Yes it is interesting how battery manufacturers disagree between themselves and how information changes over time.
The lead acid battery has been around a long time but we still seem to be learning and as load conditions change so does the information on how to deal with it.
In the old days few batteries were floated, probably the only major float application was telephone exchanges.
Usually batteries were worked fairly hard in earlier installations. With the coming of solar much of the loading conditions have changed.
A few years ago most manufacturers stated that lead acid batteries on float did not need cyclic discharge.
I am inclined to agree that the occasional high discharge is beneficial as long as you can fully recharge immediately. I also think that an occasional discharge at high current is beneficial if the normal load current is low compared with maximum intended discharge current. It need not be to a high level of discharge to be useful.
What has been found best for VRLA and gell batteries doesn't always seem to best suit flooded batteries.
Flux