Just my 2 cents here.
Been in the battery business 20+ years, the last 20 for Exide. We manufacture our own batteries and sell some under private labels. Way too many to list here.
When I started with the company, we manufactured one of the Diehard lines for Sears and another battery company made Wally World's. We also made all of NAPA's batteries.
I happened upon a Consumer Reports issue that compared automotive batteries, all national private labels.
The batteries that we manufactured tested better than most of the competition, some were even with another manufacturer. They tested cranking amps, cold cranking amps and one or two other things. Sorry, it's been over ten years!
The Walmart battery tested better than the Sears one. Guess which one we made? That's right, the EverStart was rated better the Diehard!
Several years later, I looked up ratings on the same batteries, now manufactured by other companies.
The Walmart is now made by a different company and had lower ratings. Sears has the same company making theirs, and still isn't a good battery!
I forget who posted it, but someone said to look at the date on the side. If it's been on the shelf longer than 6 months or so, give it a pass. The voltage has dropped and the plates are starting to sulfate. Not good!
I raised Cain at a Sears about 5 years ago over a battery. The battery in my pickup had died in the heat after 6 years and I needed a new one. The closest place was a Sears about a mile away. The nearest parts place was 2 miles away.
The battery I wanted was 14 months old, so I bought a lower amped one for only $10 less. Wasn't happy about it either!
They were wanting me out of there, so they didn't charge me a core charge!
But I still took the old one back to them and told them to get their stock rotated properly!
It cracks me up when I go to Walmart or someplace that sells the competition and I see old batteries on the shelf. I've even talked people out of buying the old batteries!
Of course, I send them someplace where ours are sold!
Thanks for letting me rant!