Napa Legend AGM ... Clarios manufactured?

[CleverUserName]

I have been replacing my automotive batterys with Oddysseys, however the Napa Legend H6 AGM has a higher rated capacity than the Odyssey offering in that size and it is $100 less so I went with that instead.

I ordered one online and the website said East Penn was the manufacturer which is what I wanted. The battery I got (dated 12/25) has a grey case and black top, looks just like a Costco interstate branded battery (clarios). The terminals also look the same as a clarios made AGM.

Has East Penn changed the way their batteries look? The last 3 I bought all had the same shiny black cases and the same terminals but it's been a few years.

Not sure if I got bait and switched by Napa or what is going on?

 

[Carmudgeon]

Car batteries are commodities, and supply chains vary by time and region.

WYSIWYG, not what a webpage that probably hasn't been updated since it was created shows, nor takes into account scenarios as described.

Especially with NAPA, which can't even make their promotions apply properly through the site half the time.

 

[I<3oil]

Can you post a pic of the labels on it?

 

[f355spider]

Can you post a pic of the labels on it?

And post any molded serial or product numbers on the top or sides of the battery.

 

[f355spider]

Maybe you should have gone to the East Penn website first?
https://www.eastpennmanufacturing.com/wp-content/uploads/Intimidator-Automotive-Flyer-1737.pdf

 

[CleverUserName]

Maybe you should have gone to the East Penn website first?
https://www.eastpennmanufacturing.com/wp-content/uploads/Intimidator-Automotive-Flyer-1737.pdf

I did. If you bothered to read the footnotes it doesn’t specify a grey case for this H6 battery like the others do.

 

[CleverUserName]

Can you post a pic of the labels on it?

OK here you go

 

[CleverUserName]

For reference: https://www.clarios.com/insights/ne...ies---the-best-choice-for-start-stop-vehicles

 

[f355spider]

For reference: https://www.clarios.com/insights/ne...ies---the-best-choice-for-start-stop-vehicles

Since what you posted is a european size "H series battery, your guess could very well be correct. From what I can search online, East Penn for their own and Duracell labeled batteries, still used black cases for their Euro H series AGM batteries. The gray body and black top is used for East Penn's marine AGM and non euro sized AGM car batteries.

The round date dot stickers are commonly used by Clarios.

Edit: Clarios indeed makes a 760 CCA H6 for $189.00 sold at WalMart
https://www.walmart.com/ip/EverStar...ery-Group-H6-LN3-48-12-Volt-760-CCA/944775111

Clarios also makes for Interstate:
https://www.interstatebatteries.com/products/mtx-48/h6

If yours is indeed Clarios manufactured I am surprised it does not have a country of origin on it. Clarios made AGMs for Costco, Interstate, WalMart and AC Delco will always have a sticker saying "Made in Mexico, Germany, China, Korea or USA", right on the top of the case, and yours does not have that.

Some of the Chinese one had black cases in 2024, but in 2025, they all seem to be universally gray cases with black tops.

 

[CleverUserName]

The battery I’m replacing, 2021 manufacture looks just like this one:

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/BAT9848?ir=2&r-src=BR:PDP:SP:Belowproductdescription&ppid=BAT9865

 

[Wheel366]

Different size battery but this has the same gray case.

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/BAT9851RT

 

[Wheel366]

I found that if you get the 20% off Napa coupon, it makes the Odyssey more reasonable. I'm sure it makes the Napa even more reasonable, but I chose Odyssey, especially since the Napa website says 36 months free replacement but the documentation says 18 month free replacement then prorated for their AGM automotive batteries.

 

[CleverUserName]

Different size battery but this has the same gray case.

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/BAT9851RT

Like I said in a previous post, if you look at the East Penn catalog the H6 AGM does not specify a grey case in the footnotes like others models do.

I found that if you get the 20% off Napa coupon, it makes the Odyssey more reasonable. I'm sure it makes the Napa even more reasonable, but I chose Odyssey, especially since the Napa website says 36 months free replacement but the documentation says 18 month free replacement then prorated for their AGM automotive batteries.

NAPA had 25% off for Black Friday and Cyber Monday on batteries including odyssey.

