I was actually told by a major battery dealer that services our shop that he was given a set of Optimas to try on his trolling motor & that he didn't like them & gave them back. He also said they way about 1/3 pound less then the average battery in the same series. He said they just didn't stay strong as long as the same sized series conventional deep cycle. I have however been told by others including my brother in law that they really like them. I personally would get the biggest series with the longest reserve time I could get. I heard lots of people say they liked the Sears Diehard better than any battery they've ever had. I have used Super Lex at work & they are good batteries for sure.