Optima Battery: 40 Years of Triple Threat

Optima Battery has been in business for over 40 years. It’s one of the most well-known performance automotive battery brands on the planet. And it’s the company to first introduce maintenance-free lead-acid batteries back in the 1970s. It’s known by legions of enthusiasts as the first choice in tough and reliable batteries.

A car’s battery is the figurative heart of its electrical system. Lead-acid batteries can hold an electrical charge strong enough to start an engine and run the myriad of modern automotive electrical devices. They do this by using lead plates that are submerged in a solution of sulfuric acid and water. The first lead-acid batteries were introduced in the late 1850s, but their modern descendants are fundamentally the same. So, how can something that’s used the same basic technology for roughly the last 160 year be optimized for performance?

Optima Battery: Triple Threat

Three unique features distinguish Optima Battery and its “Six-Pack” sealed absorbed glass mat products from other brands. First, all Optima batteries utilize lead that is 99.99 percent pure. Other battery makers typically add other materials to the lead, like calcium, tin, and selenium to improve plate strength. Purer lead, however, allows electricity to be conducted more quickly. It also charges faster and has the ability to hold voltage for longer. Optima’s better performing lead plates were made possible by the next feature: a unique construction.

Optima batteries have cases with six 2.1-2.2-volt Spiralcells instead of a box filled with flat plates. This differentiates them from traditional batteries. There are no worries about structural strength from the pure lead because the lead grid and glass mat electrodes inside each cylinder are rolled. And there’s 40 percent more surface area of them inside the battery. And since the electrodes are rolled, they are also far more able to withstand vibrations and pressure from vehicle loads and directional changes. Third, the virgin polypropylene case that holds the six electrodes is plastic welded shut. This results in a case with a solid one-piece design that’s virtually airtight and leak free.

RedTop

Optima batteries come in three varieties: Redtop, Yellowtop, and Bluetop. Redtop units are SLI (starting/lighting/ignition) batteries designed for quicker starts in extreme conditions where extra electricity-draining accessories aren’t used in abundance, like in a race car. They have a life up to three times longer than traditional batteries, vibration-resistant 15 times greater than average, and are mountable in virtually any position. Available in eight different sizes, Redtops produce between 720 and 800 Cold Cranking Amps (CCA).

YellowTop

Yellowtop batteries are made for higher electrical demand and quick recharging, like in most daily-driven vehicles. They have the same general upsides of the Redtop and can also easily make it through 300+ complete discharge/recharge cycles. These dual-purpose units come in 13 different sizes and produce between 430 and 900 CCA.

BlueTop

Finally, Bluetop batteries are built for marine and RV applications where running accessories with a high demand for electricity and optimal starting power are both essential. There are four sizes available that have ratings of 750 to 900 CCA. Optima also offers four and 12 amp battery maintainer/chargers, which give users that chance to keep their batteries at peak voltage.

When all is said and done, the long-term success of a product is one of the strongest indicators of its quality. Since the early 1990s, Optima Battery has manufactured over than 100 million individual spiral cells, which works out to close to 17 million batteries. Numbers that big come from satisfied customers who keep coming back for more.

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