I said this before, but some of the " experienced" guys said its no big deal and irrelevant
. but Now I also recently heard it from a Electronics Engineer, with a Background in Chemistry as well ..
take it for what its worth..
It does not matter what manufacturer you buy .. as much as WHEN THAT BATTERY WAS FILLED with the Acid , that is the moment the Battery starts AGING, and going bad ..
Theoretically if you could buy a wet cell battery with NO Fluid in it, like the old days.. that battery could sit on a shelf for 20 years , and be Brand New until the moment you add the Fluid ..that is when the CLOCK starts Ticking .
So if a Battery (and they are all ZERO maintenance now, ) is filled and sits on a Shelf in a warehouse for 6 months to a year... that battery is already DETERIORATED a couple years ,because its not being USED and Re charged ...
That is where like 80- 90% of the damage is taking place .. IMHO.
Not to sound defensive ,,but some people here decide they are experts on everything ( not on THIS thread , but before) ...
And some are just trying to help..
and again, I just got 14 full years ( 2004 to jan 2019) out of my 2 Dodge Mopar Batteries , and NO ONE believes that either .. But I found out that the Dodge Factory in Mexico had the Battery Manufacturer close by, so the battery was literally filled, and in the Truck and then in my possession within Weeks , not months and that is the only reason for their Long Life.
so i just find all this Theorizing very amusing ...
The adding of the Distilled water and all that certainly helps to keep the cells wet & of course check the acid level or ph whatever it is with the Ball sucky specific Gravity thingy .. ( Battery Hydrometer ) ..that is certainly very important as well.
Electrical Engineers , please feel free to bash this backyard mechanic .