80 bucks plus shipping for a 'battery tender'? Poking holes in sulfated plates? I don't think so... I'm with goldwing... Not to offend anyones preferences in their care and dilligence but the Mrs and I have been using the same wet cell (275cca) for the lawn tractor for 5 seasons (thats years). We disconnect it after the season and bring it inside. Charge it fully every three months with a real old 12 volt charger rated at 1 amp (don't know how old it is it still works). Its still going strong and we're about to do the same thing again. Only thing we do is make sure the terminals are clean when we reinstall it the coming season. I can't tell you how many neighbors replace their tractor batteries every year to three, its just crazy to keep replacing em when a little PM stretches out the life so much (without all that new-fangled electronics in the 'tenders'). I clean the terminals occasionally on my driving vehicles, especially if I work on something that requires removal of the neg cable (I also remove the Pos cable in case a tool or something grounds out the neg post on anything metal). A quick swipe of the terminal cleaner 'refreshes' the connection and away I go! Wet cell Batteries are about the same as they have been for decades. Mostly the packaging, advertising, and owners care changes. In the end, actually, its whatever 'floats your boat'...