Inside the unique shell of the OPTIMA deep cycle marine battery is a radically superior internal design. The structure of conventional marine batteries — thick lead plates suspended in pools of acid — requires those lead plates to provide their own structural support. To attempt to accomplish this, the lead is diluted with inert stiffening alloys, robbing them of performance. And despite this performance compromise, the conventional marine battery design still remains fragile.

The unique engineering concept of the OPTIMA deep cycle marine battery uses long thin layers of higher purity lead alternated with absorbent glass fiber mesh. This technique is called "AGM" for "Absorbed Glass Mat." Taking the high efficiency AGM technology a step further, in the OPTIMA deep cycle marine battery these laminated elements are wound into tight spiral cells and pressed into the "six pack" configuration that makes them unique. Battery life is typically twice that of the conventional marine battery. The OPTIMA marine battery's AGM Spiralcell technology is the most significant advance in battery design in years.

The OPTIMA deep cycle marine battery's superior structure and components provide dramatically lower internal resistance and far greater plate surface area, and support a thicker layer of active paste material. As a result, OPTIMA deep cycle marine batteries can be fully recharged in about an hour, twice as fast as conventional marine batteries. They can sit unused four times longer than other batteries, losing less than half a volt in over 6 months of nonuse. The OPTIMA deep cycle marine battery also has a much higher peak discharge rate — when your application calls for a lot of current instantly, OPTIMA gives it to you right now, to a degree no other battery can match.

Vibration is a primary marine battery killer. The OPTIMA sealed design and tightly wound SPIRALCELL battery technology resists jarring and vibration and eliminates plate shedding. The OPTIMA marine battery survives the continuous SAE 5G Battery Vibration Test for an average of 1450 hours, while the traditional flooded flat plate design fails after only 100 hours, making the OPTIMA over 14 times more resistant to shock and vibration. The OPTIMA marine deep cycle battery absorbs brutal pounding without failure.

The table below has specs and delivered prices for all Optima Blue Top marine battery models. Model 34M is a marine starter battery only (not a deep cycle battery.) All other Optima Blue Top Marine battery models shown are deep cycle batteries and also are multi-purpose, meaning that they function excellently as starter batteries as well as for deep cycle use where the battery will be discharged deeply (as low as 10.5 volts) before recharging.