 

[Wheel366]

Could just be a case change. I have 3 Odyssey batteries all with red tops. A 25, 35 and 24F. The new ones on the website are now all black. All of mine look like this: (Yes, I know this is an Extreme but mine look like this nonetheless. Also, all three of mine were purchased this year with one coming directly from Odyssey and the other 2 from Napa.

But the new ones look like this.

 

[CleverUserName]

Could just be a case change. I have 3 Odyssey batteries all with red tops. A 25, 35 and 24F. The new ones on the website are now all black. All of mine look like this: (Yes, I know this is an Extreme but mine look like this nonetheless. Also, all three of mine were purchased this year with one coming directly from Odyssey and the other 2 from Napa.

View attachment 315600


But the new ones look like this.

View attachment 315601

I’ve bought 3 odysseys in 2025: May, November and December and they all matched the pictures and had red tops.

Looking different is not the same as looking like a completely different battery and not having characteristics shown in East Penn literature.

I want a quality American made battery, that is why I chose the 9848

 

[Carmudgeon]

Some of the Chinese one had black cases in 2024, but in 2025, they all seem to be universally gray cases with black tops.

View attachment 315582

Here's a Costco H6 from a few months ago. From their Korean source. Notice the item number and specs are identical.

Next month, it could be from Mexico. China. Germany. Portugal. Saudi Arabia.…though haven't seen the latter two in a long while. Internally, Clarios has their own varied supply chains.

When Costco sold Kirkland-branded batteries, there was signage boasting JCI as their source. Now they source from Interstate, who applies the labels at the distributor level. I posted a picture of a stack of them in the past. They're not being shipped "Costco" batteries, as well as "real Interstate" batteries on different pallets. What differs is who sells and warrants them.

Interstate used to source exclusively from JCI, long before the spin-off. But in recent history, I've seen Exide-made Interstates on the racks. Their fanciest batteries are clearly from Enersys.

Walmart famously uses their serial number prefix to denote which one of their multiple suppliers made the battery in particular. EP. CLA. Etc. As documented more than once in the archives here.

The fact is, most everyone has multiple suppliers, and what few exclusive arrangements remain are more rare than common. NAPA has never had an exclusive agreement, at least in my memory.

There's no big mystery to solve. Cruise the battery racks every so often, and the proof is in the pudding.

 

[zzyzzx]

OP live in California, and I would think that the same battery purchased at a NAPA in Maryland would be East Penn.

 

[CleverUserName]

OP live in California, and I would think that the same battery purchased at a NAPA in Maryland would be East Penn.

Not exactly, I bought 3 Napa Legends in 2021; an H8, H7 and H6 and they were all made by EP.

 

[CleverUserName]

Here's a Costco H6 from a few months ago. From their Korean source. Notice the item number and specs are identical.

View attachment 315625

Next month, it could be from Mexico. China. Germany. Portugal. Saudi Arabia.…though haven't seen the latter two in a long while. Internally, Clarios has their own varied supply chains.

When Costco sold Kirkland-branded batteries, there was signage boasting JCI as their source. Now they source from Interstate, who applies the labels at the distributor level. I posted a picture of a stack of them in the past. They're not being shipped "Costco" batteries, as well as "real Interstate" batteries on different pallets. What differs is who sells and warrants them.

Interstate used to source exclusively from JCI, long before the spin-off. But in recent history, I've seen Exide-made Interstates on the racks. Their fanciest batteries are clearly from Enersys.

Walmart famously uses their serial number prefix to denote which one of their multiple suppliers made the battery in particular. EP. CLA. Etc. As documented more than once in the archives here.

The fact is, most everyone has multiple suppliers, and what few exclusive arrangements remain are more rare than common. NAPA has never had an exclusive agreement, at least in my memory.

There's no big mystery to solve. Cruise the battery racks every so often, and the proof is in the pudding.

Another thing I just noticed is the battery shown on the NAPA link has the old label with an American flag that says “made in the USA” in the upper right corner.

The new label on the grey battery is missing that label. It was removed for a reason.

 

[f355spider]

Another thing I just noticed is the battery shown on the NAPA link has the old label with an American flag that says “made in the USA” in the upper right corner.

The new label on the grey battery is missing that label. It was removed for a reason.

Its odd there is no country of origin on the NAPA label at all. Is that allowed by the FTC and CBP?