Just about everyone has had that sinking feeling whenever we turn the key in our car and nothing happens. That is when having the best battery car charger in your vehicle is a lifesaver. But which ones are the most reliable and how do they work? We have a look at the top 9 chargers for your vehicle on the market for 2019 and give you a rundown on their features, how they function and what you can expect out of each of these. We look at chargers that work with different types along with what charger is necessary with respect to the size of your car battery.
So you got to know what the most updated features and extraordinary benefits can be found from the best portable car battery charger. There is another sophisticated version of battery recharger fondly tagged to be a jump starter. That can jump-start your vehicle the minutes its battery is drained to the death.
Difference between Car Battery Chargers and Jump Starters
It’s easy to confuse car battery chargers and jump-starters, particularly if you’re not a car enthusiast. Both provide power to your car’s battery, but in different ways and for different proposes. Car chargers plug into a wall outlet and deliver a small charge that maintains a battery’s charge when it is not being used. Basically, car chargers are for long-term maintenance. You use a car charger for RVs, boats, four-wheelers, motorcycles and other vehicles that often spend weeks or months without use. If you don’t frequently use a vehicle, the battery’s charge will deteriorate. However, when you frequently use a car, the alternator retains the battery charged unless the battery is dead. That is where jump-starters come into play.
A jump-starter is a battery that delivers a higher jolt of electricity to your car so that it can get started. Essentially, it temporarily takes over for your dead battery and helps your vehicle get started. Then, after the car is started, the alternator will be able to recharge the dead battery, unless the battery is old and has dropped its ability to hold a charge, which happens to all or any batteries eventually.
Things to consider before buying a car battery charger.
There are a great of various things you can search for before you purchase car battery chargers. Here is a list of the most common things you should look for before you buy.
Price
The purchase price is always an important part when you should purchase something. Consider what you are likely to use it for? How much will you to use the battery charger? If you are charging your car battery one per year, you will probably not want to buy the most expensive car battery charger in the marketplace. But if you are likely to use it for professional use at a workshop, for example, you might want to search for a more long-term car battery charger which will last a long time.
Charging Monitoring
Choosing a car battery charger with a dynamic car battery charging monitoring is essential, especially in the event that you are likely to maintain charge your car battery a lot and you intend to choose a charger with great monitoring not to damage your car battery in the long run. Generally, the CTEK chargers do have excellent monitoring. For this reason, you can almost have the car battery charger connected 24/7; it’ll do the job for you.
Maintenance mode
It maintains a completely charged cell, but it won’t recharge a drained battery. It is suggested if you use your car infrequently or if you go away for long periods of time. The maintenance mode feature is ideal for long-term storage, too.
Charging Power(Ampere)
This is the same as the topic before almost. Be sure you choose the right Ampere of your needs for your car battery charger. The majority of chargers can charge with a lot of different ampere rates. But you want to be sure you choose the right for your requirements. For example, if you are only going to maintain charge your car battery, you can select a charger under 5 amperes, while if you would like to charge quicker, I would recommend at least 10 amperes of the charger.
Safety Functions
You do also want to make certain that you choose a car battery charger with safety functions included. One of these is reverse-polarity connection safety, which may save your whole car’s electric system in the event that you accidentally connect the positive terminal to the negative and vice versa. This may destroy the complete electrical system if the safety function is not included. Another safety function you want is to select a spark-proof car battery charger when you are connecting the connectors to the car battery. Some car batteries leak battery acid, and if you generate a spark when you are plugging the charger, the battery can explode.
You should also check for a charger with overvoltage protection because overvoltage could cause severe damages to your electrical system and you don’t want that in case you are charging the car battery with it mounted to the vehicle. Overvoltage may damage the system severely and you may have to replace a lot of different control units because they are susceptible to it. This may result in a cost of over 10k$ or more.
The more informed you are the more benefit you will be. A well-researched review guideline can greatly assist you.
TOP 9 best car battery charger
1, STANLEY J5C09 Jump Starter – Best Automotive Battery Charger
Rated as the best portable jump-starter, the Stanley J5C09 is the portable jump-starter charger of preference! Useful for a wide range of applications, it’s the product to choose for jump-starting a dead battery and filling a flat tire.
Use it to trickle charge, charge your mobile phone or light up space (LED flashlight). In addition, it occupies less space in the car’s trunk and helps you in roadside emergencies.
