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Reviews - Optima RedTop Battery Reviews by Offroaders.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Review Engine Powered by ReviewPost


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76% of reviewers $148.16 7.4
optima-red-top.jpg


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Description: Optima RedTop Battery


OPTIMA RedTop Batteries are designed for Short Term, High Current Applications


OPTIMA RedTop batteries are designed for short term high current applications such as starting engines, and short high amp uses of a winch motor. They do not like to be "deep cycled" (like ALL automotive starter batteries) however the Red Top battery with its SpiralCell Lead Plate Technology, will suffer much less from the occasional deep discharge such as leaving your lights on or winching until the battery dies. Because of the fact that SpiralCell technology can store more energy for a given sized battery these types of battery are ideal for use in offroad vehicles where reduced weight is important because a much larger "conventional" battery would need to be used in place of an OPTIMA to give the same starting current capability.


They are excellent at delivering very high starting currents in the most extreme of conditions. They suffer less damage from deep discharge, long term storage, and vibration than any conventional battery. They are not specifically designed as "deep-cycle" batteries, for constant deep discharge/recharge cycles you will need to look at the YellowTop Optima batteries.


OPTIMA SpiralCell Technology has some real advantages over conventional batteries.


1.5 - 2 times longer life than traditional batteries
Optimal power for starting regardless of temperature
Extreme vibration resistance
Long Storage times without damage or discharge
Non spill able - even upside down
Can be fitted and used in any position
Maintenance free
More starting power in a smaller package than conventional batteries
Less deterioration due to deep discharge than conventional batteries
More "cycles" before aging than conventional batteries
Can be used in extreme temperatures
Faster charging is possible compared with conventional batteries
OPTIMA delivers high current regardless of temperature. The OPTIMA delivers no less than 800 AMPS at 0 degrees F and as much as 1,100 AMPS at warmer temperatures! In addition, Optima will absorb nearly 100% of the recharge current from alternators and battery chargers.


The Optima will consistently deliver 1,100 cranking amps for 25 to 30 seconds. At only 38 pounds this is comparable to batteries 4 times its size and weight.
Keywords: Optima RedTop Battery


      optima-red-top.jpg

Anonymous
Review Date: Tue March 6, 2007 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid (per item)?: $130.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Tough Battery, handles abuse well
Cons:

I have the redtop Optima in my home grown dune buggy that gets used hard on the slag and coal piles in the PA coal region. I trailer the buggy to several places, one that's posted here in this site (Trevorton and Shamokin area). I have the Optima mounted on it's side so the cables can route more direct to the ignition system and starter solinoid. It's been in the buggy for 6 years now. The buggy's been rolled 3 times and I've had the alternator die and the battery drained. The Optima's still going strong, even though the engine's been replaced once. Great battery. I don't used anything but the Optimas.
Anonymous
Review Date: Fri November 2, 2007 Would you recommend the product? No | Price you paid (per item)?: $150.80 | Rating: 3 

 
Pros:
Cons: Short lived life huge cost if it fails outside of 3 years

I have had many batteries in my lifetime. I bought this battery because I thought it would be the best battery I could get. I bought mine on 09/08/04 it failed 10/05/07. That's one month after the 3 year free replacement warranty expired. I was most surprised that the battery failed as it is installed in a car I may put 5,000 miles a year on. When I park it and cover I disconnect the + terminal on the battery. When I called Optima's customer service they informed me the prorated cost to replace the battery would be $101.84. For a $150.80 battery I'd have to say thumbs down.
Anonymous
Review Date: Sun February 10, 2008 Would you recommend the product? No | Price you paid (per item)?: None indicated | Rating: 1 

 
Pros: not 1
Cons: gives up when you nead it

Had it for 3 days the first time the temperature dropped to -15f the battery froze and I had to put an old battery in to start my car.I am not impressed after spending $275.for it.
Anonymous
Review Date: Sun April 13, 2008 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid (per item)?: None indicated | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Great starting power, dual terminal scheme, strong even after leaving interior lights on all night!
Cons:

First of all, to the person above, if you pay $275 for a $140 battery, your judgment doesn't mean a whole lot to me. Great battery on it's 5th year and not so much as a hiccup. Last week, (again, on a 5 year old battery), I left my interior lights on all night and in the morning, the ol' jeep cranked up like a champ! +104 in Atlanta, -16 in Indiana, it doesn't matter... it just cranks.
Anonymous
Review Date: Sat February 28, 2009 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid (per item)?: None indicated | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Very good reliablility
Cons: none

