Battery Chargers

[CrimsonBloodn62]

I am looking to buy me a car battery charger. Not looking to spend over $100 for one. Anybody have one they would recommend in the price range I’m looking for?

 

[Bazza]

I've only purchased some trickle/maintainer chargers lately but with a $100 budget I'm sure you can get something decent.

I usually get mine at Walmart but your local auto parts store will also carry them, as well as online sellers.

They have them with a lot of different options now. I like the 6/12 volt selection but other than that I just need something that charges.

I have an old Sears charger that used to belong to my grandfather I use when the charge drops below what my trickle/maintainer can fix.

Please let us know what you end up with if possible - always good info to have. Good luck!

 

[CrimsonBloodn62]

I've only purchased some trickle/maintainer chargers lately but with a $100 budget I'm sure you can get something decent.

I usually get mine at Walmart but your local auto parts store will also carry them, as well as online sellers.

They have them with a lot of different options now. I like the 6/12 volt selection but other than that I just need something that charges.

I have an old Sears charger that used to belong to my grandfather I use when the charge drops below what my trickle/maintainer can fix.

Please let us know what you end up with if possible - always good info to have. Good luck!
[/QUOTE

Will do Bazza. The ones I have goggled and searched I would think this would be the one and then the reviews would change my mind. That is the reason I am asking here first. lol

 

[TraskiTideFan]

I picked up an EverStart Maxx charger for those Life Happens moments with vehicles. Its spec'd at 50A / 15A / 3A. It was under a $100 at wallyworld when I got it. It will do battery maintenance too if you are really hardcore with trying to avoid having to buy a "new" battery the way prices are these days.

 

[TIDE-HSV]

Depending on what you want it for, the best trickle charger/battery maintenance tool is the "Battery Buddy," available on Amazon. I have several. As far as a rapid-charger/jump starter, all I have to say is "good luck." I've tossed three and every one has seemed to get lighter and last a shorter length of time. I'm left with my roll-around which is decades old and probably weighs 35 lb. It's unintelligent - only has a timer - but it's outlasted all the solid state stuff...

 

[Bamaro]

I would definitely recommend one of the NOCO Genius ones. The 2 and 5 are within your price range and both are a desulfator with temperature compensation.

 

[CrimsonBloodn62]

I would definitely recommend one of the NOCO Genius ones. The 2 and 5 are within your price range and both are a desulfator with temperature compensation.

I’ll check them out on YouTube. The NOCO GB40 had several bad reviews on it but the NOCO GB80 has good reviews on it. Thanks for the recommendation on the others.

 

[CrimsonBloodn62]

Depending on what you want it for, the best trickle charger/battery maintenance tool is the "Battery Buddy," available on Amazon. I have several. As far as a rapid-charger/jump starter, all I have to say is "good luck." I've tossed three and every one has seemed to get lighter and last a shorter length of time. I'm left with my roll-around which is decades old and probably weighs 35 lb. It's unintelligent - only has a timer - but it's outlasted all the solid state stuff...

I hear what you are saying. That’s what I’m trying to keep from buying is some junk charger. I will google Battery Buddy. I have not heard of that brand before.

 

[TIDE-HSV]

I hear what you are saying. That’s what I’m trying to keep from buying is some junk charger. I will google Battery Buddy. I have not heard of that brand before.

Sorry, it's "Battery Tender." It looks like this has replaced it. Unfortunately, I can't really vouch for it...

Amazon

 

[TIDE-HSV]

Sorry, it's "Battery Tender." It looks like this has replaced it. Unfortunately, I can't really vouch for it...

Amazon

BTW, those 16K rating must also apply to the model I have, which had a sturdy steel case. If the innards are the same, and they just put a plastic case on it, it should be OK. I just noticed that Amazon told me I last purchased it in April, 2015, so finger crossed, it's the same except for the case...

 

[CrimsonBloodn62]

Update on charger. I wound up buying the
Duralast 15 Amp Battery Charger and Maintainer from Auto Zone. Cost was $79.99 plus tax. I let it charge overnight and the battery worked like a new one this morning. So far very satisfied with purchase.

 

[Bazza]

Congrats on your new charger, @CrimsonBloodn62 ....I'm sure it will do what's needed and serve you well for quite a long time.

FWIW, I was at Walmart this afternoon and they must have had 12 or more different brands and types of chargers in their automotive section. Including several models of the kind @TIDE-HSV recommended...Battery Tender.

One of the projects I need to do at some point is rig up some wire harnesses on my classic motorcycles and cars so I can plug in my maintainers without having to clamp directly to the batteries...which on motorcycles are underneath other things and not readily accessible. The clamps you usually get on these maintainers aren't that great anyway.

 

[CrimsonBloodn62]

Bazza, I haven’t been to Walmart in several months. Glad I did not go there first to buy or I would have been more confused with the selections. Anyway, I think this one will serve its purpose for my needs. I guess it was my fought for having to buy one. I bought me a new 2020 Toyota Tacoma Sport last November and have not drove it in about 6 weeks. Needless to say the battery was dead.

