Superbatt Silver 9000 Review (AGM1100, AGM1000, DT120, LM110, LM100)
Welcome to an Off Grid Power Geek in-depth analysis. This time it’s a Superbatt Silver 9000 Review.
That’s a range of batteries by Superbatt, made up of the following models: the AGM1100, AGM1000, DT120, LM110, and LM100.
This range has become highly popular in the last few years with leisure vehicle owners (campervans, caravans and motorhomes), as well as owners of boats, and for usage as a storage battery, and for solar power systems.
In fact, the batteries in this range can all be found in the top 10 sellers in the UK in 2022.
That’s because their reputation has spread fast. Why? Because after a few years, word has gone around that these batteries are delivering good, consistent power and are proving reliable in the long-term.
We check out all that’s good and all that’s bad about this leisure battery range. Are they the real deal, or just exaggerated hype?
Superbatt Silver 9000 Review: An Introduction
Let’s check out the specs of each model, so you can see at a glance which model may be the right one for you.
| RANKING |   |  |   |  |  |
| BATTERY | AGM1100 | AGM1000 | DT120 | LM110 | LM110 |
| CAPACITY | 120Ah | 100Ah | 120Ah | 110Ah | 100Ah |
| BATTERY TYPE | AGM | AGM | Lead-acid | Lead-acid | Lead-acid |
| VOLTAGE | 12V | 12V | 12V | 12V | 12V |
| DIMENSIONS (LxWxH) | 35.4 x 17.5 x 19 cm | 31 x 17.5 x 19 cm | 33 x 17.2 x 24.2 cm | 35.4 x 17.5 x 19 cm | 35.4 x 17.5 x 19.0 cm |
| FIT | Any position | Any position | Upright only | Upright only | Upright only |
| TERMINALS | Marine | Marine | Marine | Marine | Marine |
Pros & Cons of the Silver 9000 Battery Series
If you don’t want to read the full reviews, here’s a summary of them.
Then, if you want, you can keep reading the full Superbatt leisure battery reviews, they appear below that.
Review Summary: Superbatt AGM 1100 (120Ah) & AGM 1000 (100Ah)
What We Liked
- Very good power delivery (as Superbatt’s AGM batteries have more battery plates allowing better contact with the electrolyte).
- Price is decent for an AGM battery.
- Long lasting (handle high discharge well, more sulfation resistant than other batteries, cope well with vibration, and completely resistant to acid stratification).
- Safe (no liquid electrolyte, so it cannot leak)
- Can be fitted any way, as needed
What We Didn’t Like
- They’re not NCC verified (some people will want the peace of mind knowing that the NCC have approved it.
- More expensive than the other Superbatt Silver 9000 models, which share some similar qualities.
Review Summary: Superbatt DT 120 (120Ah), LM110 (110Ah), and LM100 (100Ah)
What We Liked
- Price is low considering the quality of these batteries and how they last.
- They’ll cope well if left unused – they have a low self-discharge rate, thanks to Calcium component of battery plates.
- Sustained power delivery is strong, due to being a lead Calcium battery and having quality components.
- High charge acceptance, meaning they charge quickly, even from solar input.
- Lifespan is good for a lead-acid battery, thanks to being more corrosion and sulfation resistant than other batteries.
What We Didn’t Like
- Be careful not to let it discharge completely. The Calcium element of the battery plates means that it suffers more than other batteries it it gets 100% discharged. It can be damaged if you do this too often.
- If you use a battery charger, you’ll need to make sure you’ve not got an old one, since it requires a relatively high voltage to charge.
Full Review: Superbatt AGM1100 & AGM1000
Let’s check out the AGM batteries in the Silver 9000 range, first.
The AGM1100 and the AGM1000 have the same materials, construction, and hence similar performance, it’s just that the AGM1100 has higher capacity, at 120Ah than the AGM1000 model, at 100Ah.
So we’ll review them together and then discuss how to choose between them.
What We Liked
Good Power Delivery
These are high quality AGM batteries. They deliver a sustained high level of power over time, and aren’t prone to dips.
Why? Because where typical lead-acid batteries have an electrolyte of a free-flowing solution (of sulphuric acid and distilled water), AGM batteries have their electrolyte absorbed onto fibreglass mats.
That means less space inside the battery needs to be given up to contain all the liquid solution. These Superbatt AGM batteries are tightly packed with lead plates, made with a good standard of lead material. That allows for more surface are to be in contact with the electrolyte. As a result, more power can be stored in the battery, and then delivered steadily at a high level.
Decent Pricing
We’d describe the pricing as very decent for a good quality of AGM battery.
It’s still more than you’d pay for an equivalent normal (flooded) lead-acid battery, but not that much more.
Consider that you can get as much as 3 times the number of cycles from the AGM1100 and AGM1000 compared to lead-acid batteries. So it can last 2 or 3 times longer. As well as more sustained high power delivery throughout that time.
If you can afford the slightly higher initial outlay, that can pay off in the long term.
