Got this bit of info from a local automotive electrical-only independent shop. His advice regarding cold cranking amps is to buy the minimum CCA rating your vehicle requires - more is not better. The reason being that in order to increase the CCA, you have to have more plates in the battery. This equates to thinner plates and more inter-plate connections which spells shorter battery life due to vibration and internal corrosion. Also, when discharged and recharged repeatedly, the thinner plates tend to warp more readily which also leads an early demise. He likes the deep or marine cycle batteries for long life as long as the amp rating is sufficient for the automotive application. Also, a higher CCA rating can fall off quicker as you crank it so that during extended cranking, the actual output of the battery can fall below that of a lower CCA rated but more solidly built battery - not to mention the plate warpage that can result from extended cranking.
As far as the main topic of this thread, I have used most all of the brands mentioned here have had mostly good luck with all except the Die Hard. They might be better now but I had a bad time with a couple of them years ago and haven't been back. I had a Wal-Mart Ever-Start that was bad off the shelf this past spring but that's the only issue there. AC Delco is always a good choice if the price is within range. (I am a big fan of GM products and they have used them for years - and they aren't in the business of putting substandard parts in their vehicles IMHO.) Interstate has been good to me with never a problem other than availability.
Just my 12V worth.
Chuck.