Hi Kip, I was at my local marina here in Florida the other day looking at purchasing a new battery for my boat. I went to the marina because I assumed that is where you buy a boat battery. I wasn’t sure exactly what I needed, but basically needed a battery to just start my boat. I was wondering what is the difference between a marine battery and a automobile battery? The gentleman at the store told me that boats take special batteries, and that you have to buy a marine battery. What are the differences between a marine battery, and automobile battery?

Diehard Marine Starting Battery

Deka Starting/Deep Cycle Battery

BestBatteryTips.com

Brent, thanks for writing in with your question. Surprising enough Brent you are not the first one to ask us this question, however this is our first reply to this question. We would have like to known whether you have any auxiliary items hooked up to your battery on your boat, but will explain both ways.

A boat battery can be bought almost anywhere Brent, so shop around for a decent price. A lot of people don’t understand the difference between a marine starting battery vs a automobile battery. The Difference between the two is simple. A marine starting battery not only has positive and negative post on it, but it also has threaded positive and negative post on it as well. This allows boaters to wire up auxiliary items such as fish finders, and stereos. The Marine starting battery generally comes with wing nuts, or just standard hex nuts to secure wiring onto the threaded post. Don’t get confused and assume that a dual purpose Marine battery is the same as a automobile battery. A dual purpose marine battery is a starting battery and a deep cycle battery, where as a automobile battery is not a deep cycle battery. The only time they are the same battery, but with threaded posts is when its a marine starting battery only. With that said, if you are not running auxiliary items to your battery you can purchase a regular automobile battery with the proper cranking amps that your boat motor requires. A straight marine starting battery is made no different than a automobile battery other than the added threaded posts.

East Penn Manufacturing Company has allowed Carquest to offer their customers a diverse selection of auto batteries ranging from a value grade battery up to an AGM technology battery. Carquest has recently changed their warranties on their battery lines due to the competition. Carquest generally speaking would offer only a 12 month free replacement on most of their battery selections, with the exception of a couple. Carquest now has raised the standard of their battery warranties, and has had much success with the implementation of the new program. We are going to take a look at their Automobile battery line, and compare batteries vs warranties.

First on deck is the Carquest Red 50 Battery. This battery is considered Carquests Value grade battery. The Carquest Red 50 battery comes with a 12 month free replacement warranty. Once the free replacement warranty is up the Carquest Red 50 carries a pro rate warranty up to 50 months. The warranty on this Red 50 is nothing to get excited about, but the price reflects the quality. Another thing worth mentioning is that this battery is a sealed top, and a maintenance free battery which means a lot for a value grade battery.

Next in the Carquest lineup is the Premium Blue 60 battery, and the Premium Blue 70 battery.. The Premium Blue 60 battery is obviously a step up from the Red 50 battery. The Premium Blue 60 battery carries a 2 year free replacement warranty. Once the free replacement period is expired on the Premium Blue 60 the warranty turn to a pro rate for a period of 60 months. Like the Red 50 battery the Premium Blue 60 battery price reflects its quality. Let it be known that this battery also has a sealed top, and is maintenance free. The Premium Blue 70 battery is a slight step up from the Blue 60 battery in more cranking amps and another 10 month extension on the pro rate warranty. Based on the price difference between the two batteries, we would recommend the Premium Blue 70 battery.

Carquest offers European car enthusiasts a battery. This battery is a OEM exact fit for European cars. The battery is noticeably longer than other more standard batteries, as well as special cut outs around the positive and negative posts of the battery. Carquest offers a 2 year free replacement on this Euro battery. Upon expiration of the free replacement warranty the battery has a 70 month pro rate warranty that follows. These types of batteries can be very expensive to purchase, however Carquest has put a reasonable price tag with this jewel. (Note) the picture shows 72 month warranty, but this has been changed to a 70 month warranty.

Carquest offers the Gold Plus 75 Dual terminal battery in its lineup of batteries. This battery offers a 2 year free replacement warranty. Once the free replacement time has expired, the battery relies on its 75 month pro rate warranty. This is a very popular battery for Carquest because of its ability to go into automobiles with side posts or top posts.

Carquest offers its Advanced Generation batteries in the lineup. The battery warranties on the Advanced Generation has changed. The batteries used to carry a 2 year free replacement, and 72 month pro rate. The Advanced Generation battery line now carries a 3 year free replacement warranty, and a 84 month pro rate warranty. This battery line is Carquests premium battery warranty in the lead acid category.

