Page 6 - Batteries

When comparing Power Wheels to Peg Perego there is more than meets the eye. I don’t think it’s necessarily right to put it in the context of which is better. Both brands have a rich history and both have carved out a name for themselves in the ride-on-toy marketplace. Many of today’s parents, including myself, grew up with these battery powered toys and can recall our favorites. The iconic Power Wheels Barbie Jeep is matched by the ever popular Peg Perego John Deere tractor. Each has their list of ‘must have’ replicas from Harley and Kawasaki motorcycles to Ford Escalades, Jeep Wranglers, John Deere Gators and Polaris Sportsman ATVs. But I bet when you bought the toy, this thought never crossed your mind: How much will a replacement battery cost? Perhaps after having the toy for a few months you pondered if there was another battery that would last longer? Or if they could make the darn things faster? Allow us to compare the Peg Perego and Power Wheels toys from the aspect of the battery.

How do you complete a warranty for a motorcycle battery purchased over the internet? Two humorous thoughts stand out as to why it would be highly inconvenient and next to impossible to ride your motorcycle over and let us look at it. A) Apparently the battery is not working. B) You may not be able to get the 6 days off work, nor have the funds to ride 2200 miles from California to Kentucky. But don’t you worry, we have come up with a series of questions and tests that allow us to evaluate and process your motorcycle battery for warranty despite the distance between us.

This is part three of a three part segment on motorcycle battery testing and warranties. Consider reading segment #1 on the importance of testing as well as the second segment on parallel charging.

Not All Warranties Are Created Equal

Most all motorcycle battery manufacturers do not handle warranty issues directly. They rely on merchants and distributors to fulfill this obligation. Each manufacturer has their own warranty

Energy Products initiated the Battery Partners program in January of 2016. Their goal is to advance the business of all Battery Specialists by being a single source mixed product supply chain solution. Terry McGee, the SLI Division Manager for the Battery Partners program summed it up this way, “We are not just a shop trying to sell you something. We work with you, our partners, to provide solutions to take your business to the next level.”

The customer centric culture within Energy Products fits with how we at Impact Battery strive to do business and serve our customers. If the first annual Battery Fest was a small taste of what Battery Specialist like us can expect as we partner together, then I think our customers and staff will enjoy what the future holds.

I have to be honest; if you asked me what I thought of Detroit a few months ago, I would have said it brings images to mind of what has gone wrong with urban America. Since January I have made several trips to the Motor City. Now

What a great question! What is it about the Lifeline AGM battery that makes them so popular and dependable? RV and boat owners seem to ask for this brand more than any other despite it costing more than other private labels. If it were just a fad, strong marketing or another ‘me-too’ battery this trend would have subsided years ago, but it hasn’t. This type of loyalty can only draw one conclusion…Yes they are that good! Read on as we review the success behind Lifeline batteries.

Concorde: The Driving Force Behind the LifeLine Battery

Concorde Battery Corporation has been manufacturing batteries just outside Los Angeles, California since 1979. Recently, Concorde opened a second manufacturing facility just outside Atlanta, Georgia. They operate under four application specific brands: Concorde, Lifeline, Chairman and Sun Xtender. The Concorde label designs aircraft batteries and batteries for shipboard use utilized by militaries the world over inclusive of the U.S. Military and several Commonwealth

I was looking under the hood of my Suburban yesterday pretending to know what I was doing. I wanted to see if I could figure out what was causing our heat to be blasting when the air conditioning was on the coolest setting. In true fashion, my mind started to do what it does best; lose focus on the task at hand. I couldn’t help but notice we have a Drakon Group 34/78 battery installed. And so I pondered…

The other day in our ‘What’s What in the Battery World’ series we compared the Optima RedTop, BlueTop and YellowTop batteries. The focus of the post was to determine how you could decipher which color Optima was best for you and your application. Specifically, we focused on the Group 34/78 size as a guide to understanding the differences. As I stared at this Drakon battery, I wondered “Who made the best sealed AGM Group 34/78 battery? What is it about some of these brands that make people so loyal or perhaps fanatical? Is it based solely on performance or some type of advertising or is

I was reading about an innovative company known as Advanced Battery Concepts (ABC for short) out of Clare, MI. They have developed a BiPolar battery technology that promises to propel the lead acid battery industry into the limelight once again. For this age old industry, thought to be in its twilight years, fighting against competing technologies, such as lithium-ion and NIMH Cobalt, this truly is remarkable. But what makes this technology so extraordinary? And perhaps more importantly, what is a bipolar battery and why should we care?

A Short Historical Foundation

I will attempt to keep my terminology and definitions ultra-simple and relate examples of them to names and brands you may recognize. To begin, let’s start with the inventor.

The concept of a bipolar battery has been around for nearly 100 years! Pyotr Kapitsa, who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1978, first introduced the theory behind bipolar batteries back in 1924. This Russian born scientist is famous for many discoveries

I had the privilege this week of speaking with a gentleman from Minnesota, let’s call him Iron Man because A) Avengers is currently playing in theaters and B) the length of time his battery lasted is worthy of the title. He called in inquiring if we sold the YTX14-BS battery made by Yuasa. To which I replied, “Yes, we have some batteries that are made by Yuasa.” He then went on to explain that he needed two batteries and shared a story I just couldn’t pass up sharing with all of you. To say this man is just a supporter of the Yuasa Battery Inc. brand may be putting it a little too mildly. And rightly so after the track record he has had! The fascinating part is what he does to extend battery life.

Pause For Battery Life Statistics

Before I go any further it would be negligent of me if I did not stop and share some facts about power sport battery failure rates. Otherwise, you would have no frame of reference to base your own conclusion. Once you see the average life span you will also see