of the line) in my 68 Fury in 1988. We finally removed it in 2002. This car would sit 6 months of the year in storage and start under it's own power. Since that experience I am sticking with the better Deka batteries. Sure there are cheaper batteries but if one of the "better" ones go bad they do stand behind the warranty. I will grab the model number off the one in my XJ when I start it for the Mrs. (6 below zero is kinda brisk this AM)

Optima batteries are good but are they $75 more good?

Travis
 
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