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Recommend me a quality battery charger

Lil'John

Lil'John

Former #278
Joined
May 20, 2020
Member Number
488
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1,048
Loc
Walking to the Rubicon
Short is the title. Batteries are dropping like flies, they aren't charging, and my charger looks to have shit the bed. "Old" charger was a four year old CTEK 56-158.

Long:
I've got several light use Excide Edge AGM batteries that are approaching junk status. I've tried dropping from ~2 feet. I've tried putting them on charger above for days/weeks on end only to have them not hold a charge. Two were stored off the ground.

The old charger(CTEK) doesn't appear to have a "shock" mode to it so I'm not horribly upset at it crapping out.

Is there a charger or booster that has a "kick this battery in the nuts to align it" mode to it?

I'd love to be able to recover the four or so batteries if at all possible rather than buy a shit load of new ones.

Somewhat off topic, one of the rigs is possibly on the chopping block so if I have to replace the battery, is it worth going Optima for "name" recognition to boost sales? Or is the quality still crap and not worth considering? (yeah, I know this will probably derail whole thread.:homer:)
 
Optima is crap since production moved to Mexico. I have a genius charger and I'm impressed with it. It'll even charge lithium batteries along with normal lead acid, agm etc.
NOCO GENIUS5, 5A Smart Car Battery Charger, 6V and 12V Automotive Charger, Battery Maintainer, Trickle Charger, Float Charger and Desulfator for AGM, Motorcycle, Lithium and Deep Cycle Batteries https://a.co/d/4gyIeL6
 
I have a NOCO as well and it's a really nice charger. I'll have to check the model # when I get home, but it does Lead acid, AGM, maybe lithium? Standard and repair charging, plus a boost mode.
 
Harbor Freight sells a blue one, it shocks the battery, it does all kinds of shit.

I have 2 of them and run the shit out of them on all types of batteries.

I am very happy with them.

I know HF has a somewhat shitty rep here but these chargers are good and I have had them for 3 years now, I recommend them.


EDIT just checked, not carried anymore.
 
Noco, mine does all the different types of batteries as well as voltages.
NOCO GENIUS5, 5A Smart Car Battery Charger, 6V and 12V Automotive Charger, Battery Maintainer, Trickle Charger, Float Charger and Desulfator for AGM, Motorcycle, Lithium and Deep Cycle Batteries https://a.co/d/8twOC6B
 
5 amp would take days on bigger batteries though. I have a Nogo one, takes couple 1-2 days for a set of dead group 65s.

I've been looking for something that can do 20 amp trickle in 12 and 24v and 500+ amp starting.
 
my only complaint with the noco is the proprietary connection
 
I’ve had several batteries that my noco wouldn’t recognize as batteries and wouldn’t send juice to. Sometimes I can put it to “12v supply” and feed juice to the battery for a bit, then switch it over to battery charging. But that will trip out if the battery is capable of pulling much juice. Is there some way to outsmart the smart charging?
 
 
OHV Wildcat said:
I’ve had several batteries that my noco wouldn’t recognize as batteries and wouldn’t send juice to. Sometimes I can put it to “12v supply” and feed juice to the battery for a bit, then switch it over to battery charging. But that will trip out if the battery is capable of pulling much juice. Is there some way to outsmart the smart charging?
Click to expand...
It's a shitty solution but I've found that running jumper cables to a good battery will typically allow me to get a charge started. I hate these new smart chargers, they all suck.
 
I have an Optima charger that works fine for me. Auto/Marine, MC, AGM.
 
RunningProblem said:
This might also work if you convince it to ‘winterize’ your batteries.

www.harborfreight.com

4Amp Fully Automatic Microprocessor-Controlled Battery Charger/Maintainer

Amazing deals on this 4Amp 12V High Freq Battery Charger/Maintainer at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.
www.harborfreight.com www.harborfreight.com
Click to expand...
DERAIL: I've been thinking about setting up a brodozer flush mount plug on my diesel that runs a battery maintainer and the glow plugs for the winter months. This charger looks up my alley on that. You have experience with it?
 
PXL_20230327_124854377.jpg


Noco G15000. Had it for a few years, zero complaints.

OHV Wildcat said:
I’ve had several batteries that my noco wouldn’t recognize as batteries and wouldn’t send juice to. Sometimes I can put it to “12v supply” and feed juice to the battery for a bit, then switch it over to battery charging. But that will trip out if the battery is capable of pulling much juice. Is there some way to outsmart the smart charging?
Click to expand...
A buddies AGM wouldnt charge, i used that trick to convince the charger to charge it. Took a couple tries to get it to work. Didnt matter tho, the battery couldnt hold a load. It would charge up but the second you load tested it, dead. I wouldnt call that a failure on the chargers part, it was right in thinking that the battery was done for.
 
posford said:
DERAIL: I've been thinking about setting up a brodozer flush mount plug on my diesel that runs a battery maintainer and the glow plugs for the winter months. This charger looks up my alley on that. You have experience with it?
Click to expand...
I used it to charge some batteries in my garage. I don’t know if it would work for glow plugs though.
I did a flush Mount on my truck for the glow plug/block heater I can PM you.
 
I have a stanley 25 amp. It works well.
It has a boil the shit out of it "recondition" mode that appears to ignores the battery state of charge/voltage and just hits it with 16 voltsish.
 
You don't want anything made by Schumacher Electric, they are fucking JUNK. Now I have an old Associated that I bought in the late 70's and it still works, I use this thing every week, I do a lot of diesel work and this thing gets a workout all the time.
 
I'd say SOLAR, but the last new one I bought let the magic smoke out 3mo after the 5y warranty expired:mad3:

It was good while it lasted though. If you are running start/boost alot you might want to find an old one, pre-electronic control.
 
87manche said:
I have a stanley 25 amp. It works well.
It has a boil the shit out of it "recondition" mode that appears to ignores the battery state of charge/voltage and just hits it with 16 voltsish.
Click to expand...
Is this what your Stanley looks like? Because I have an identical looking Black and Decker that reliably doesn’t do shit. It always immediately claims my dead batteries are fully charged and goes to “float”. I’d like to have a ignore battery state of charge and apply 16v for an hour setting, so I’d maybe buy one if I got the wrong one or something.

If mine is just messed up, maybe it’s worth rolling the dice on another one.

A8B2CFBA-7DE6-4C1D-BB49-A5A6CA690DD0.jpeg



I have an old-school type charger by Rizk. I’m also not a fan of that. It will do exactly what I just described, but it weighs 70 pounds and is generally frustrating. As in, it cost a lot of money, but the cord holder things are the shittiest thing I’ve ever seen, and every time I use it I’m reminded I was a sucker for “buy American, even when the product is retarded” thing.
 
that's the one.

I haven't had any problems.maybe a different revision?
Who knows what they change inside the box without warning.
 
get an alternator out of a car that has an agm battery and run it with a 1750rpm 120v motor?
 
Associated is the common one I see in shops.

USA built and heavy, so guessing good solid parts. Veteran owned too if that matters.

Gonna pay for it though...


 
IowaOffRoad said:
That looks identical (other than color) to the 15yo John Deere wheel charger I fished out of the work dumpster and had repaired for $35.
Click to expand...
I almost snagged one at work.

The mechanic threw it out because the volt/amp knob broke off and "no way to know the setting".. me... yeah, that sucks... I'll bring it out to the trash bin for you

I was carting it to my car when the boss man pulled up and about shit a lead brick when I told him it was in the trash.

They bought some cheaper ones from Napa and we killed them within weeks. One didn't even last a day.
 
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