Last but not least is the Carquest NGT Extreme AGM Dual Terminal battery. The AGM technology allows this battery to be spill proof, leak proof, and resistant to vibration. The Carquest NGT Extreme is a absorbed glass mat technology, doing away with the familiar lead acid filled battery as we know. The AGM battery allows for faster charge times, more available power for more applications. Information about the Carquest NGT Extreme warranty was unavailable at the time of this article.

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Carquest Logo

Carquest was founded  by three individuals Temple Sloan, Joe Hughes, and Dan Bock. The three gentlemen joined their auto parts stores in 1974 to better compete in the auto parts industry. Carquest took great pride in supplying customers with quality parts. Carquest has over 3400 auto parts stores in North America, and is considered a auto parts retail giant with sells in excess of 1.7 billion today.

Carquest teamed up with East Penn Manufacturing Company to make the Auto parts retail giants batteries. East Penn Manufacturing is based in Lyon Station Pennsylvania, and is one of North Americas largest battery manufacturers. East Penn is well known for their quality built Deka brand battery line. East Penn manufacturing is no stranger to building quality batteries for consumers. They have been building quality batteries sense World War 2. East Penn has allowed Carquest to be able to carry a diverse line of batteries for every application. Carquest is able to carry batteries for the following applications: Auto, ATV, Commercial, Farm, Golf Cart, Industrial, Lawn & Garden, and Marine. As a result Carquest has become a one stop shop for consumers battery needs.

Carquest however was not well known for their battery warranties. Twelve month free replacement seemed to be standard on carquest batteries. Due to the competition offering better free replacement warranties than Carquest, they would have to change their warranties to stay competitive. In April 2009 Carquest rolled out their new warranty plans on their batteries. Caquest now offers 24 month free replacement, and on their advanced generation batteries they offer 36 month free replacement. Carquest batteries pro rate warranties range anywhere from 12 months to 84 months as well.

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Interstate Batteries Logo

Interstate Battery Systems of America, Inc. also known as Interstate Batteries. A billion dollar privately-owned company based in Dallas Texas. Interstate Battery is a distributor of its private label batteries that are manufactured by Johnson Controls. Interstate Battery does not Manufacturer batteries, they simply sell a manufacturers battery with their label on it. The companies owner and CEO is Norm Miller. A Christan man, Norm Miller has used these beliefs to build his Billion dollar company. It is said that Norm keeps a Chaplin on campus at the main head quarters in Dallas Texas for his employees. Interstate Batteries corporate mission statement is: “To glorify God as we supply our customers worldwide with top quality, value-priced batteries, related electrical power-source products, and distribution services.” Interstate Battery dates back as far as 1952. Interstate Battery has close to 300 independent distributors. Interstate Battery has more than 200,000 battery dealers spread out over the United States, Canada, and other International places. Interstate Battery seems to focus on auto repair shops, gas stations, and car dealers.

Interstate Batteries

Seems everywhere you go there is a small rack with about 4 to 6 Interstate Batteries sitting on it. Most of these batteries are on consignment with the place they are at. Once the repair shop sells a battery to a customer, Interstate replenishes the battery, and then charges the shop for the battery.

Interstate Battery Systems of America Inc., also owns the franchise “Interstate All Battery Centers”. The second largest small battery retail store chain in North America. Claiming to have over 12,000 batteries, and the motto “Have It, Find It, Build It. Guaranteed!” The Interstate All Battery Centers also makes custom battery packs for their customers as well as rebuild Power Tool batteries.

Interstate Batteries newest venture is called Interstate Powercare. Interstate Powercare offers critical power solutions and Motive power solutions. You can read more here.

Interstate Battery is a sponsor for Joe Gibbs Racing in Nascar with car number 18 driven by Kyle Busch. Interstate Battery has been involved with racing dating as far back as 1983 with Interstate Batteries Great American Race. Sense that time Interstate Battery has become a well known sponsor, and active participant in racing.

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Mophie Juice Pack Air

Mophie Juice Pack Air Colors

Ever need to charge your Iphone, but don’t have the ability to plug into a receptacle? A Iphone battery extender is just the gadget for you when you are on the move. A portable battery extender is the cats meow when traveling, and sitting at airports for a large part of the day. Don’t like having to leave your Iphone plugged in while it charges? Mophie has the answer to your problem.

