Costco sells an Interstate DC27 Marine battery for $79, are these exactly the same as say an Interstate SRM27 Marine battery that you find for sale for $120-$150 at dealerships and marinas? They both have the exact same 600 CCA and 750 MCA and 160 reserve…so specs appear to be identical, it just appears Costco is selling their own “part #”
Anybody know the details? Are they the same battery or different?
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Call Dan for the info from the horses mouth so to speak.
Good guy and easy to talk with.
Dan Hartel
Interstate Battery Systems of Minneapolis
335 E 78th Street
Bloomington, MN 55420
(952)345-1190 – Office
….and let us know what he says! I’d also be interested in the answer.
-J.
FWIW, if you google Interstate DC27, the first result below the ads redirects to the SRM27 page on Interstate’s website.
I worked at an Interstate Battery warehouse in Fargo while in college many moons ago. If it’s changed since then, I doubt it, but I can’t say for sure. At that time, the Interstate Battery warehouse would get all of their batteries in by the pallet without labels. Depending upon which stores or companies the different size batteries were sold to, their own unique labels were put on the batteries and then shipped to the various stores and sold as their own store brands. I don’t remember all of the different store brands (and there were a lot), but I do remember at that time that Sears, Walmart and Cenex, for example, all sold exactly the same Interstate batteries and the only difference was their own unique labels.
The average consumer never realizes that they are buying same Interstate batteries with different labels at a wide variety of stores.
I called the # Brian gave, guy (not Dan) said the specs are identical, but the build quality is different with the SRM being higher quality…analogy given was that samsung tv purchased at Bestbuy is different from same exact Samsung tv sold at costco or sam’s club… I hate Bestbuy so that did nothing for me 
Costco warranty and return policy seems really good, i’ll probably go with them…
I wonder how the build quality is different or if that is just something they say to keep the marketplace even and not favor one store vs. another. I’d be inclined to believe Karry if he actually worked at a warehouse and saw what was going on.
I called the # Brian gave, guy (not Dan) said the specs are identical, but the build quality is different with the SRM being higher quality…analogy given was that samsung tv purchased at Bestbuy is different from same exact Samsung tv sold at costco or sam’s club… I hate Bestbuy so that did nothing for me
Costco warranty and return policy seems really good, i’ll probably go with them…
I don’t know. I find this kind of hard to believe. I have heard that about TVs before at bestby vs walmart or other retailers but again I tend think it’s just a bunch of BS.
Be mindful that Interstate batteries are made by either Exide or JCI. I have no personal preference over the other, but that could be the difference here. I’m not an expert, nor did I stay at a Holiday Inn last night.
analogy given was that samsung tv purchased at Bestbuy is different from same exact Samsung tv sold at costco or sam’s club…
No way if they are the same model #
Almost all batteries come from 3 or so man.
But I didn’t stay at a Holiday Inn last night either…..
I know that when you buy Goodyears at Walmart, they are a different tire than I get at the dealership. The MOPAR batteries we sell are Interstates, they are in a Black case.. not the Green and White case. Warranties vary also, from Interstate and MOPAR. I stayed at a Holiday Inn a time or two, but wouldn’t read too far into that either.
analogy given was that samsung tv purchased at Bestbuy is different from same exact Samsung tv sold at costco or sam’s club…
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a group 27 $40 under msp so I can believe this. Maybe that explains why my interstate group 27 took a dump at 14 months when I bought on sale for $110.
I remember seeing a news report of a store taking recycled computers and tv and rebuilding them with better components then reselling them at a fair reduced price. They brought up the fact black friday tvs had inferior components to keep the price down. Wish I could remember the name of the store. Seems they took pride in what they are doing.
Be mindful that Interstate batteries are made by either Exide or JCI. I have no personal preference over the other, but that could be the difference here. I’m not an expert, nor did I stay at a Holiday Inn last night.
They are made by JCI. (as well as the Sears Die Hard, Optima and many other brands).
D
I remember seeing a news report of a store taking recycled computers and tv and rebuilding them with better components then reselling them at a fair reduced price. They brought up the fact black friday tvs had inferior components to keep the price down. Wish I could remember the name of the store. Seems they took pride in what they are doing.
If it’s local it may be Shop Jimmy in Burnsville.
And regarding the Costco/Sams vs BestBuy TVs, if you compare all specs the main reason they are cheaper TVs is because they are typically missing an option or 6. Usually less or missing usb, hdmi, or audio out ports. When comparing electronics you have to check the long model number, not just the abbreviated one on the front of the box.
