I've had good luck with DEKA batteries, manufactured by East Penn Manufacturing, one of the last US manufactures of batteries. The standard lead-acid NAPA "Commercial" 6V battery is a house rebranded DEKA, the correct Group 1 size for many vehicles, and has given me good service. P/N 7244 for the NAPA battery, which is a DEKA P/N 901MF.
Others may have different experience, but I've seen too many Optima batteries fail in about 2 years to go there, FWIW. And, their technology is a bit dated. The life of the DEKA standard lead-acid batteries seems sufficient to me (5-7 years in my experience), especially for the price difference.
For vehicles that are 12V converted, some of the best AGM batteries are made currently by Odessey, FWIW, but they are pricy.
And yes, a battery maintainer is recommended for any of these options on vehicles driven only occasionally. The Battery Tender brand is considered the Cadillac of tenders, but I really like the Schumacher battery maintainers (I have two) that I got on sale at Tractor Supply a few years ago. Auto senses 6V or 12V, so can be used on a variety of vehicles.
My two cents.
Doug
Last edited by drdoug; 08/24/2021 1:11 AM.
