The importance of straps in batteries

While some folks would like you to believe all batteries are created equal, you can tell just by looking at an OPTIMA battery, that there is something different about our design. Our SPIRALCELL TECHNOLOGY gives our batteries their unusual shape, but did you know the way those cells are connected is a big part of the reason why OPTIMA batteries perform so much better than their flat-plate counterparts?

A 12 volt lead-acid battery is made up of six cells, which provide about 2.1 volts each. These cells are connected in series to provide about 12.6 volts. The internal series of connections from cell to cell in a battery are called "straps." The cross-sectional area of these straps, the quality of the inter-cell connection and the resistance of the strap material all determine how efficiently power flows through the battery.

In a typical flooded cell battery, these straps are usually made of recycled lead and they are connected by welds. In an OPTIMA battery, these straps are made from 99.99% pure virgin lead, which is cast integrally to the cells with no welds. These high-quality connections and materials provide a superior connection from cell to cell and also have a greater cross-sectional area to optimize this critical connection for the best possible starting power and efficiency.

What does all that mean? When the energy starts flowing in and out of your battery, the straps in an OPTIMA battery allow current to flow with the volume of a fire hose, compared to the welded straps in flat plate batteries, which in that analogy, could be equated to the flow of a kitchen sink. Both will get the job done, one just gets it done much better- OPTIMA. Best of all, we carried this cast strap technology over to our all-new H6 YELLOWTOP batteries, which feature PUREFLOW TECHNOLOGY and are now available at OPTIMA-authorized retailers nationwide.