best car battery charger – Automotive Accessories Devices

Cars are essential assets and are also an integral part of our everyday lives. They help us get to our workplaces or go for family vacations hassle-free. The functionality of cars, however, depends on the battery, which is vital for powering. Most car owners can cite an instance where their car battery let them down, especially when they haven’t used them regularly. For such car owners, getting a new and best car battery charger may be the first thought that comes to mind, but they may not have to buy one after all.

Car battery chargers have become valuable additions for car owners, as they help get their cars up and running again. They, therefore, come in handy in emergencies and instances where a car has been parking in the garage for a long time. With car battery chargers, purchasing a new battery can wait until your scheduled car servicing and maintenance. Just like any other device or accessory, getting the best car battery charger requires that you consider various factors.

Factors to Consider When Buying a Car Battery Charger

Whenever you are out looking for a car battery charger, you shouldn’t just settle on any type. Some factors will guide you into buying the best car battery charger for the best results. Here are those factors:

Battery Type

There are various types of car batteries: maintenance-free, absorbed glass mat (AGM), wet cell (flooded), gel cell battery, and valve-regulated lead-acid (VRLA). For all the battery types except the gel cell, one car battery charger should work just fine. Gel cell batteries require gel cell chargers for proper functioning.

Battery Size

The term ‘battery size’ does not imply the physical size of the battery. Rather, it refers to the amp-hours the battery stores. Typical car batteries are about 50 amp hours, and a 10 amp charger would be an okay choice. This would take 5-6 hours to charge a battery that was completely drained.

s will guide you into buying the best car battery charger for the best results. Here are those factors:

Battery Type

Battery Size

The voltage rating of the battery charger can also be used to describe its “size.” The voltage rating of a car battery charger determines the amount of charge it can deliver to the battery. Most chargers will are 12V, meaning that they can charge a 12V car battery fully. The amp rating is what differs among battery chargers, and it determines how fast or the time it takes for a car battery to be charged fully.

A rule of thumb in calculating the total time to charge your car battery is by dividing the amp hour rating of the battery by the battery charger rating (amps) and adding about 10% of the total time. This gives you the total time it would take for the battery to charge fully.

Car owners looking for a way to recharge their batteries fast should, therefore, consider buying a charger with a higher amp rating. For moderate charging durations, a charger with a smaller rating would suffice.

Desired Results

Car battery chargers are multi-purpose and may, therefore, be used to charge car, lawnmower, and motorcycle batteries as well. For most of these batteries, having a low current battery charger will suit the need. There may also be a need to have fast and powerful battery chargers to restore wheelchair and trolling motor batteries

Depending on the need, individuals may also require to buy multi-voltage input battery chargers for use in foreign countries. Battery chargers that double up as power supplies are essential for RVs and golf carts. Waterproof battery chargers also come in handy for people living in constantly wet regions, while multi-bank chargers are essential for the charging several batteries simultaneously.

Additional Features to Look For When Buying a Car Battery Charger

There are plenty of car battery models in the market, with each having unique features. As such, it goes down to an individual’s needs in determining which one is the best for them. While the battery type, battery size, and the desired outcome may be the main factors to consider while shopping for a car battery charger, other essential features need to be considered as well. Below are some of those:

Float Mode

Car battery chargers can either be manual or automatic. With a manual charger, you will have to track the voltage levels to determine whether the battery is fully charged. Automatic battery chargers detect if the battery is fully charged and switch to a float or maintenance mode. This ensures that the battery is not damaged due to overcharging.

Such a feature defines smart battery charges, which can switch to a lower voltage (float mode) when the battery is fully charged and can also switch to higher voltage output whenever the battery is low.

Reverse Polarity Warning

This is a safety feature that helps by alerting you whenever you have hooked a charger clamp to the wrong terminal. This helps prevent dangerous sparking when connecting your car battery for charging. Such sparking may also be followed by a gas ignition, which can easily lead to an explosion. This, too, is a feature among most smart battery chargers.

Price

Just like any other product or device, you can’t buy that which you can’t afford. As such, it is important to consider your budget when you are out shopping for a car battery charger. Most importantly, you should strive to find a quality battery charger within your budget.

Spark-Proof Clamps

Even with the utmost care when recharging our car batteries, sparking can still occur when connecting clamps to the battery terminals. As such, choosing a car battery charger with spark-proof clamps helps prevent such sparking during the connection.

Battery Tester

Some car battery chargers will come with battery testers, which are great additions that help car owner determine the health of their car batteries. They can tell individuals whether their batteries are charging optimally. They can also alert about an underlying problem with their battery, like the build-up of sulfate in the plated of lead-acid batteries. This way, individuals can deal with such problems to keep their car batteries healthy.

Multi-Step Charging

Some car battery chargers offer you the chance to charge in multiple steps, giving you control over the charging process. They follow the following steps to avoid overcharging: initialization, bulk charge, absorption mode, and float mode.

Battery Tending

When looking for a car battery charger to buy, consider one that has a tending or maintenance feature. Tending by car battery chargers is especially essential for vehicles that stay unused for a long time.

Picks for The Best Car Battery Charger

especially essential for vehicles that stay unused for a long time.

Picks fo

Top 5 best car battery charger 2020

There are plenty of car battery charger models in the market today. Depending on their needs, individuals will buy one that fits their budget and search criteria. However, when talking of the best car battery charger, you can’t overlook the following battery chargers:

1. Battery Tender 2-Bank Battery Charger

This 12V smart battery charger features two charging banks enclosed in one casing. The 1.25 amp charger also comes with a maintainer station that allows the charging and storage of battery voltage, without any damages associated with trickle chargers. Its highlight features include:

· An integrated smart controller that ensures perfect charging and maintenance of the battery through the Infinite Sequential Monitoring (ISM) system.

· Reverse polarity protection to prevent potential explosion during charging.

· Spark-proof operation to protect you when making the connection.

· Float/ maintenance function to protect the battery from overcharging and other damages caused by trickle chargers.

· Temperature compensation feature to maintain an optimum voltage for charging according to the ambient temperature.

Advantages

· It features two independent charging stations, which enables you to charge two batteries simultaneously.

· It also features a solid-state two-color LED that indicates the stage of the charger, which tells when the battery is fully charged.

· The 3-step charging system (Initialization, bulk charge, and float mode) allow for the optimum charging of the battery and also prevent damage from overcharging.

· This battery charger is perfect for flooded, maintenance-free, and absorbed glass mat (AGM) batteries.

Disadvantage

· The only notable downside to this battery charger is that it cannot charge a completely dead battery.

2. Black+Decker BC15BD Battery Charger

This fully automatic 15 amp 12V bench battery charger also ranks among the best battery chargers in the market. Its notable features include:

· Fully automatic and high frequency charging features ensure a 3-stage charging, which allows for automatic switching from fast charging, to top-off, and to trickle charge.

· Reverse polarity protection to avoid the risk of explosion.

· It features an LCD screen which displays the charging status and battery status.

· It also features an alternator check to indicate if the alternator is maintaining the battery level.

Advantages

· Its battery reconditioning features extends the battery life.

· Its 40 amp engine start feature helps start just about any vehicle in well under 90 seconds.

Conclusion

Car battery chargers are investments and great additions to your assortment of tools and devices for your car. When choosing the best car battery charger, it is important to keep in mind features that enhance optimum charging of your battery, as well as maintaining its lifetime. Preferably, buying a smart car battery charger help charge your battery optimally and avoid any damages associated with trickle chargers.