There are very little differences in lead acid batteries. When you pay for a "premium" battery, what you are paying for is the warranty. FYI: there are only 3 battery manufactures in the US. They make batteries for Walmart to GM.
When I purchase a battery, I usually buy a middle of the road priced battery. Most people never use the warranty on their batteries becacuse by the time the battery starts dying we have either forgotten when/where we bought it or lost our reciept. If a battery is bad (defective), it will most likely fail during the firsst year of service. So, just make sure you buy one with a 12 month 100% replacement gaurantee.