The second part of the question has to do with what you need from the charger itself. There are two main areas to consider when shopping for a trickle charger. The plastic exterior is flimsy and breaks easily. One big advantage of CTEK design is you can count on their chargers to be safe in all use circumstances. Brimming with the latest technology, CTEK’s MXS 7.0 is equally effective as a 12V power supply (up to 7A output), a fast charger, and also a long-term battery conditioner. Sulphation affects all kinds of lead/acid batteries AND every CTEK charging program starts with a desulphation step, so you do not have to worry about that. The CTEK MUS 5.0 can charge most 100 amp hour batteries in about 8 hours, though it may take as long as 15 hours if the battery is badly depleted. The charger’s smart sensors read the battery’s needs and respond accordingly. Easy, right? According to several review sites including Amazon and Overstock.com, consumers are giving this CTEK Multi US 7002excellent ratings and reviews. There are also CTEK trickle chargers that can be used to automatically maintain the battery of a car or golf cart which is not going to be used for quite some time. They’ll need a correspondingly powerful battery charger to maintain them. That’s a no small feat, considering that a lot of other chargers fail after only a few years of regular usage (according to what I’ve discovered through various subreddits, forums, and by reading customer feedback). The CTEK MXS 5.0 is ideal for maintaining batteries, especially large batteries like those found in trucks and SUVs. While I do not consider myself to be a car guy (depending on who you ask), I do enjoy watching car shows and learning about cars. I already mentioned the CTEK Indicator Eyelet accessory, which I’ll probably buy later on, but there are many more CTEK accessories available. Charging boxes and charging cables for your electric vehicle. The CTEK 7002 is the company’s high-end, 8-step battery charger. Share Article Just one more thing: Do not mix Stratification with Sulphation problems. As you drive, the alternator refills the charge taken from the battery. Business. They also extend the maximum life of a battery. Before charging, the charger will make a quick diagnosis of the battery to establish if it can receive and hold a charge. What counts as electrical components? Update: This article was updated in June 2020 to include a Q&A with the CTEK Support Team and to additionally present two CTEK accessories. However, all EFB and most AGM batteries are recommended to charge with the normal 14.4V voltage. In the winter, the car nearly didn’t start on several occasions. There’s also a port on the monitor to plug in a charger when necessary, again sparing you the need to open the hood. The current battery (Topla, 72 Ah) is also showing signs of weakness. Here’s how a branded CTEK charger for the Swedish high-performance car brand, Koenigsegg, looks. So, a battery may seem fully charged but can be emptied by one start attempt. In fact, if you happen to own multiple vehicles, you can buy special CTEK indicator eyelets. A larger, more powerful charger like the CTEK MXS 5.0 below will be ideal to keep it running its best. These cars, in most cases, aren’t daily drivers, so maintaining their batteries is a must. To get to the final step (100% charge), it needed about 18 hours in total. When you choose the Recond program, you should note that the Recond program always starts with a normal battery charging program. The biggest benefit seems to be the ability of the charger to work in any weather conditions, and at extreme temperatures. CTEK battery chargers can bring your battery back to life. There’s a special ‘float/pulse’ mode … This makes the CTEK MULTI US 7002 the best CTEK battery charger for all-weather use. The CTEK MXS 5.0 is a workhorse of a battery charger. You need to know the type of battery or batteries you’ll be charging (for example, car, motorcycle, snowmobile, marine, 12 volt, 6 volt) and how quickly you want your charger to work. That’s not the only thing that draws people to these chargers, though. Depending on the readings, the charger may move forward through the stages or go back to the bulk charging or absorption stages at this point. Share Article Desulphation starts every charging program (for lead-acid batteries) and the charger pulses voltage peaks to remove sulphuric acid crystals that have been built up inside the battery. CTEK (56-353) MULTI US 7002 12-Volt Battery Charger. Find the right battery charger for your vehicle. A lower charge is used than in the bulk charging stage. Visit our Business website. Please check with the battery manufacturer to get the correct information for your particular battery, as CTEK does not have the particular recommendations for each and every battery brand and model. The MXS series can charge and maintain all kinds of motorcycle and car batteries. According to VARTA, 39% of all car breakdowns are caused by the battery. You just need to stretch it