I have used Optima batteries for years and can't complain. I did have a couple that didn't last as they should have but they were warrantied without any problems. I guess it makes a difference who you buy from and how much they want your business. I think they may have had a bad run a couple of years ago and I think that's about the time I had my bad ones. Something that has to be kept in mind with the Optima is they don't charge like a conventional battery. If it gets discharged below a certain point you have to jumper it to another charged battery and slowly bring it back up. I'm sure a lot of these batteries were considered bad when they were just discharged and the proper procedure for recharging hadn't been followed. To each their own but I will continue to use Optima until I have a problem that isn't taken care of to my satisfaction.