The Mophie Juice Pack Air (Mophie.com) priced in the neighborhood of $79.95, and can be found at most AT&T stores. The Mophie Juice pack is a Iphone case and battery extender all in one. The Mophie Juice Pack is certified by Apple with the “Works with Iphone 3GS product”. Once the Mophie is attached to your Iphone, the Iphone becomes about a inch thick. We were not impressed with the protection that the Mophie case offers once installed. However, some protection is better than no protection at all. Once the Mophie was attached we were unable to find a aftermarket case to add more protection to the Iphone. You can charge your mophie Juice Pack and your Iphone simultaneously. The Mophie Juice Pack has no problem doubling your Iphone battery life. Mophie Juice Pack Air comes with 3 color options Red, Black, Purple, and Silver. We were very impressed with the added benefits that the Mophie offered the Iphone. The product does exactly what Mophie said it could do, and is a quality made product.

Looking into the future Mophie is coming out with a case that will attach to your Iphone that acts as a credit card reader. That’s correct, you will be able to swipe credit cars underneath your Iphone. The card reader will offer encryption for added security as if you were at a retail store. Small business owners or salesmen will be able to get payment on the spot with this technology device. We tip our hats to Mophie for their state of the art technology, which makes them a leader in the aftermarket Iphone accessories.

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Golf Cart

We here at BestBatteryTips.com get asked this question numerous times. Can I replace only one or two batteries in my electric golf cart? Well you can, but do the manufacturers or ourselves recommend this? The answer is NO. We have people tell us all the time that their batteries are only 4 years old, and only 2 of them are testing bad. Why can’t I just replace them, and I will be good to go? The other batteries have 4 years of use and are a long way from factory new batteries. As a result of charging and discharging, their ability to hold a solid charge is not there. Ever heard the saying you are only as strong as your weakest link? This couldn’t be more true in the golf cart world.

We understand why people try to change only 1 or 2 batteries, because golf cart batteries aren’t cheap. In the long run you are actually spending more money by trying to save money if that makes sense. The life expectancy of golf cart batteries is generally 5 years. Now it has been said that Trojans can last up to 7 years, but from what we have seen 5 years or less seems to be the norm. Especially on golf courses where the batteries are ran through the gauntlet of charge and discharge cycles. We have heard, and seen to many times where putting 1 new battery in a golf cart leads to a melt down of battery connections, cables, and even exploding a battery. How does this happen you ask? You are only as strong as your weakest battery. The current traveling through the cables and batteries will find the weakest spot, and this is how melt down of items happens. The reason meltdowns happen is because it gets hot in that area. The new battery that was installed will become the same as the old batteries due to the heavy draw from the old batteries. Old batteries do not become refreshed by putting new batteries in the cart. The old batteries will draw off the new batteries until they become equal with the old, its that simple.

We are sorry to say but when its time to open your wallet, its time to open your wallet.

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Icom Two-Way Radio

Buying two way radio batteries can be somewhat confusing for first time buyers. We have received several questions regarding this topic. Which two way radio battery should I buy? What battery composition should I buy? Does purchasing a battery with more milliampere-hour(mah) hurt anything?

A consumer has 3 choices of battery composition when looking to purchase a battery for their two way radio. Nickel cadmium, nickel metal hydride, and lithium ion. The 3 compositions are also referred to as Nicad, Nimh, and Lith-ion. Nicad is the oldest of the 3 battery compositions. Nicad batteries contain cadmium which is not very environmentally friendly. Nicad batteries suffer from memory effect, and as a result more times than not their life expectancy is cut short. Nimh batteries are proven to be environmentally friendly. They also have a higher capacity than Nicad batteries do. Shoppers can expect to pay more for the Nimh battery technology compared to the Nicad battery. Lith-Ion is the newest composition of the 3 types. Lith-Ion is also the most volatile battery chemistry as well. The Lith-Ion battery is said to be less maintenance than the Nimh or Nicad batteries. Lith-Ion batteries are becoming very popular among portable electronic devices due to their lighter weight. We would suggest purchasing a Nimh battery, they have been proven to handle thousands of cycles and are reasonably priced.

Two-Way Radio Battery

When purchasing a battery for your two way radio, battery manufacturers often offer several variations of the same battery. One of the biggest choice offerings is milliampere hour. You can use your radio longer if you purchase a battery with a higher mah. Choosing a battery with a higher mah will not harm your two way radio. Shoppers can expect to pay more however for a higher mah battery. We would have to say that if a little extra money is not an issue, we recommend upgrading to Nickel metal hydride or Lithium Ion if you are currently using Nicad. Please remember to always recycle your old Two-Way Radio batteries. We would like to remind all of our readers to take the time to recycle. Not sure where the nearest battery drop off station is? They are closer than you may think, read our article on Where To Recycle Batteries to learn more.