 

[Bazza]

Baza, I haven’t been to Walmart in several months. Glad I did not go there first to buy or I would have been more confused with the selections. Anyway, I think this one will serve its purpose for my needs. I guess it was my fought for having to buy one. I bought me a new 2020 Toyota Tacoma Sport last November and have not drove it in about 6 weeks. Needless to say the battery was dead.

Don't feel bad. My Mom stopped driving a little over a year ago and her '08 Taurus wasn't being driven and it's battery went dead too. That was a new battery too I put in just before she quit driving. So I have a maintainer on it now. They are great to have.

And yeah....your head would have been spinning at Walmart - they have a lot to pick from! I looked yours up after I posted and it had very impressive reviews. Good job!

 

[CrimsonBloodn62]

Don't feel bad. My Mom stopped driving a little over a year ago and her '08 Taurus wasn't being driven and it's battery went dead too. That was a new battery too I put in just before she quit driving. So I have a maintainer on it now. They are great to have.

And yeah....your head would have been spinning at Walmart - they have a lot to pick from! I looked yours up after I posted and it had very impressive reviews. Good job!

I’m sure some of the chargers you all recommended would have worked just as well, but I did not want to order off Amazon and have to wait another 3-5 days. Besides, some items before I buy I just like to see and feel it first. Lol

 

[TIDE-HSV]

Congrats on your new charger, @CrimsonBloodn62 ....I'm sure it will do what's needed and serve you well for quite a long time.

FWIW, I was at Walmart this afternoon and they must have had 12 or more different brands and types of chargers in their automotive section. Including several models of the kind @TIDE-HSV recommended...Battery Tender.

One of the projects I need to do at some point is rig up some wire harnesses on my classic motorcycles and cars so I can plug in my maintainers without having to clamp directly to the batteries...which on motorcycles are underneath other things and not readily accessible. The clamps you usually get on these maintainers aren't that great anyway.

The pole clamps on the Battery Tender are pretty good. They also come with a couple of adapters which allow for connecting to side 1/4" poles, etc. I have had a handyman/friend help me with some stuff the last couple of years and run into the usual problems when there's someone else in your shop. I have a monster deep cycle RV battery which I keep, even though I sold our last RV a couple of years ago. I think it weighs close to a hundred pounds. When its Battery Tender charger is on, the little green LED is constant. I glanced and didn't see it. I rushed over and he had unplugged the clamps at the lead between them and the battery, but not the power strip, so I didn't notice it wasn't plugged in. I cursed and plugged it back in. Fortunately, the battery hadn't gone so low for long enough to damage it. It will power a small TV for days in a power outage...

 

[Bazza]

The pole clamps on the Battery Tender are pretty good. They also come with a couple of adapters which allow for connecting to side 1/4" poles, etc. I have had a handyman/friend help me with some stuff the last couple of years and run into the usual problems when there's someone else in your shop. I have a monster deep cycle RV battery which I keep, even though I sold our last RV a couple of years ago. I think it weighs close to a hundred pounds. When its Battery Tender charger is on, the little green LED is constant. I glanced and didn't see it. I rushed over and he had unplugged the clamps at the lead between them and the battery, but not the power strip, so I didn't notice it wasn't plugged in. I cursed and plugged it back in. Fortunately, the battery hadn't gone so low for long enough to damage it. It will power a small TV for days in a power outage...

12 volt TV?

I have a very small black and white one somewhere - I mean it's gotta be close to 30 years old now. Came with a cigarette lighter plug adapter but I cut that off and put clamps on it so I could run it off a battery like you. Would need a digital adapter now to use it, I guess. Well, that's what my generator is for. So I can just watch my big Vizio flat screen.

 

[crimsonaudio]

I’ll check them out on YouTube. The NOCO GB40 had several bad reviews on it but the NOCO GB80 has good reviews on it. Thanks for the recommendation on the others.

I have multiple GB40s (one in each vehicle) - top them oof annually, they work beautifully. All of our vehicles are V8s, my wife used it to jump her truck several times recently (bad cell, needed a new battery) - easy like pie.

 

[Padreruf]

I have one from Sears that my father bought at least 50 years ago...still works fine. I'm not sure they are still in business though...

 

[TIDE-HSV]

12 volt TV?

I have a very small black and white one somewhere - I mean it's gotta be close to 30 years old now. Came with a cigarette lighter plug adapter but I cut that off and put clamps on it so I could run it off a battery like you. Would need a digital adapter now to use it, I guess. Well, that's what my generator is for. So I can just watch my big Vizio flat screen.

The last multi-day was five+ days, nine years ago, IIRC. A bunch of tornadoes took down most of the big high voltage towers. Our power, when we got it back, was literally coming in on the ground. You make a good point, though. That 12V camping TV is long gone and I'm not sure I have one which will run on 12V now. I'll have to check. However, like you say, I have the generators. I'll run a radio with the battery. In that outage, TV was useless anyway. There was no network feed and, obviously, no cable, so it was down to what air signal they could put out with reduced generator power. As a consequence, a local country radio station, WDRM, became the local clearinghouse by default. Not only community news - government turned to it - but people sending messages to family, etc...