Best Battery Charger?

There is no reason to run out and pay 150.00 for a battery charger from a specialty shop.

Battery chargers are not rocket science.

It's good to have multiple charge rates which are necessary, depending on HOW the battery was discharged, meaning, if the battery lost it's charge SLOWLY over a long period of time then you will want to recharge it SLOWLY over a long period of time, like at 2 amps.

A battery that has been worn down quickly through excessive cranking can be recharged more quickly, like at 8 amps (or more).

Ultimately, it is nice if the charger has a float feature so it doesn't overcharge.

My charger (Sears) cost me 25.00 twenty years ago and does the same job, just as well, as the overpriced ones out there.

My battery tenders are made by Schumacher, 1.5 amps with float and indicator lights..
20.00 each at Auto Zone.

Don't forget to top off the battery with DISTILLED water (if required) before charging and place absorbent materials around it in case it gasses and spills.

 

Using a "battery tender" as you describe, which is a microprocessor controlled low amperage charger, usually 1 to 1.5 amps, will take a looooooooooooong time to bring back a dead or partially charged battery (like a day or two). If you are patient, and not in a hurry, then that is fine. But if you want it done in a few hours, then you need a higher rate charger...something like 15 to 25 amps.

I own a couple chargers (Sears and Griots) along with a bunch of battery tenders (Griots, Deltran, Yuasa, NAPA, and Black and Decker). All work fine, and as mentioned by Spasso, no reason to spend tons of money....they all do the same thing. The key features are "microprocessor controlled" or "smart charger" or something to that effect, which means it shuts off when the battery reaches full charge and does not boil the electrolyte. Also, some brands come with more connection options than others. The bargain out there is the Black and Decker, and Duracell ones, which are sold at some of the big box stores like Target. Around $20 and they include clamps, cigarette light adapter, and permanent ring mounts.

For a close to dead battery, I would get a 20amp charger....get one with 2/20/100 amps or something like that. Both my Sears and Griots are like that. Then you have the option of slow charge, fast charge and 100 amp "boost" when you need to jump a dead car in the driveway.

 

I used a Deltran on my 456, and it was just fine until I took it off and wanted to start up the car and go. The battery was dead. It had slowly boiled away the water. I filled it up and took it out and had it charged. You must check the water in the battery. Now I use the battery on/off switch.

 

For a Deltran to have "boiled" away the water (it's not really boiling, of course, it's electrolysis), it likely had a fault that caused it to put out way too many amps. The standard Battery Tender is only something like 1.25 amps, and I have a very hard time with the idea of that amount of juice over-charging a battery dry. I suppose it's possible if you had the charger on for a very long time and never checked the battery's electrolyte level.

 

I had to get smart on battery chargers when I had my sailboat. Float-type chargers reduce charging amperage as the battery reaches capacity and shut off at full charge. Common trickle chargers operate on low but constant current even after full charge is reached. The key with float chargers is to pick one with an adequate bulk charging rate so the battery is back to full charge when needed. The little 2A units at Sears don't handle deeply discharged batteries well. You'll find a better selection of battery chargers at a place like West Marine or a commercial battery shop than at Pep Boys or Sears.

Trickle chargers are OK for recharge but not charge maintenance; left connected more or less continuously they're hell on batteries. Further, automotive battery life is greatly reduced by frequent deep discharge/recharge regardless what kind of charger is used.

 

I have a Sears Craftsman automatic battery charger. It works great. Connect it, plug it in and it charges the battery, and shuts itself off when the job is done. No worry about over-charging. And it was not expensive. Watch the Sears ads, they go on sale all the time. I also have a couple of Sears battery tenders. If the battery is not dead or substantially drained, the Sears tenders do a great job of keeping the battery topped up during storage. Fully automatic, just connect and plug it in and then forget about it until you're ready to start the car.

IMHO, no need for an expensive unit, unless you are a professional shop and need one of those big capacity units that does all kinds of tests as well.

 

i got a battery tender jr[brand] i use to keep three bikes charged up, using a ringterminal plug in on each bike makes it easy to swap the charger to a different bike.
it also came with a set of clamps that plug in as well.

i would avoid the vector brand, i have a cheap one of theirs i bought at a lowes and it is really a piece of junk, it always says reverse polarity/kicks off.

i plan on buying a battery tender plus for the garage dutys of bringing the boat battery back up after sitting on the shelf all winter.

they are reasonably priced on amazon etc......

 

I'm using a CTEK MXS 3600 smart charger from 2 years ago. It runs very well and no problems at all. It charges and maintains the battery, and the working temperature is good. My experience with the CTEK is very good.