Battery Charger

toayoztan

Moderator
Recommendations?

Looking for a decent standard battery charger for a car battery, eg optima, die hard, etc (not the odyssey batteries that require a special charger/trickle charger).

I'm looking at amazon at their options, and I've narrowed it down to 12 volt on the filter and 4+ stars lol.

Automated, I assume is a nice feature to have where I can hook it up and walk away without worrying about it later.

Bryan
 

CMS-GT4

Active member
Since my car is not driven a lot I got a battery tender just to keep it charged. I have a cheap $30 charger good for rapid charging. If you have the money to spend getting some sort of smart charger will pay off in the long run.
 

warracer

New member
I use this one http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/4 ... ?locale=en

Its a more ''professional'' charger but its worth every penny, paid 120$ on sale. It charges extremely fast and is right on perfect voltage, its not an auto automatic charger (Since auto ones are waaay too sensitive to discharge and can call a brand new battery dead) , but it got a timer , I just always set it to 75% of the charge rate to avoid over-charging ...

Hope that helped!
 

CMS-GT4

Active member
I got the battery tender due to my other one over charging and ruining a new Odyssey battery. I am back to using optima though. Supposedly mine will prevent over charging, due to the reviews I have read.
 

sinerasis

New member
I've had a Shcumacher tender on a muscle car (regular lead acid battery) for several years now. The battery is always in great shape for yearly drives in the summer and starts right up. It's about the size of a chalkboard eraser. I leave the quick connect thing on the battery and it's a simple unplug and go... it does voltage monitoring and turns off and on as needed. It's been great as I never have to mess with it.

Also have a Shcumacher 10/2 amp 12v charger that my dad bought at some point that still works fine. It's a bigger thing, about the size of a battery itself, but have never felt the need to replace it since it keeps on working... on 10amp you can start a car after about 20 minutes or so I think.

Now that I think about it, I believe I have another Schumacher trickle charger that I rarely use. I guess that brand has done me well...
 

RedCelicaTRD

Moderator
I just use a 1.5A maintenance charger on all my stuff. I've got a Schumacher 5ish amp charger if I need something charged faster and it does just fine. If your not going to drive the car and just want to keep the battery fresh, something around an amp that will float will be all you need. They only cost around $35 and you can buy them just about anywhere.
 

Hotrodhendrix

New member
I just use an auto battery tender on my optima when I remember atleast. Lately I have driven it once or twice every few weeks so it hasnt been needed. Not sure of the brand. Just went to walmart and looked up reviews on what they had. Got the best available in front of me for 40 bucks or so I think. Has a quick disconnect which I like alot.

~James
 

OptimaJim

New member
Hi Bryan,

I noticed your question and wanted to offer some assistance. While we do have our own chargers, they aren't required to properly-maintain our batteries. In general, I would suggest units that are microprocessor-controlled and have specific settings for AGM (not gel) batteries. That should leave you plenty of options to choose from.

Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
http://www.pinterest.com/optimabatteries
 

Mafix

New member
i use delran battery tenders for the celica and my bikes. they even come outdoor rated and waterproof.
 
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