Bought my first on for 100 bucks, with free shipping it got absolutely abused during shipping and had a bulge in it. The place I bought it from said no worries and sent another right out but I needed the battery so I used it for a week. Got the new one had it for a few months left the lights on all night by accident and killed it. Charged it up, only to do the same thing again 3 more times, finally got a new light chime so I would quit doing that. Sold the vehicle 3 years later to my son and he abused it for 2 years with boom boxes and off road lights(8 of them to be exact)he killed the alternator twice each time we had the battery tested, they said it was good! My son sold the truck and it still had the little red top in it, I was a little nervous when the guy buying it hooked up a voltmeter to it but it was fine. I talked my mom into buying one for her highway cruiser crown victoria mercury and she had it for seven years all she did was start it once a month and let it idle or drive to get the mail when she was not crossing the country with it. She was very happy with it and put 200,000 miles on that car before trading it, and 185,000 of that was with a red top!She frequently traveled to Denver even in the winter and it never failed to start and bring her home. She bought a new one and put in there f150 ford truck as soon as they bought it. Great battery for the buck!
Anonymous
Review Date: Tue March 31, 2009 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid (per item)?: None indicated | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Long Life and Good Starting Power
Cons: Hard to Test and Needs Extra Charging

I purchased a Optima Red Top 15 years ago and it is beginning to fail. It will start the car when cold, but when hot it won't turn the engine over anymore. This is a high compression engine and does take a lot of power to turn over when hot. The starter on the car is good and the electrical system is charging correctly. All grounds on the car are good also. This car is only used once in a while and has a Battery Tender in use all the time. The battery is also disconnected when the car is not in use.


The tests on the batter show a good and a failed. There is also some sulfating on the base of the posts now.


I don't know if this is a record for how long one of these batteries last, I am quite sure I am going to buy another one.
Anonymous
Review Date: Tue June 16, 2009 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid (per item)?: $160.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: JEFF GATES, JEEP TRIP
Cons: JEEP TRIP

JUNE 13 2009, WHILE FOUR WHEELEN IN A REMOTE AEREA OF THE PIUTE MOUNTAINS IN CALIFORNIA. ONE OF THE PULLIES WAS DAMAGED, CAUSEING THE BELT TO COME OFF. I WAS TEN MILES SOUTH SOUTH WEST OF KELSO VALLEY ROAD & JAWBONE CANYON, THER IS NO PHONE SERVICE. LAND OR CELL. SO I DECIDED TO HEAD TOWARD LAKE ISABELLA WAS MY THE ONLY LOGICAL CHOICE. THE JEEP HAS A 4.2 LTR ENGINE. THE BATTERY NEVER LOST POWER FOR 90 MIN. OF DRIVE TIME. WHEN I RERACHED GATORS REPAIR SHOP IN LAKE ISABELLA. HE TOLD ME THAT A BOAT HAD SANK IN THE LAKE. STAYED SUBMERGED FOR 14 DAYS WHEN THEY RECOVERD IT THE OPTIMA BATTERY WAS PERFECTLY CHARGED. I WILL STAY WITH THIS BRAND FOR LIFE.
Anonymous
Review Date: Tue June 16, 2009 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid (per item)?: None indicated | Rating: 0 

 
Pros: SAVED ME A DAY OF WALKING
Cons:

THIS BATTERY STAYED CHARGED FOR OVER 95 MINUTES WHITH NO BELT TO CHARGE IT .I WAS IN A REMOTE AREA OF THE PIUTE MOUNTAINS IN CALIFORNIA. WAS NO CELL PHONE COVERAGE. I WILL NEVER BUY ANYTHING BUT OPTIMA BATTERIES. OFFICER GATES.
Anonymous
Review Date: Tue June 16, 2009 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid (per item)?: $160.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: JEFF GATES, JEEP TRIP
Cons: JEEP TRIP

JUNE 13 2009, WHILE FOUR WHEELEN IN A REMOTE AEREA OF THE PIUTE MOUNTAINS IN CALIFORNIA. ONE OF THE PULLIES WAS DAMAGED, CAUSEING THE BELT TO COME OFF. I WAS TEN MILES SOUTH SOUTH WEST OF KELSO VALLEY ROAD & JAWBONE CANYON, THER IS NO PHONE SERVICE. LAND OR CELL. SO I DECIDED TO HEAD TOWARD LAKE ISABELLA WAS MY THE ONLY LOGICAL CHOICE. THE JEEP HAS A 4.2 LTR ENGINE. THE BATTERY NEVER LOST POWER FOR 90 MIN. OF DRIVE TIME. WHEN I RERACHED GATORS REPAIR SHOP IN LAKE ISABELLA. HE TOLD ME THAT A BOAT HAD SANK IN THE LAKE. STAYED SUBMERGED FOR 14 DAYS WHEN THEY RECOVERD IT THE OPTIMA BATTERY WAS PERFECTLY CHARGED. I WILL STAY WITH THIS BRAND FOR LIFE. C/O GATES
Anonymous
Review Date: Tue June 16, 2009 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid (per item)?: $140.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Durable, no issues, still going strong after 7 years
Cons: none at all