I can’t tell you if the DC27 and the SRM27 are the same battery with a different colored case, but they probably are.
At one point in my life I worked on some automatic assembly machines that made lead acid batteries. As simple in concept an item as a lead/acid battery is they are very complicated to automatically manufacture.
Odds are pretty good that they came off the same manufacturing line. Since the spec’s are the same, the plate surface areas are identical.
Battery raw materials are a commodity items and cost to manufacture are very close. So, the best gauge of “are they the same” is weight. The more they weigh, the more lead and lead oxide are in the battery. If one is heavier that the other it will probably have more reserve capacity.
Being that they are from the same manufacturer, and if they weigh the same, I would pick the cheaper one.
Good Luck
They are sold with a different look to them so a COSTCO batt.. cannot be returned to a Interstate dealer and vice versa.
Do you think you Pepsi you buy at Costco is less quality than the one you buy at CUB?
More you buy less it cost. You see this everywhere you look. Its not something new. Freight handling fuel.. is all less that is the savings you see in the price.
I would say they are different, If you go to HD and buy a JD mower, GE Fridge, Kohler faucet, they are different than if you buy it from the Manufacturer. Why would a battery be any different?
Blems from the Interstate warehouse work as well as there top shelf in store offerings. I wouldn’t be surprised if Costo wasn’t buying those and selling them at a discount. Usually just some visual case defect, I have been told by my local Interstate rep- none noticeable to me yet; performance remains outstanding, going on 5 years on my latest set of blems.
Straight from a Interstate rep. By brand on the outside case, batteries have different specs, inside the battery, such as plate thickness. Cheaper batteries have thinner plates. Thinner plates = battery fails sooner than thicker plates. Designed to last the warranty period.
Pepsi is a recipe… that analogy does not apply here. If Pepsi canned it as Poopsie and removed a spoonful of sugar, you would have something.
If Pepsi canned it as Poopsie and removed a spoonful of sugar, you would have something.
I normally do not agree with you on most subjects on here big_g, but this line really made me laugh. If we both stuck to fecal puns I think we’d get along a lot better.
Pepsi is a recipe… that analogy does not apply here. If Pepsi canned it as Poopsie and removed a spoonful of sugar, you would have something.
I normally do not agree with you on most subjects on here big_g, but this line really made me laugh. If we both stuck to fecal puns I think we’d get along a lot better.
I’ll have a #2 with a Poopsie, to go. Supersize it please. Thanks.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>big_g wrote:</div>
Pepsi is a recipe… that analogy does not apply here. If Pepsi canned it as Poopsie and removed a spoonful of sugar, you would have something.<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>philtickelson wrote:</div>
I normally do not agree with you on most subjects on here big_g, but this line really made me laugh. If we both stuck to fecal puns I think we’d get along a lot better.I’ll have a #2 with a Poopsie, to go. Supersize it please. Thanks.
supersqueeze it
I am normally a big Costco fan, but in the case of boat batteries, I just don’t cheap out anymore. We’ve all been burned by batteries and it’s one of those places I just spend extra on. So I buy straight from Interstate. I might be paying more for what I can get at Costco but it never crosses my mind.
Actually…did you know Coke at McDonalds is different then anywhere else??? It’s also been rated the best tasting coke…
Someone should do a similar Pepsi test because the Pepsi at Taco Bell is not great. I don’t know if they are doing something on purpose to save some money, but none of the flavors taste good at all. It’s like they are mostly carbonated water with none of the actual syrup.
They are made by JCI. (as well as the Sears Die Hard, Optima and many other brands.
Not all…Interstate is no longer bound to JCI as their sole manufacturer. It’s been that way for a couple years now. AFAIK, they are not buying from East Penn but are now also buying from Exide for some markets. Exide is known to do some pretty shady things, I avoid them. JCI or East Penn for me.
I have been extremely happy with Interstate batteries, but My next batteries will more than likely be Northstar AGMs. Impressive performance from the test results I have seen. There group 29 performs as well if not better than some group 31s.
djshannon, you explained the battery question very well. Thanks for your input.
old thread, but important again as some guys will try starting their boat soon and realize they have a bad battery.
I found a similar thread from a few years ago and here’s the answer given by a tech who works for Interstate…
“The only difference is the label and maybe the stock and/or part number. Your question about warranty is a good one. Most dealers will not warranty the sams club bats as they will not be engraved and that’s a requirement of interstate if they are not sold through our direct dealer network”
side note – Sams/Costco both offer the same 1 year replacement warranty any other Interstate dealer offers, you just need to return it to Sams/Costco…
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