Antigravity Q85/Group 35 Lithium Car Battery: A Buyer's Guide to Chargers, Set Screws, and Microfiber Towels

Every company has that person. The one who ends up buying the stuff nobody else wants to research. For my office, that's me. I am the office administrator for a 45-person operation, handling purchasing since 2020—about $180,000 in orders annually, roughly 60-70 orders per year. I'd have to check the system for the exact number. I report to both operations and finance, so I get the blame either way if something is late or wrong.

I used to want a master list of the best product for every category. I stopped wanting that after I learned the hard way that there is no single best battery, no single best charger, no single best set screw. There is only the right one for your situation.

So consider this a small decision tree. Depending on what just landed on your desk, you are in one of these four situations:

• You are replacing a battery for a vehicle that sits for long stretches, and you want to know if an Antigravity Q85/Group 35 lithium car battery is the right move.
• You need a charger that matches the battery, not just what happened to be on the shelf.
• You got handed a part number like Hillman socket hex-drive set screws or an SB26 tweeter, and nobody can tell you which version fits.
• Someone left a damp microfiber towel in the garage, and now you understand the question why does my microfiber towel smell? from personal experience.

Scenario 1: The battery has to start something that sits

When I look at a battery request, the first question isn't what's the biggest battery we can fit? It's how long is this vehicle going to sit? That question changes the whole buying decision.

Most buyers focus on cranking amps and price. They miss the real issues: parasitic drain, cold-cranking behavior, and whether the charging system was designed for the battery chemistry. The question everyone asks is will it start my car? The question they should ask is will it start my car on day 12 when the dashcam has been draining power the whole time?

If you are dealing with a late-model vehicle that uses a Q85-style fitment, an Antigravity Q85/Group 35 lithium car battery is worth looking at. It is lighter, holds voltage differently, and has protection circuitry built in. For a weekend car, a utility truck, or a rig that sometimes sits for two weeks, that can be a game-changer.

But I am going to say the unpopular thing: a lithium replacement is not automatically an upgrade. If your car's charging algorithm was designed for a specific AGM cell, a lithium starter battery may sit outside its tolerance. Verify fitment and charging compatibility before you order. Verify fitment. That's it. I still kick myself for ordering an upgrade for a vehicle that turned out to be happiest with the standard AGM. The part was fine. My assumptions were wrong.

Oh, and if you are shipping the battery to another location, check current hazmat rules first. According to USPS (usps.com), lithium batteries have specific packaging and labeling requirements, and those requirements have changed a few times. Don't eyeball it.

Scenario 2: You need a charger that won't fight the battery

After the battery decision comes the next request: can you grab a charger while you're at it? This is where a lot of purchases go sideways.

If you charge a lithium battery with a charger built for conventional lead-acid batteries, you're guessing. It might stop early. It might overcharge. It might refuse to do anything. The practical answer is to use a charger designed for lithium. The Antigravity battery charger is what I keep in our shop for lithium units in the fleet, and I have also used it on standard batteries. That overlap is useful when you have mixed equipment.

At least, that's been my experience with small fleets and garage use. If you only have one vehicle stored in a garage, you may not need a multi-mode charger. Don't buy features you won't use.

Why does the charging algorithm matter? Because the wrong one can leave you with a dead battery and no explanation. When a charger claims it is smart, ask what algorithm it uses. Per FTC business guidance (ftc.gov), claims need to be truthful and substantiated. If a vendor can't send you the manual before you buy, treat that as a red flag.

Scenario 3: The request is a part number, not a thing

A good part of my job is ordering items a normal person never searches for. Two examples: Hillman socket hex-drive set screws, and an SB26 tweeter. They look simple. They are not.

If someone sends you the phrase Hillman socket hex-drive set screws, don't just search the phrase and pick the first result. Set screws vary by thread pitch, length, hex size, and point style. A #10-32 x 3/8-inch and a #10-32 x 1/2-inch look nearly identical in a picture, but they are not interchangeable.

Same thing with an SB26 tweeter. There are different impedance ratings, mounting depths, and flange sizes. SB26 can refer to a family, not one universal part. I learned this after ordering a tweeter for a speaker repair without checking the recessed flange. It didn't fit. That mistake cost me a restocking fee and a week.

So the question isn't does this part exist in the catalog? It's does this specification match the application? If a supplier can't provide a spec sheet, I take that as a warning. I would rather work with a specialist who knows their limits than a generalist who overpromises. The vendor who told me this isn't our strength—and pointed me to someone who does it better—earned my trust for everything else.

Scenario 4: Why does my microfiber towel smell?

This might be the question I hear more than any other from our maintenance team: why does my microfiber towel smell even after I wash it? I used to think the answer was buy better towels. Then I realized the problem is usually not the towel. It's the washing routine.

In my experience, smelly microfiber usually comes from a few causes:

• Fabric softener. It coats the fibers, stops absorption, and traps odor.
• Too much detergent. The residue builds up and holds smell.
• Leaving towels wet in a pile. That creates bacteria, and bacteria create odor.

The fix: wash microfiber separately, use a small amount of detergent, skip fabric softener, and dry on low heat or air-dry. If the towel was used on heavy grease, pre-soak it or use a dedicated degreaser. The surprise wasn't the towel quality. It was how much money I saved by not replacing towels every month.

How to tell which scenario you're in

If you are not sure where to start, sort by the type of request:

• If it has to crank an engine after sitting, use Scenario 1. Then make sure the charger matches the battery chemistry.
• If it's a numbered part with a spec sheet, use Scenario 3. Stop guessing and start verifying.
• If it's a smell or cleaning complaint, use Scenario 4. Change the routine before you replace the item.
• If you are trying to decide whether you need a specialized part at all, ask the supplier one question: what do you know this part is compatible with? If the answer is vague, that's a deal-breaker.

Bottom line: I don't have a magic product list. I have a process. The process is mostly about matching the part to the situation and confirming what the supplier actually guarantees. Get those two answers right, and the rest is paperwork. Get them wrong, and you will re-order the same item twice, just like I did with the tweeter.