over your charger and you are good to go. I also wasn’t sure about a few other things, and I could not find answers to those questions in the manual, on the CTEK website, or on their YouTube channel. Unassumingly packaged, in the box, we get the charger (which is sturdy and hard-wearing) and two different kinds of clamps — traditional crocodile clips that you attach to the battery and 'eyelets' … For my needs, the CTEK MXS 5.0 is just perfect. It’s compact enough to carry in a glovebox or backpack. High-performance vehicles demand more out of every system and the battery is no exception. Verify your battery’s capacity before using one of these chargers on it. The CTEK MXS 5.0 Battery Charger is a compact well developed smart battery charger that can also evaluating battery status and help revive even the most discharged battery back to live. The charging speed is, of course, dependent on the surrounding temperature and the power of the charger. For his car and motorcycle collections, Harry uses a battery charger/maintainer made by the Swedish company, CTEK. ... CTEK Accessories . You don’t even need to unplug the battery before charging it, making the CTEK MUS 4.3 one of the most user-friendly tools you’ll ever own. Basically anything that’s not run by the engine. Yes, gel batteries can be recharged with lead-acid CTEK battery chargers on the “normal” mode. They were the first company to pioneer the smart car charger. Our only major complaint about the CTEK 40-206 MXS Battery Charger is the quality of the clamps. The multi-step maintenance program used in CTEK battery chargers is broken down into 8 different steps. If you happen to own a luxury or high-performance vehicle, there’s a good chance that you already own a CTEK charger, and you don’t even know it. That spares you the need to buy new batteries as often. In this section, we’ll provide you reviews of the ten deep cycle battery chargers we see as the best on the market. The battery was charged to 100% in about 8 hours. There is no need for any specific knowledge of batteries or their charging requirements – the MULTI US 7002 will take care of that. My CTEK MXS 5.0 is a 12V charger with 4 different charging programs: It can charge batteries from 1.2Ah up to 110Ah, and it can maintain batteries up to 160Ah. It has a built-in solar MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracker) regulator. This is an excellent no-frills 12v battery charger. Your email address will not be published. AutoInstruct presents a quick review and instructional video for the CTEK MXS 5.0 Battery Charger. While the maximum charge current is a relatively modest 7A, that’s still adequate for the rapid charging of most batteries. Since this development, they’ve continued to stay on the cutting edge, using state of the art technology to give you the best charge and maintenance available. Reconditioning deeply discharged batteries. Battery Tender Plus 021-0128. Brimming with the latest technology, CTEK’s MXS 7.0 is equally effective as a 12V power supply (up to 7A output), a fast charger, and also a long-term battery conditioner. Bulk charging. Henrik is a minimalist and founder of DM. The CTEK XS 0.8 is a small fully automatic 6-stage charger that delivers 0.8A and charges 12V batteries from 1.2 to 32Ah and maintenance charging up to 100Ah. For homes with multiple cars, you really want a charger that you can use on all the cars in your garage which is why this CTEK (56-353) MULTI US 7002 12-Volt Battery Charger is such a great find. State of the art motorcycle battery charger. In general, if you are not sure about the battery type, it’s always better to charge with lower voltage than a higher voltage. The CT5 Protect Bumper is almost a must for anyone who wants to thoroughly protect their charger (the charger is an expensive device, after all). You need to mount these small devices on your batteries, and they will show you the battery’s charge levels via green, yellow, and red LED lights. High-performance car batteries typically have a higher capacity and can provide more power than regular 12-volt lead acid models. Still not sure whether you want a CTEK battery charger—or which one is right for you? That setting is safe to use for all battery types (lead-acid, including GEL, EFB, AGM, etc.). Started … Its purpose is to charge a battery at its… Typically anything under 16 … CTEK AB is a Swedish company with a world-wide reputation for their CTEK battery charger. This question is two-fold: what you expect out of your vehicle, and what you want in a charger. Soft start. That’s a lot! Now, because one of our family cars was having issues starting on cold mornings, I wanted to get a car battery charger anyway (I didn’t want to give up and just buy a new battery). When conventionally charged – by the charger or the alternator – only the parts that are still “healthy” will be charged. After originally publishing this review, I got in touch with the CTEK support team with the above questions. I’m regularly rotating my charger among three