I used to tell everyone to buy Auto Zone Duralast Gold. Why? Because they were made by Johnson Controls. Same people who make the Die Hard and other good name batteries. There's only about 4 battery manufactures. Johnson Controls, Exide and Interstate are the ones I'm aware. The other may be the ones the make the Optimas. I won't buy an Optima because of the high dollar price.
But NOW !!! Believe it or not, the place to buy a good battery at a good price, are you ready for this??? WALLY WORLD !!! Yes, it's true. Exide doesn't make the Never Start Maxx anymore. Go to Walmart, buy an Ever Start Maxx and you'll have a good Johnson Controls battery for about 70% of the cost of everyone else.
I've got Ever Start Maxx in my C20. I found this battery in an impounded car that had a mfr date sticker within 2 years and took it back to Wally World for exchange, thinking it was junk battery but normally when you work for a tow service, you can find batteries in auction sale cars that you can exchange and don't have to buy a battery so I did it. That was 2011 and that battery is still kicking great and that truck might sit for a month of 2 and I go out to go pick up something and need the truck, and it cranks and cranks to fill the carb fuel bowls since the well plugs leak and starts just fine.
I just replaced the battery in the daily ricer 2 or 3 months ago. It was going to be $139-$150 everywhere for the battery the car called for and that was a pissy ass 550CCA. I went to Wally World and stuffed a 24F with 800CCA in it for $94. Figured with all the equipment and chargers I run in that car for my bidness, I could use a few more amps.