They’re proving to last well
One of the reasons the Superbatt Silver 9000 range of batteries has become so popular is that people are finding that they’re lasting well.
That’s not often the case with a lot of batteries on the market.
And the AGM part of the range are lasting particularly well. Why? Well, let’s check that out.
- Handling high discharge well
We’ve found that the AGM1100 and AGM1000 coped well when you discharge to a higher level, up to around 70%. Power remains fairly steady, even when charge has dropped to around that 30-35% level.
Beyond that point, it inevitably falls. Be aware of that.
But if you can keep DoD (Depth of Discharge) to around 60-70% consistently, you’re going to get a really long lifespan out of this battery.
It copes much better with this level of discharge than any other kind of lead-acid battery. Normal Flooded lead-acid batteries can be damaged when you go over 50% DoD. As a result, their lifespan will be shorter.
The Superbatt AGM batteries cope much better with high discharge (just don’t go above 70% too often).
- Sulfation accumulates slower than other batteries
Sulfation is the build-up of lead-sulfate on the battery plates. It throttles the ability of the battery to deliver and store power. If it continues gathering unchecked, it causes the batteries to die. In fact, it’s the cause of death of 84% of all lead-acid batteries, according to Battery Council International.
Sulfation happens to all lead-acid batteries, it’s an inevitable result of the chemical processes by which these batteries work (though it can be managed and lessened by using a desulfator-charger).
The Superbatt Silver 9000 AGM batteries, however, are less prone to sulfation – it gathers more slowly.
That’s because sulfation happens when a battery is left in a state of discharge. But the AGM1100 and AGM1000 batteries have a low rate of self-discharge, so sulfation doesn’t hit them too badly compared to other batteries.
- Excellent vibration resistance
The internals of these batteries are really well-equipped to deal with heavy vibration.
They have high pack pressures because of the high quantity of plates and the way they’re stacked up with the fibreglass electrolyte mats.
That makes a big difference, compared to lead-acid batteries, which are more susceptible to their internal components being knocked around and losing internal integrity as a result.
- Completely resistant to acid stratification
What is acid stratification? Well, it’s another major killer of normal lead-acid batteries. It’s when the liquid electrolyte becomes poorly mixed (the distilled water and sulphuric acid separate into layers). It happens naturally over time, but is worsened if the battery is left in a discharged state for a lengthy period of time.
Why does it weaken and eventually kill batteries? Because only a well-mixed electrolyte can provide chemical reactions with the battery plates. So when the electrolyte is poorly mixed, there are less chemical reactions. And less chemical reactions means that less power can be stored by the battery and so less power can be delivered to whatever it is you need powered.
The AGM batteries in the Superbatt Silver 9000 range, however, are completely resistant to this process. That’s because the electrolyte is entirely absorbed onto the glass mats – it’s not in liquid form at all, and therefore simply cannot become poorly mixed.
That’s another reason that these high quality AGM batteries can last as much as 3 times longer than other batteries.
They’re Safer
Another aspect of the internal of these AGM batteries is that it makes the battery safer.
The Silver 9000 lead-acid batteries have free-flowing liquid electrolyte inside them, and even though it’s super unlikely that it will ever leak, it is technically possible. Remember that the electrolyte is sulphuric acid in solution, and that’s dangerous if it were ever to leak.
But the AGM models have no liquid electrolyte, so no leaking is possible. That makes them safer.
Fit them any way up you like
We’ve just talked about how they can’t leak…
As a result, these batteries can also be stored in any position, upright, on their side, or upside down.
And they’ll work equally well, in any orientation. That gives you more options for how to store them according to your needs.
FYI, Lithium batteries can also be stored any way up, (here’s more on Lithium leisure batteries for motorhomes, campervans, caravans).
What Didn’t We Like
Here are the things we weren’t so keen on about this battery.
They’re not NCC Verified
Some caravan, motorhome and campervan owners like their batteries to be NCC verified, and unfortunately this battery isn’t.
What does NCC verified actually mean?
The NCC is the National Caravan Council, which represents the interests of all kinds of leisure vehicles.
This scheme provides a verification for batteries used in leisure vehicles.
It provides a set of standards that the battery must meet and pass to be fit for purpose as a leisure vehicle battery. And that it actually delivers on the claims it makes, as advertised.
Essentially, it’s peace of mind about what you’re buying, because leisure batteries aren’t cheap, as you know!
Anyone buying this battery for a boar or for solar, may not particularly care about this. Some leisure vehicle owners may also feel more confident because of this battery being highly rated and much reviewed, with plenty of happy customers, even if it doesn’t have this particular verification.
In an ideal world, this battery would also have NCC verification, but it doesn’t, simple as that.
Other models in the Superbatt Silver 9000 range are cheaper
Huh? Wasn’t pricing something we liked about this battery, it’s “decently priced”?
Yes, it certainly is a decent price for a high quality AGM battery.
But if that price is higher than you can afford, it’s not much use to you.
If you have a limited budget at the present moment, then the lead-acid batteries in the Silver 9000 range may be a better fit for you. They share some similar qualities.
