Hope this is the right place to post, but I am looking to upgrade my battery before winter and just want some input on whats good and bad. I used to have an optima in my last rig for 5 years and never had an issue but want to see what everyone else has used.

 

All depends on what your needs are.
If this is a DD and you have standard equipment then why spend the money on an Optima.
Eastern Batteries are good, Sears - Die Hard, for the money will last, if not they replace them for cheap. Not sure about your local Auto Parts Stores, NAPA has a decent stocker.
Look for high CCA Rating, 700 + and look at the warranties, you will pay for a long warranty but it can be worth it.

Now if you have Audio Equip, maybe extra lighting, think Deep Cycle Battery, again get high CCA, this is where an Optima may come in the picture.

I will be running a battery with 800 CCA for the colder weather here in MA, right now brand wil not be a problem..

And thanks for reminding me I need to get a new battery before cold weather sets in.

 

Everstart MAXXX battery I run with 330 extra watts of draw due to extra lights, has 3 year warranty with FREE replacement anytime during those 3 years with zero charge, no pro-rate, its slightly larger than stock of same size (by a centimeter)

mine has 750 Cold cranking and 875 at 32degrees F

 

+1 on the MAXX batteries.
My first one lasted nearly all of the 9 years it was under warranty.
They have a 3 or 5 year free replacement warranty too.

I got one with 900+ cca's that's got roughly 50% more cca's than the stock battery was.
I got the largest battery that would physically fit in my truck without major modifications.

 

A lot of friends of mine are running those Deep-Cell Optima batteries because they were told they last longer, hold a charge longer, and overall work better. But in my experience, if you charge a deep-cell battery on any setting other than deep-cell, it will ruin it, and there is no warranty...I have a standard Duralast battery that has worked great for the last two years and for $60 new it wasn't bad