I've had a red top since building my CJ-7 back in 2002. Mounted horizontally. It has served me well over the years with plenty of hard wheeling offroad. Much of the 4 wheeling was at slow RPM with voltage dropping lower than what it probably needs to keep the alternator running at full charge speed. I've winched several hard times pulling what I'd guess to be 400 amps of demand from the battery to my Warn 9500 winch. The battery never failed me. Several times it sat for a few months without starting the engine and when it was time to crank it over, it cranked strong. I've even had to move the Jeep via the starter and cranked it up a trailer in low range on the back of this battery. Once the ignition system was repaired it cranked over strong and still going strong after 7 years of abuse. Great battery.
Anonymous
Review Date: Wed December 2, 2009 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid (per item)?: None indicated | Rating: 10 

 
Pros:
Cons:

I have 2 reds in my tahoe, 1 red in my s10 & 1 blue in my boat..over 5 years..never let me down!
Anonymous
Review Date: Mon December 14, 2009 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid (per item)?: None indicated | Rating: 0 

 
Pros:
Cons:

Red Top Optima Battery - Purchased Sept. 2008 at Walmart, Winipeg, Manitoba. Replaced December 2009. I suspect I end up with this battery with a manufacturing defect as it will not hold a charge and had to get a boost several times. I am just fortunate that the CSR at Walmart did not give me a hard time to give me a replacement. I kept all the paperworks though and this may have helped. I bought this battery after reading the article in the Canadian driving magazine. I have had better batteries in the past which had lasted for more than 5 years and I did not have to pay over $200 the amount I paid for this Red Top Optima battery. Also, I am supposed to get a rebate after purchasing this battery and since September 2008 to now (Dec. 2009) I have never received a single cent of that rebate. Quite dissappointed with the product and the promised rebate.
RA - Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada
Anonymous
Review Date: Mon February 22, 2010 Would you recommend the product? No | Price you paid (per item)?: None indicated | Rating: 1 

 
Pros: Worked well while it lasted
Cons: died within a year

Purchased my 95 supra with this battery it had a stamp on it 11/08 it died 9/09. Tried to charge it nothing!!! maybe i just got a bad one ??? who knows but it sucked!!
Anonymous
Review Date: Sat December 3, 2011 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid (per item)?: None indicated | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Lasts longer than lead acid battery, doesn't leak acid, gets weak instead of dying like the lead acid batteries like to do
Cons: Haven't had one last longer than 3 years, Warranty has gotten poorer (no longer prorating battery after the replacement period)

Bought my optima RedTop 11/05 for $105. After exactly 3 years, 11/08, it began getting weak so I took it in and they gave me a new one (they were selling for $150 at this point). Battery #2 died on 11/11. The dealer (CostCo) no longer carries Optima so they gave me a $165 cash for the replacement. Since these last me 3 years and I see the warranty is now nil after 3 years (no proration period anymore), I decided to pocket my profit and buy a lead-acid battery with a 30-month replacement/85 month proration. In Phoenix, AZ I can count on this lead-acid failing before the warranty is out.


I do believe these batteries are affected by heat. Being sealed is a nice feature but I'm not offroading so it is of little benefit to me. My experience is they are twice as good as a lead-acid battery in terms of their service life. Since they are twice the price of a lead-acid battery and last twice as long but no longer have a warranty that is twice as good, it doesn't appear to be the best value to me and I'm willing to return to the life of changing my battery twice as much.
Anonymous
Review Date: Tue January 10, 2012 Would you recommend the product? No | Price you paid (per item)?: None indicated | Rating: 1 

 
Pros: None, a waste of money
Cons: Junk

Bought a red top for my Corvette, lasted 1 month. Replacement they gave me lasted a year. Would never buy any of your products again.
Anonymous
Review Date: Tue January 10, 2012 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid (per item)?: None indicated | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Longevity during storage, strong, mounting position
Cons: none

Great battery. I installed this in my restored Jeep about 8 years ago and it sits most of the time in the garage with the battery disconnected. I have never hooked up a battery tender and only fire the Jeep up once every few months. Once in a while I put a battery charger on it to give it a full charge before turning over the cold AMC 360 V8. Never discharge the battery and it's always been strong. Going on 8 years now. So happy with it, I put one in my 2003 F-150 because that sits for long periods of time too.
Anonymous
Review Date: Thu March 7, 2013 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid (per item)?: None indicated | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: long life, amazing batteries
Cons: non

My grandfather bought a red top for his truck in 1993. He gave me the truck last year with the same battery! It still starts everytime! The battery just went out in my car, put in a red top. I will NEVER buy any other battery!


 
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