Just be aware that the AGM models can end up saving you money in the long run, since they can last 2 or 3 times longer, if not more.
Full Review: Superbatt DT120, LM110 & LM100
Now, we’ll perform an in-depth review of the normal (Flooded) lead-acid models in the Silver 9000 range.
What are the pros and cons of the DT120, LM110, and LM100 batteries?
What We Liked
We were fans of the following aspects:
Pricing
Considering these are some of the top performing batteries on the market, price is really good.
The consistent power delivery, the cyclic durability (as we’ll go on to discuss), the speed of charging are an indication of the overall quality.
Are there cheaper batteries on the market? Yes, but not with close to this quality.
Surprisingly low self-discharge rate
We were impressed with how well they kept their charge.
If you don’t know what self-discharge rate is, it refers to how much of the battery’s charge is lost in a given time period when it’s not being used.
It’s typically measured in % per month.
In the case of the DT120, LM110, and LM100 they seem to lose around 5% per month.
That’s low for a lead-acid battery, less than half the rate of comparable batteries.
Better sustained power delivery than other similar batteries
Maybe you’re thinking that we mean the power is higher because they’re 120Ah (DT120) and 110Ah (LM110); higher than the capacity of a typical 100Ah battery.
But that’s not what we’re talking about. Even compared to an equivalent 120Ah or 100Ah battery, the Silver 9000 batteries have better power delivery.
That’s because of:
- the high quality of the materials, lead plates, and internal components
- they have Superbatt’s Calcium tech.
The Calcium component in the lead plates allows for this higher level of power. As a result, these batteries can more comfortably deliver the power you need at higher levels than other normal lead-acid batteries.
These batteries, then, are highly efficient in terms of powering your vehicle/system.
High charge acceptance
What does that mean?
It means the Superbatt Silver 9000 batteries are easier and faster to charge than other batteries.
This is something that’s come as a nice surprise to many people we know who gave us feedback on how they feel about this battery. Online reviews also abound with comments on how much quicker it charged compared to other batteries.
That’s an essential quality, and highly attractive for those buying this battery for their solar system. It’ll charge really well, and fast, from a solar input charge.
Long lifespan (for a lead-acid battery)
The DT120, LM110 and LM100 are likely to last longer than similar lead-acid batteries (how long do leisure batteries last?). There are a few reasons for this, namely:
- High corrosion resistance. That’s thanks to the Calcium element of the battery plates. It gives the plates a natural chemical resistance to corrosion, which normal battery plates (which tend to have a small antimony component instead of Calcium) cannot match. Less corrosion means longer lifespan.
- Less sulfation than other lead acid batteries. That’s because of the low rate of self-discharge. As we said earlier, the less charge a battery loses when it’s not being used, the less sulfation will build up on its plates. Since sulfation is the main reason most batteries die, the longer you can stave off sulfation, the longer the battery will last!
As a reminder – lifespan for these Superbatt leisure batteries is certainly good for lead-acid batteries, but the AGM models in the Silver 9000 range are likely to last a lot longer.
What Didn’t We Like
Don’t let it discharge completely
There’s no such thing as a free lunch, as they say.
If you aren’t familiar with it, it basically means you don’t get something for nothing.
What are we talking about?
Well, we talked about the major benefits the Superbatt Calcium technology adds to the battery.
That Calcium tech brings good power and high charge acceptance.
But you’ll need to be more careful than with other batteries to make sure you don’t often let it discharge completely.
Don’t worry, we don’t mean that one accidental total discharge will kill it stone dead, it’s not that extreme.
But if you regularly allow it to reach complete 100% discharge, these Superbatt LM110 and DT120 batteries will punish you.
If you do that too often, they’ll be damaged and perhaps even beyond repair.
However, if it’s just the occasional accidental complete discharge, you can recover it with the use of a quality charger, particularly the likes of the NOCO Genius 10, which has Force Mode (which allows it to recover and rejuvenate a battery even if it’s reached 0 volts).
On the topic of charging…
You’ll need a “proper” charger
A quality lead-acid battery with Calcium needs a nice, high voltage to charge properly. 14.4V to 14.8V is about right.
We don’t mean you need a particularly special Calcium battery charger.
But if you have a really old charger, it may provide too low a voltage to charge these batteries.
Most ECUs provide a high enough voltage, and most alternators do too. Quality DC to DC chargers (like this CTEK D250SE DC DC charger) also provide the higher voltage needed.
If you’re keen, check prices on the DT120, LM110, and LM100.
Summing Up: Superbatt Silver 9000 Review
All in all, this series of batteries is a quality one – they’re really solid, reliable and high-performing batteries.
As for whether you should get one of the AGM (the AGM1100 or AGM1000) models or one of the lead-acid models (the DT120 or LM110), that really depends on your weighing up of what you need versus how much you’re willing to pay.
The AGM batteries will last longer and cope better with high discharge. But they come at a higher cost, too. The lead-acid batteries are at the top end of what you can get with a lead-acid battery, so they represent really good value.
