Lela Stratton
Battery Tender
Schumacher SE-SE-4022
Black+decker Bm3b
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Picture this scenario, your name is Agent x (not like a spy or anything). You wake up, take a bath, and wear one of those special suits you always keep tucked behind all your shinny but still raggedy clothes. It’s Monday, you are feeling so pumped up to go to work. Okay, maybe that was a bit of a stretch, nobody likes Mondays!
Anyway, back to my story. So you take your breakfast hurriedly, you don’t want to be late because you are already on your second strike, third strike and you have to start inventing new excuses for being late, and you really don’t want that!
So, you grab your car keys and hop along to your car like the little red riding hood. You start the car and nothing, the battery is dead! You are devastated so you succumb to depression and sulk for the rest of your life! Okay, maybe not but c’mon my story has to have a dark ending now!
The truth is, in retrospect you will wish you had solved your car issues earlier! But you don’t have to be Agent x, because you can get that battery charger early enough to avoid any ensuing challenges.
There are so many models of battery chargers out there. Some are fast, some are slow and others are expensive. But this doesn’t come near to the frustration experienced when your battery depletes when you need it the most, talk about Avatar!
A battery charger is as important as that spare wheel. But the complexities of battery chargers and how they work are unknown to many, but that’s why you have me now! Here are the best five battery chargers to easily put in your shopping cart without a hint of doubt.
Best Car Battery Charger List
1
Battery Tender 021-0123
The battery Tender 021-0123 is an exciting battery charger really, it’s like an MI7 James Bond battery charger, if that makes any sense. From its design to its state of the art features which are very safe if I am being frank. It works safely when connected meaning it doesn’t produce sparks.
It is also designed with a mode that allows for it for switch to float mode of charging when your battery is full. In case your battery charger reduces, this mode is activated and the battery charger resumes charging, also with a 12 foot cord you can bet all will be well.
When it comes to the ease of use, this battery’s ratings are through the roof. It can charge all lad acid batteries. The compact design not only makes it easy for storing either in your garage or trunk but also portable when you want to start charging your battery, it also has a LED light.
Pros
Cons
2
Schumacher SE-SE-4022
It is designed for 6 and 12 volt batteries. What I like about the Schumer SE-SE-4022 is that is gives you three charging options to ensure that your battery is in the most ideal condition possible. One is 12 amps that are solely for emergency ignition of the engine.
Then a 40 amp charger that boosts the charge to full in a record time of 1 to 3 hours which should save you quite some time if you are in a hurry to go somewhere. The last one is a 2 amp charger that is able to charge a 12 volt battery smaller than the average in about 1 -12 hrs.
For a long lasting effect, this battery is manufactured with a cooling fan inhibits overheating which subsequently results in the better performance. It is also able to decode any charging problems with your battery and the best thing is the wheel configuration that makes it portable.
Pros
Cons
3
Black+decker Bm3b
If you are going to break the bank for a battery charger, then it better be a quality battery charger. One that will not have any challenges day in day out, I mean you already have enough to deal with in your life! The BLACK=DECKER BM3B is definitely a quality battery charger.
This battery can be used to charge your other motor vehicles, from cars to motorcycles. It gives you an option of either a 6 volt or 12 volt charge, you can easily switch between the two options whenever you want. It is designed to immediately stop charging once the battery is full.
It has a built in circuit that keeps issues like overcharging or short circuiting at bay. Apart from that it is extremely easy to use, that is the connection process is made a breeze using clips and terminals and the best part is that you can utilize it for testing the conditions of your battery.
Pros
Cons
4
Battery Tender Plus 021-0128
With a compact simple design the Tender Plus 021-0128 looks generally average or something DJs use in their nightly escapades. But on closer look at the specifications, it stands out like a beautiful beastly force of nature able to endure anything thrown against it.
It is a strong 1.25 amp charger that delivers fast and efficient charging to your car battery. I know what you are thinking, 1.25 amp? But in truth it does an outstanding job. It comes with sufficient cords to guarantee everything goes smoothly, they include; 6 ft Ac power cord and 4.5 ft Dc cord.