cars and I know that this Bumper will help to keep it in pristine condition. These numbers designate the output power of the charger, which is 3.8, 7, or 10 amps. Let’s take a quick look at the best features of CTEK battery chargers: Most CTEK chargers have specialized programs for reconditioning your battery. See More Reviews. … CTEK can revive and restore deeply discharged, stratified, or old batteries. As a result, your battery will always get an optimal charge. Desulphation. Will that cause damage to the charger or the battery? Related: 5 Best Heavy-Duty Jumper/Booster Cables. Step 3: BulkThe charger will charge the battery with a maximum current up to approximately 80% of its capacity. All three of these chargers are great products, but if pressed to pick a favorite we’d have to go with the CTEK Multi US 7002. That depends on which model you get and the capacity of the battery you’re charging. This way you’ll never risk overcharging the battery or using the wrong setting. This connects permanently to your battery using O-rings and tracks its current charge. This AGM charger is … The car itself is an MY2011, and it’s on its 3rd battery. The charger will monitor the battery voltage and give it pulses when needed. However, I do know that it’s an AGM battery. As mentioned in the introduction, CTEK is consistently on the cutting edge. I have no idea what kind of battery is in the car because it doesn’t say in the owner’s manual, and the data-sheet isn’t visible on the battery. Thompson recently became the first female member of the Colorado Mile 200 MPH Club with a top speed pass of 201.2 mph on her Quicksilver Powersports Lubricants/CTEK sponsored BMW. Published 28 April 2016 By James Mills. It’s the easy way to charge and maintain all your batteries. If the car isn’t driven for a week or so, it definitely struggles when the engine is started. This typically involves a process known as desulphation. This one was good until just a few weeks ago when it stopped working on a new AGM battery. Recond is made for remixing flooded acid inside the battery – hence, stratified batteries. Using the maintenance function may allow you to restore a battery that has stratified, though it does depend on how bad the damage is. Everything they do is about charging and maintaining batteries in one way or another. CTEK 56-959 Silver MUS 4.3 TEST & CHARGE 12 Volt Fully Automatic Charger and Tester. CTEK supplies battery chargers to some of the most prestigious automotive and power sport manufacturers in the world. It can be a very helpful accessory for vehicles with frequent battery or power issues, letting you track the problem and solve it more quickly. This accessory helps make charging your car battery a breeze. This is much cheaper than buying a separate charger for each vehicle. You can trust the accuracy of its readings and that gives you peace of mind when you use one. Many will also let you know valuable information about your battery, with indicators telling you the sulphation level and overall battery status. Another great feature of these chargers is that they are spark-free and reverse polarity protected (you can’t do any damage to the battery or your charger). Learn more. The desulphation and reconditioning functions on CTEK chargers will not work on multiple batteries in parallel, though. The first one failed after about 3-4 years (internal relay). CTEK Pro Battery Charger MXS 10 Review Charging a car battery is somewhat of an unknown for many people as different cars can have different types of batteries and there is the whole playing with … Published 28 April 2016 By James Mills. Q: What if I select the AGM mode, but the battery isn’t AGM? When the charger light turns green, the program is completed. The best way to avoid stratification is to keep the battery full, so a CTEK charger can definitely help with that. A battery charger doesn’t have to be just for emergencies. Porsche contracted CTEK to make their device and, of course, charge twice as much. As long as the acid and the water of the electrolyte in the battery are well mixed, the battery works as it should. Chargers are also a helpful tool to have around for long-term maintenance, preventing problems before they happen. This step is designed for long-term maintenance of batteries that don’t get much use. If the battery has undergone stratification, the recondition stage is activated. CTEK’s are also used by car dealers, first responders, and other professionals who need their cars or machines to be ready at all times. This 12-volt high frequency/5 … Just plug the charger to the battery and let its sensors do the rest. Even with daily use, though, lead sulphate crystals can accumulate inside your battery. The unit is completely sealed and spark-proof and will alter the user in the case of reverse polarity. $120. The other models in this series are MXS 3.8, MXS 7.0, and MXS 10. The CTEK Multi US 7002 is the best charger for you to take with you on the road. 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