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Hello, I was hoping you could help me with some cordless drill buying tips. I’m wanting to buy a Cordless drill, but have no idea which one to buy. I’ve been all over town, and have seen so many different name brands. How important is the voltage of a Cordless drill battery? Could you shed some light on the buying process for me?

12 Volt Cordless Drill

14.4 Volt Cordless Drill

18 Volt Cordless Drill

BestBatteryTips.com

Steve, thanks for writing in and allowing us to help you out. Buying a cordless drill can be confusing to say the least, especially if its your first time purchasing one. You posed the question of how important is battery voltage? Voltage is the heart of the drill, and is crucial in the buying process. Depending on the intended application the cordless drill will be used for, will aid in deciding the voltage one should purchase.

The most common cordless drill voltages are 12 volt, 14.4 volt, 18 volt, and 24 volt. The most common battery chemistries are Nicad, Nickel Metal Hydride(Nimh), and Lithium Ion. Obviously when looking at these two deciding factors, your available budget is a large part of the equation. You can spend anywhere from 50 dollars to 300 dollars depending on the combination above that you choose. Cordless drills that have the Nicad battery chemistry will generally be cheaper than the same drill with other battery chemistries. Primary reason for this is due to the Nicad is the oldest of the battery technologies. Nicad battery packs do not have near the capacity that Nimh, and Lithium Ion do. Nicad batteries suffer from the so called memory effect. This is due to the user not running the battery all the way down before attempting to fully recharge the battery pack. Consumers expectations of Nicad battery life are often cut short due to the weaknesses of the Nicad chemistry. Consumers on a budget however, Nicad cordless drills are a practical choice. Nickel metal hydride battery packs are light years ahead of Nicad battery packs. We here at BestBatteryTips.com would not bat a eye at buying a cordless drill with the nickel metal hydride technology. The capacity is far greater than the nicad battery pack. Nimh can handle 1000 plus charge, and discharge cycles. Nimh can also be charged or discharged at any time regardless of the batteries state of charge. Lithium Ion battery packs are the latest battery technology in the cordless drill market. Lithium Ion has excellent battery capacity, and is not susceptible to the memory effect. Lithium ion battery packs can handle thousands of charge and discharge cycles as well. Consumers can expect to pay more for cordless drills with the lithium ion technology. For the money we would suggest the Nickel Metal Hydride (Nimh) technology battery pack. We feel it has the best of all worlds, and is the most bang for the buck so to speak.

When deciding on battery voltage it comes down to the applications the drill is being used for. Purchasing a drill for light jobs around the house does not require a 24 volt cordless drill.  A 12 volt cordless drill will due just fine for hanging curtain rods, pictures, and putting together miscellaneous furniture. Homeowners who are into bigger projects such as building outdoor decks, roof repairs, or additions should consider purchasing 14.4 volt battery pack, and it would not be uncommon to purchase 18 volts. Commercial contractors are prime candidates for the 24 volt battery option. These drills are designed for use on commercial job sites where heavy usage is on top of the list.

Buying a drill should be a enjoyable experience, not a stressful experience. We hope we were able to provide you with some fundamental basics of cordless drill shopping.

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Operating the Electronic Lock under Normal Operation

LaGard Basic Electronic Lock

1. Type in the 6-digit combination on the keypad.
2. Two beeps means that the combination was enter successfully and the combo was accepted. Three beeps means the combination was not accepted.
3. If you enter four consecutive wrong electronic combiinations you will lockout the keypad for 5 minutes.
4. After the 5 minute lockout of 5 minutes, the  entry of two consecutive wrong combos will start a new 5 minute penalty period.
5. If you enter the 6 digit combination and hear two beeps but the safe or vault door does not unlock, it is time to replace the keypad batteries.

How Do I know when the batteries need replaced? When the batteries in the lock are low the electronic keypad may give the normal two beep signal that the combo is accepted and the safe may be opened, yet the safe will still not open. The reason for this is that weak batteries can still be strong enough to make the beep sound and light the LED, yet are not quite strong enough to pull the solenoid and open the lock on the safe or vault door.