To make sure that your safety is in good hands, it is protected against reverse polarity and clearly indicates this using flashing lights. Like many of the other battery chargers in this list, the Tender Plus 021-0128 is able to activate float mode when your battery is fully charged.
Pros
Cons
5
Noco Genius G750
Are you looking for a portable battery charger? If so then the NOCO Genius G750 might be more to your liking, it has a strongly compact design that gives off an aura of substance with the first glance, and it surprisingly performs well to back up this spectacular design.
It provided two chargers, a 12 volt and 6 volt charger all in one package destined to give you with the utmost high performance and eliminate any dismal challenges associated with other types of car battery chargers. It is also able to conduct an analysis of the damages in your battery.
It is able to maintain your battery at top standards by preventing overheating and short circuiting. This is because it does not overcharge your battery even when it is full, leading the extended life span of your battery. Plus it is easy to store and carry around and has an LED Indicator.
Pros
Cons
Things to Consider Before Purchasing the Best Car Battery Charger
As humans we must learn to accept and concede defeat in instances where we lack the necessary hacks of life or different branches of life. It is for this reason that anyone who doesn’t understand the scope of their car battery and how it works can be totally be understood.
The most commonly known issues plaguing cars and leading to their mechanical stop is when they run out of fuel. But a car can also come to a perilous stop when the battery runs out of juice, in this case you have to use a battery charger to jolt it back to life.
With the advent of technology and its fast pace, manufactures are finding new ways to invent machines and many other equipment. Car components, such as car batteries have not being left behind, as they are more modernized and versatile.
This is a great initiative, however it bears the implications that you must be up to date with the modern improvements. The old batteries were satisfied with the use of alternators to restart the battery, but it might have devastating effects on some of the modern batteries.
Therefore, before you buy a car battery you must not only understand the type of battery you are using but also cater in other fundamental factors like your safety and that of the product. Anyway without further ado here are some of the important factors to check in a car battery.
The Voltage
The voltage delineates the power used to push an electric current. As we know batteries undergo certain chemical reactions that produce electricity to start the engine. The voltage is a very crucial to take into account when buying a battery charger.
How exactly? Well you must ensure that the voltage of the battery charger matches that of your battery. This is why it is very important to know your battery type, but we will get to metrics of that a bit later.
A battery like lead acid batteries generally have about six cells that are connected in series each with a voltage of 2 V, hence the 12 V. However, this voltage varies depending on the activities undertaken by your battery.
When your car is not running, the voltage is about 12.6 V and changes when faced by an array of challenges like for example a temperature of below freezing point, as you might have noticed already that the condition of your battery is particularly shaky in the cold season.
What is the right car battery charger? Glad you asked, when you scout the market you can easily find a battery charger with a voltage that is appropriate for your battery. Most battery chargers come with two voltage options.
If you desire versatility, whereby you can not only charge your car but other vehicles around you with varying battery sizes. Then you can go with a battery charger with a 12 V and 6 V, this will leave room for flexibility and at the end of the day it is a good investment.
The Amperes
Okay! Hold your thought I think I am getting some sort of telepathic communication and I know what you are thinking, what is up with all this physics? Well I totally feel your pain, physic teachers were really onto something!
Moving on, ampere is the rate at which charges flow. Now, remember that I emphasized on the importance of understanding your battery and the amount of amperes in your battery charger can have positive or devastating effects on your battery, so as you can see “It’s all coming together.”
The amperes of your battery charger determine how fast your battery is going to charge. Since speed is important, I mean you don’t want to miss out on that date! The Fast and Furious franchise was well aware of the impact that title would have on the fans.
Ordinarily, the ampere capacity of car batteries is 48amp, hence when buying a battery challenger it is imperative to sample different amps in your mind and calculate to see if they will be able to charge you battery fast.
Of course, fast charging can damage your battery we unchecked. Battery chargers come with a various amps from 2amps to even 40 amps. How do you tell the time it will take to charge? Oh, yes! So sorry I that should have been my first order of business.
