I used to swear by Optimas as well - I used to run a blue top, but after two of them each failed on me after sitting for just a few weeks (this was supposed to be their strong point!), I'm now using an AutoZone Duralast Gold. While these too have had their issues (they always seem to die on me right when it gets REALLY cold in the winter), AutoZone's 3 year warranty (with free replacement) makes it worth it - 3 to 4 batteries in 3 years time for less than the price of one Optima. This year I bought a trickle charger to use during the really cold months, so we'll see how well that works.