Replacement of 9 Volt batteries

Changing the 9 Volt Batteries on the 3600 Series Electronic Safe Lock

Step 1. Gently place the heel of your hand under the lock keypad.
Step 2. Gently push up until keypad becomes free.
Step 3. Replace the low batteries with quality 9 Volt alkaline batteries.
Step 4. Gently reattach the lock keypad and verify that the lock opens correctly.

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Prostart Value Grade Battery

Prostart Platinum Battery

Pep Boys is one of the largest Auto Parts stores in the United States. Pep Boys is known for their excellent auto parts pricing, and a one stop shop for all your auto parts needs. Not only does Pep Boys sell auto parts, but they also install a lot of various auto parts. The auto parts store combined with a full install garage has been Pep Boys trade mark to success. Among Pep Boys bigger parts hitter is their battery line, and battery installation. They offer a wide range of batteries for every consumers need, and in turn has been a big part of Pep Boys business. We are going to test and review the Prostart Value Grade battery, and Prostart Platinum battery that Pep Boys offers. We will test the Prostart Value Grade, and Platinum Battery under the same distress. One question has always been for budget shoppers. When spending more money, how much more do you really get?

Prostart Value Grade Battery

Pep Boys Prostart Value Grade Battery is exactly what the name implies, its Pep Boys base grade battery with price at the for front for shoppers on a budget. The Prostart Value Grade Battery offers a 12 month free replacement warranty and a 60 month pro rate warranty. We wouldn’t say the warranty on this battery is anything to get excited about, but how good of a battery is it? Now a cheaper battery does not mean the battery lacks in quality or performance, you may be surprised as to what we found when we tested this value grade battery from Pep Boys.

BestBatteryTIps.com started out with a brand new Prostart Value Grade battery as well as a brand new Prostart Platinum battery. Our goal was to see how long the batteries would last under certain extreme conditions. The test would be installing the battery in a truck and leaving the lights on bright until there was nothing left. How long would the battery last under these conditions?

Testing the Prostart Value Grade vs. Platinum

We wanted to test the durability of the Prostart Value Grade Battery as compared to the Prostart Platinum Battery. We thought that these would be good batteries to test solely based on their price. The consumers when possibly looking at batteries would pose the question as to what the difference is from the value grade vs a Platinum battery. You may be getting more with your money, but how much more are you getting? We put the Prostart Value Grade battery in a 1978 Ford Truck. We chose this vehicle because we didn’t have to worry about the truck lights being on a delayed timer and shutting the lights off on its own as do some newer vehicles.We turned all accessories off and then turned the headlights on bright and waited. Needless to say it was gonna be a little longer wait than we anticipated. One hour went by and guess what? We were still waiting on the battery to die. We could tell that the lights were dimmer than when we started, but still had some time to go yet. 2 hours and the battery had about all it wanted to take. The clock read 2 hours and 10 minutes when the battery was dead. We felt that was a pretty good time considering it was a Value Grade Battery. I mean really, how long did you expect it to last? What we didn’t know is how long a Prostart Platinum battery would last under the same conditions? A true test of two different grade batteries under the exact same extreme conditions would prove interesting to say the least.

Prostart Platinum Battery

Next on deck was the Prostart Platinum battery. The Prostart Platinum battery offers a 2 year free replacement and a 72 month pro rated warranty. We wasn’t sure what to expect considering the higher price tag for the Prostart Platinum battery. We did notice that the Prostart Platinum weighed more than the Prostart Value Grade battery. We attributed this difference to more lead in the Prostart Platinum battery. That is not surprising considering that more lead should be in a higher grade battery.

Platinum Series Battery

The question would be is what does more lead get you?

We installed the Prostart Platinum battery into the truck, and followed the same steps as we did with the Prostart Value Grade battery. One, and two hours went by and we were right back in a familiar place again. Would the Prostart Platinum make it past the 2 hours and 10 minute mark? We passed the Prostart Value Grade mark of two hours and ten minutes and still had positive steam. Three hours later from the time we started the Prostart Platinum battery was dead.

After conducting our test, we had to ask the question. Is the Prostart Platinum battery worth the extra cash considering it went another 50 minutes? Considering the amp draw from the headlights, another 50 minutes is a sizable difference.  The Prostart Platinum offers 12 more months of free battery replacement, and 12 more months of a pro rate warranty. We don’t concern our selfs with the pro rate side as it is hard to come out ahead with those programs. However, 12 more months of free replacement is with out a doubt worth looking at. We were mainly after to see if you get more battery just because you pay more. The answer to that question is yes, but how much more do you get? We’ll let you the consumer be the judge of that.

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