The Stanley J5C09 has a 1000-peak amp jump starter which includes a compressor and 500-amp instant jump-start power. It is portable and simple to use, allowing you to bring back life to a flat battery without looking forward to rescuing.
Pros :
Personal electronics charging with USB and 12V outlet
Safety reverse polarity alarm for improper connection
120-PSI compressor w/ backlight gauge
Cons :
Might be damaged when not charged over a month
2, Schumacher SE-4022 2/10/40/200 Amp
The professional’s choice in chargers and ideal for fleet operations, the Schumacher Charger could work on an array of different types including both 6 and 12 voltages and includes a cooling fan to ensuring top performance and a longer lifespan. Not only will the Schumacher boost it but it may also analyze any electrical and starting system issues which is an excellent benefit especially for professionals.
It includes two rotary switches in addition to a voltmeter. It provides three options, 200-amp quick charge which will revive completely dead ones quickly, 40-amp that revives your battery in 1 to 3 hours and lastly the 2-amp trickle charge which occupies to two to twelve hours to fill a small 12-volt battery.
This is a manual wheeled that also offers battery clips for easy hookups to your battery and is fantastic for workshops, fleets and other commercial uses, as well as being at home in your garage.
Pros :
Multi-functional tester, with two rotary switches
Suitable for a wide range of applications
Built-in cooling fan for long life and high performance
Cons :
Heavy at 28 lbs
3, Battery Tender Plus 021-0128
Deltran Battery Tender® has been in the business since 1965 and plans to stay in the market for many years. They have been creating the best designs to match user requirements without sacrificing functionality. They are manufacturing and ensuring that they have the best quality control to avoid factory defects and deliver durable electrical equipment. Nowadays, they remain as one of the most trust brands, and they focus on innovating to ensure that their gadgets are up-to-date and get the latest features.
This battery charger is made tough and built to last. Its durable design ensures that you would own it for years and even the next generation will be able to use it. It has a temperature regulating chip that compensates according to the ambient temperature to deliver the right amount of voltage for fast charging.
It has reverse polarity protection that would keep you safe in the event you tapped the incorrect pole of the battery. It is rated at 1.25A charging, however, the ambient temperature control helps it charge even more quickly than a 3A charger. You don’t have to get worried about leaving your battery plugged since it has overcharge protection that switches to maintenance voltage when it is full.
Pros :
This battery charger comes with clamps and terminal ring connectors.
Works for all types of lead-acid batteries including AGM, GEL, and flooded batteries.
It has built-in safety measures to protect you and the battery from reverse polarity damage.
Cons :
Their warranty policies are quite vague.
4, BLACK+DECKER BM3B-Portable Car Battery Charger
Black + Decker is an American organization known for its top-quality power tools since the beginning of the 1900s. With more than a hundred years in existence, they have become a top brand that manufactures durable tools and other consumer electronics. Their length of existence is a testimony that speaks about their dedication to serving their customers and delivering durable power tools and consumer electronics.
This portable car battery charger takes up very little space and charges your vehicle battery just like a mobile phone! The charger is barely the size of the most common smartphones you could find on the market. It comes with battery terminal clips, rings, and an additional DC lighter plug. The plugs have quickly connected functions that enable you to cycle between the different cables easily.
It can charge 6V and 12V lead-acid type batteries efficiently. In addition to wet batteries, this product can also recharge AGM and GEL batteries. This device has a safety feature that automatically switches to a maintenance setting when the battery is fully charged.
Pros :
This battery charger is portable and convenient to carry around.
The clips, terminal rings, and DC plug have quick-connect attachments for convenient removal and attachment.
Best for maintaining your battery charged when you are not using it.
Cons :
Lacks LED indicators for different modes.
5, NOCO Genius G750
This home battery charger is suitable for maintaining all types of lead-acid vehicle batteries including cars, ATVs, motorcycles, lawnmowers and even marine batteries. Basically any kind of battery up to 30Ah. It is portable and lightweight and can safely stay linked to the vehicle’s AC outlet for up to 24 hours per day and will repair and condition even the most damaged battery. It also has a built-in monitoring system that measures the rate of charge, prevents overcharging and ensures that battery operation continues to be safe.
After moreover 3000 consumer reviews, this product maintains an average customer rating of 4.1 out of 5 stars on Amazon.com.Customers frequently comment on how effectively it costs, even though it’s running 24/7 and how helpful the battery diagnostic feature is.
