costco 36V battery / vs / trojan / exide. ???

[Joe Flori]

USE CLUB CAR NEEDS NEW BATTERIES.. ARE $75.99 BATTERIES AT COSTCO WORTH BUYING INSTEAD OF OTHER HIGHER COST BATTERIES??
WHAT IS THE PERFORMANCE DIFFERENCE??

Thanks...

Tom, where are you??

Joe

[roady89]

Trojan all the way. If you have to buy another set of "COSTCO" batteries in 2-3 years you've already spent more money than if you would have bought the trojans in the first place. Remember, "You get what you pay for"

[Joe Flori]

I buy your answer all the way as to longivity but what about performance??
Thanks Joe

[roady89]

Peformance as in more speed/power? NO, no difference. Voltage is voltage. The cart doesn't know what kind of battery it has.

[phasetim]

there will be a difference in distance is the amp rating is lower

[OLD MEC]

Just pick up a Trojan battery and then pick up another and then compare with other brands and your arms will tell which is best. More weight ( LEAD ) equals more power and life expectancy. You do the choosing, but remember that cheap is just that CHEAP.

[dougmcp]

Can't speak for Costco but the batteries at Sam's Club are Exide, made by Johnson Controls. The GC2 6v has a rating of 220AH and a weight of 68 lbs. The Trojan T-105 has a rating of 225AH and weighs 62 lbs.
IMHO, it's a push as far as performance goes, Trojans are about $110 each and the Exides from SC are $72 each. For a six pack, the cost difference is $228 (35% less), the rest is up to you to determine which you feel more comfortable with.

[roady89]

Originally Posted by dougmcp

Can't speak for Costco but the batteries at Sam's Club are Exide, made by Johnson Controls. The GC2 6v has a rating of 220AH and a weight of 68 lbs. The Trojan T-105 has a rating of 225AH and weighs 62 lbs.
IMHO, it's a push as far as performance goes, Trojans are about $110 each and the Exides from SC are $72 each. For a six pack, the cost difference is $228 (35% less), the rest is up to you to determine which you feel more comfortable with.

Cheaper batteries are not always cheaper and these battery manufacturers KNOW this.

Trojans -$110x6 = $660. Lets just say they will last 6 years before needing to be replaced.
Exides - $72x12 = $864. Your next question is gonna be..."Why 12?". Because your probly gonna buy twice as many batteries in the same 6 years. So NO. They are not cheaper. (about 25% MORE) Been there, done that. My trojans are still kickin and my others are lead weights.

[dougmcp]

Everyone's certainly entitled to their opinion. From a cost containment standpoint, every 3 sets of Trojans you can buy 4 sets of Exides.
I've had 6 Exides on my boat in a heavy use operation (for a boat) since Feb 2002 which is about 7 years by my count. They're still going strong with no signs of failure so their life cycle is still to be determined.
I watch fellow boaters replace their Trojans at the same rate as any other brand which brings me to the point of bang for your buck.......and my bucks go to Exide.

[Mr_TeeBird]

I just purchased 6 new golf cart batteries at the Gilroy, CA Costco made by Johnson Controls for only $70 and so far, so good. The batteries have a white body with a red top and individual cell caps with almost identical specs as a Trojan T-105 but at half the cost. I was sitting on the fence trying to decide what is the better battery to buy but after reading several positive comments on Johnson Controls...I decided to take the plunge since the Trojans I really wanted were $131.99 each. I know they may not live as long but should last long enough with proper maintenance. I emailed Johnson Controls for the specs and here is what they provided:

6Volt

GC2 Enertec product Blk/Blk: SAM'S CLUB/Costco
Amp-Hour at the 20 hour rate: 225Ah
Minutes at 75 amps: 110 minutes
Minutes at 25 amps: 447 minutes

I'll post a photo later to help identify - there seems to be different brands and colors out there and is not listed on the Costco web site and I see questions regarding Costco batteries on this and other boards.

Great site...glad to be a new member!