Well, your battery has a capacity of 48 amp, meaning electrons are moving at a rate of 1 amp every hour. So when you buy a 2 amp battery charger it should take 24 hrs to fully charge your battery, a 40 amp battery could take about 1 to 2 hrs.
Either of them are totally fine depending on how fast you want to charge your battery. Disclaimer! You must also consider whether the charging is disconnected manually or automatically. This is to prevent the consequences of overcharging your battery, like for example your battery wearing out quickly.
Safety of the Battery Charger
Handling a car battery charger is not without its risks. To some point you can say it’s a dare devil mission, because you are putting your life in tremendous danger. And the slightest mishap can result in traumatic injuries, the mere thought of it makes me shudder.
I am not kidding around, as much as you want to get that battery charger so bad. You must make sure that it is equipped with the necessary safety features that will keep you, the product and the environment safe.
The battery produces hydrogen gas during charging and this could be extremely hazardous to be specific it could cause an explosion when mixed with air or when torched by let’s say a cigarette. You could also get shocked by the battery if you place it the wrong way.
That is why you should be sceptic when buying a car battery charger. Luckily, some manufactures have long since noted some of these impeding problems and taken the necessary precautions to keep you safe, here are some of the safety features you should look out for:
Reverse Polarity Protection
What is reverse polarity? To answer this we must understand the concept of polarity. So the negative terminal possesses more electrons than the positive terminal.
When a conductor is connected between these terminals, the correct way of course. Electric charges move from the positive terminal to the negative terminal, resulting in the production of electricity.
However, here is where it gets messy. If you somewhere confuse the two terminals and connect the clips wrongly reverse polarity occurs and could evidently shock you. But some many products install a reverse protection like a circuit or relay.
Float Mode
When you decide to buy a smart battery charger for your battery, you must consider the fact that there is a high risk of it overcharging at all times. That is why you must be on your toes to make sure this doesn’t happen.
Overcharging leads to the damage of your battery and reduces its life span, with each occurrence. Manual chargers require you to be there when the battery is full so that you immediately disconnect the charger.
Others come with timers, which is effective. The best option is smart chargers, they are designed to activate a float mode when the battery is charged to full. During float mode, a small amount of current is maintained to prevent self-discharge of the battery.
Since you will want to maybe leave your battery in the garage and run some errands. Which could take hours or even days, the float mode will ensure that your battery is not overcharged and it doesn’t self-charge either, so it’s a win win situation.
This concept sounds similar to what a trickle charger does. Is it the same? Well the answer is yes and a huge no. A trickle charger maintains a constant current even when the battery is full, this could lead to overheating and damage of the battery.
Special Mentions
Those are the two main modern safety features installed in battery charges to prevent damage or injury. But there are others I would like to mention, just to equip you with enough knowledge.
You can check if the charger comes with a spark protection. Since sparks can lead to an explosion. The other features include; overload and overvoltage protection and that’s pretty much it, I believe you have enough confidence now in modern battery chargers.
The Price
As you know the price is a pretty obvious factor when buying virtually any product. If you have a well thought out budget then chances are it will be easy to get your hands on a quality and reliable battery charger.
This is because a budget helps you narrow down to a pocket of budget oriented products and when you rummage through that pocket, you will most definitely come out with your golden prize.
Conclusion
Having the best car battery charge will sort you out big time. You can say goodbye to all the frustrations and challenges that arise from having a depleted battery. Your battery will be able to function at all times with a battery charger in your arsenal.
If you come across a few hurdles when choosing the best car battery charger, then you can simply fall back to the list above. All of those battery chargers are worth your time and time, but since you only get to take one home, the “James Bond “ Battery Tender 021-0123 takes the day.
This charger gives you an option of three amps, a 12 amp that you can use for starting the engine, 40amps to quickly charge your battery and 2 amp if you are not looking for a fast charge. It is an exceptional product that will definitely leave a mark on you!
