I wanted to make a quick list to compare the two types of AGMs - most people think a battery is a battery. I will use specs from G31 batteries to keep everything consistent.
Brands:
Recycled: East Penn (Deka, Duracell), Johnson Controls Inc (Optima, Interstate, Duralast), and Exide. These 3 companies make around 90% of all recycled lead batteries
Virgin: Odyssey and NorthStar are the main two manufacturers, both located in the US. There are also foreign manufactured virgin lead batteries like XS Power.
Average Cost:
Recycled: $180-220 + shipping unless local
Virgin: $350-380 shipped
Warranty:
Recycled: Varying warranties. Usually 1-2 year pro-rated
Virgin: USA Made Virgin batteries have a 4 year full replacement warranty. Foreign virgin batteries usually have a 2-3 year full replacement warranty.
Life:
Recycled: 2-3 Years in commercial vehicles (semi trucks)
Virgin: 4-10 Years in commercial vehicles
Number of Cycles at 50% Discharge:
Recycled: 400
Virgin: 900
Number of Cycles at 80% Discharge:
Recycled: 200
Virgin: 400
Recharge Time:
Recycled: 10-14 Hours
Virgin: 4-6 Hours
Terminals:
Recycled: Some lead (poor conductor), some brass
AGM: Tin coated brass or pure brass
Storage Life without Charging or Draw: (read paper at end of thread, this is a big factor of why virgin lead batteries perform better)
Recycled: 6 Months
Virgin: 2 years
AH:
Roughly the same for both options.
Cranking Amps:
Recycled: 800A (East Penn)
Virgin Lead: 1150A (NorthStar/Odyssey)
Burst Amps: (5 seconds, more applicable to car audio than CCA)
Recycled: Not published... hmm I wonder why
Virgin Lead: 2150A for 5 seconds
Inter-cell connections:
Recycled: Pinch welds connect the cells
Virgin Lead: US made Virgin Lead batteries have solid internal bus bars, NOT welds going over the walls inside.
Further Reading (more technical explanation of why virgin lead is superior):
http://www.battcon.com/PapersFinal2010/VanassePaper2010Final_17.pdf
In my opinion, the premium for a virgin lead battery is well worth it if you plan on keeping the battery 4 years or longer. They are all around better performers and will last around twice or more as long as a regular AGM. Virgin lead pricing may increase as supplies are depleted so this statement is only accurate for current prices. Lead can be recycled and refined to virgin lead standards, however it is much more difficult and expensive than refining it to regular recycled AGM standards. Maybe advances in technology will allow virgin lead prices to decrease in the coming years.
Source: Recycled Lead AGMs vs. Virgin Lead AGMs
