Best vs. cheapest battery maintainers.

 
webfors said:
I've got their SC1444 and SC3 units. Well built, consistent charging logic. The SC1444 "eco" float logic waits until the battery goes below 12.6v before initiating a charge cycle, unlike the persistent float charge of the SC3. I wouldn't use the SC3 on smaller motorsport batteries.

I need a battery big enough to appreciate the SC3... it doesn't get much use.

Both units were on sale at WM and relatively inexpensive.
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Yea i was looking at that one also, nice..
 
CTEK MXS 5.0 to replace my previous MUS 4.3 that I forget what happened to it, probably lost it and nothing to do with the unit itself. It keeps the battery at high volts for up to a couple or few days before it drops it down to 13.6V float (some batteries register 13.6, some 13.55, 13.54 maybe 13.51 if failing) I feel @JHZR2 and @wrcsixeight are amazingly knowledgeable on batteries.

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schwinney said:
CTEK MXS 5.0 to replace my previous MUS 4.3 that I forget what happened to it, probably lost it and nothing to do with the unit itself. It keeps the battery at high volts for up to a couple or few days before it drops it down to 13.6V float (some batteries register 13.6, some 13.55, 13.54 maybe 13.51 if failing) I feel @JHZR2 and @wrcsixeight are amazingly knowledgeable on batteries.

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Porsche and Audi sell these as their official accessories. The price is almost double because the Porsche or Audi name on it.
 
Donald said:
The only CTEK with a temperature sensor? Is it both high and low temp?

Clearly many other battery maintainers have temperature sensors (the better Battery Minder)
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No, the Ctek 2500 has a temp sensor in the positive clamp.
 
My daily go too's are -

CTEK 7002 and Optimate 6.

Standard fall winter affair.

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I own a bunch of battery maintainers, Ctek, Granite Digital (Battery Saver), Griots Garage, Battery Tender, Duracell, and Battery Minder. To be honest, they all seem to work fine and do the job. From the basic Battery Tender to the 9 stage brands, with desulfation and temperature compensation...I say get whatever you like and most importantly use it.
 
Escape08 said:
It's all up to you. If you want the ones with the bells & whistle buy the expensive ones but if you like just basic maintainer buy the cheaper ones. I have the cheapest Schumacher SC1299 which I bought in Walmart for less than $20 and it served me well for the last 6 years.
https://www.schumacherelectric.com/products/0-8a-12v-automatic-battery-maintainer/
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I mapped out the logic on that little maintainer... solid. I had two of them, but then my collection of chargers blossomed and I gave them to a friend.
 
Sometimes the "best" and the "cheapest" converge 😁

Example, this Energizer 9 stage charger is pretty slick and cost $36 Canadian (~26$ USD). I've tried it on 5 different batteries, and it's consistent. It restored my 7 year old 24DC which is now holding a 12.9v stand alone charge and now reports within CCA spec!! I was going to send that one to the battery graveyard for my $10 core charge.

 
As I said earlier, battery maintainer technology is established and there are lots of Chinese clones that have been reverse engineered and marketed. I always stayed with the original Deltran Battery Tender Plus and Junior, but I now have a Motopower MP00205A I got for half the price on Amazon that's working as advertised. You'd pretty much have to do a 10-year comparison test between different models to make a conclusion. So screw brand loyalty. Some of you have posted other brands with all kinds of bells and whistles, but do you have evidence that they're better?
 
I had 3 Schumacher 1.5amp maintainers. One lasted a decade until we sold the car it was mounted in. I bought two more based on that and neither last more than 2 years. I’ve avoided the brand since then.
 
I too have used some of the cheapo Harbor Freight chargers on lawn mowers, motorcycle, and cars over the past 15-20 years with no issues.
 
webfors said:
Sometimes the "best" and the "cheapest" converge 😁

Example, this Energizer 9 stage charger is pretty slick and cost $36 Canadian (~26$ USD). I've tried it on 5 different batteries, and it's consistent. It restored my 7 year old 24DC which is now holding a 12.9v stand alone charge and now reports within CCA spec!! I was going to send that one to the battery graveyard for my $10 core charge.

Click to expand...
 
I've got a HF "Viking" brand. 4 amp solid state. Has 6v, 12v, AGM, and cold settings. I've used it for several years on flooded, large&small AGM. No issues, and have had several batteries last 10 years with it.
 
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