Pros :
LED indicators show battery status
Charges both 6 and 12 Volt
Spark-proof technology
Cons :
Slows down with larger batteries
6, Schumacher SC-1200A
Give life to car batteries, deep-cycle, AGM or gel cell car batteries and maintain them at the same time with the Schumacher SC-1200A. This all-in-one charger provides a 12amp quick charger, 6amp charger, and 3amp maintainer and its own car voltage detection will automatically detect in case you are charging 6 or 12 volt and adjust accordingly.
The Schumacher SC-1200A automatically switches from continuous to float mode so that you can maintain your car, truck, RV or other large battery equipment. Not only that but it also has a slow option which is a trickle setting to accommodate smaller sized batteries such as ATV’s and lawn tractors.
The built-n handle is sturdy and retractable and it doubles as a cord wrap for the 50amp clamps and power cord. It is very light-weight weighing in at 3.1 pounds which adds to its portability. Includes a 2year warranty.
Pros :
This device is portable and can be easily moved.
It won’t take much space in your shed.
This product is fully automated and adjusts the voltage and amperage depending on your battery.
Cons :
This is not the best digital battery charger on the market.
7, Sunway Solar Car Battery Charger 12V Battery Trickle Charger
There are many solar battery chargers in the marketplace, but most are designed to charge your smartphone. The Sunway Solar is among the few solar chargers designed to charge car and motorcycle batteries. Because it doesn’t have a built-in amp and doesn’t need a power source, this battery charger is one of the cheapest ways to charge your dead battery, just don’t expect it to do it quickly. This battery charger is fantastic for situations where you have days or weeks to resurrect your vehicle’s battery. It’s not for emergency scenarios.
Because of its slow way of charging a battery by using power from the sunlight, don’t use the Sunway Solar to resurrect a completely discharged battery. Rather, it’s more of a battery maintenance device, an affordable device to keep your batteries powered. For example, when you park your motorhome for the winter, you just connect it to your battery, place the solar power panels on the dash, where the sunlight hits, and it keeps the battery charged throughout the entire winter.
Pros :
Durable with PV glass cover and ABS plastic housing
Alligator battery terminal clamps
Efficient solar panel
Cons :
Doesn’t quickly charge batteries
8, BLACK+DECKER BC15BD with Alternator Check
Black+Decker is an established brand that has some very balanced choices for car battery chargers. This one’s the BC15BD model, a 15-amp bench battery charger fitting for numerous kinds of car and marine 12V batteries. It’s simple to use and has all of the protections in place to make sure a secure charging experience.
There are two options to charge batteries. You can use the included clamps which attach directly to the battery in your car without having to take it out. On the other hand, you can plug the charger directly into a wall outlet and deliver continuous power to batteries that you store outside vehicles.
Also if the battery is completely dead, this charger can offer quick optimized power allowing you to start your vehicle back up in only 8 minutes. This is because of the advanced patented technology included in this model – the 40A Engine Start Timer.
Pros :
Automatic high-frequency charging
Battery reconditioning feature
15 amp charger and maintainer
Cons :
Low-quality display
9, Schumacher SE-5212A Automatic Handheld Battery Charger
There’s a great number of applications you can use this charger since it includes 50, 10, and 2-amp battery charging models. The 50-amp model is most helpful for engines that require emergency starting. In the fast charging mode (10-amp), you can recover the engine of a battery in around 4 hours. Finally, there’s trickle charge at 2-amp that is most effective for small 12-volt batteries.
If you want to make a solid investment in a car battery charger, the Schumacher SE-5212A shouldn’t miss from your own list of potential options. It packs plenty of great features for the cost and despite some drawbacks for California residents, it’s still a reliable handheld charger that’s robust and performs just as described.
Pros :
You can jump-start a vehicle with 50A using this hand-held battery charger.
This product is portable.
It comes with heavy-duty clamps.
Cons :
The unit is a little heavy for its size.
Conclusion
Selecting the most appropriate car battery charger for your needs isn’t always the most straightforward choice. I do recommend you to spend some money on a good charger because you won’t regret it. You will save money by not replacing your car battery all the time.
If you have any other questions about car battery chargers, you can comment down below. I hope you enjoyed this article as well as your new car battery charger!
No comments:
Post a Comment