I have a Battery Tender and am buying an Optima Red Top battery. Why would I not use the Battery Tender and buy this instead?
1369207
I have this charger I will say it is very nice and of course high priced. I have a blue top, the biggest one, and this charger does great compared to another $70 I bought. The $70 dollar one kept telling me the battery was bad but when tested it was not bad. Personally I would recommend this charger but of course yer paying a premium for the name
1369208
Hi Rush first I would not buy an Optima battery there are better options as it seems the Optima batteries need their chargers to keep them up as it has something to do with the deep cycle technology all I know is I used a regular trickle charger like your talking about and it will not fully charge the battery
1369209
This model has modes and features to charge severely depleted batteries and can charge at up to 4 amps. The tender would work fine. I have another brand of tender and it can't do what this one does. This is just a step up.
1369210
Depending on what type of Battery Tender you have (Jr. & Plus, specifically), it may not fully charge the Red Top if it is severely depleted, as the Battery Tenders have a shut-off timer to protect from over-charging a battery. This charger will also charge the Red Top faster than a BT Jr. or Plus, as well as having recovery and convenience features that the BTs do not. If you do not need the added capabilities of this charger, then your BT will suffice just fine.
1369211
Standard battery tenders are not designed to work with hi-performance AGM-type batteries. The Optima charger allows you to select which type of battery you are charging.
998359
I bought the cheapest car battery from auto zone and it works just fine. Had it for a couple years now and never put the battery on a tender
1340915
Same concept, but battery tender is no where close to the excellent CTEK products. I had many problems with the battery tenders I used, including "killing" my batteries. CTEK is the only product I trust. David M's answer is absolutely accurate.
1220909
I don't think ambient temperature has any effect on performance of Battery Tender. I like to plug my daily driver in to the Battery Tender after I'm done using the car for the day, especially if I don't expect to use the car for several days. I believe this will/may increase my battery's longevity, and I have no battery concerns when the winter temperature dips low.
445829
My battery tender stays connected all the time. It only comes on when the battery needs charging. It has a red and a green light to tell you what mode it is in. Solar energy used for charging should not make a difference.
2059707
It works with any 12 volt lead acid automotive type battery. If your battery is of that type then it would work. The tender is to be used mainly for storing batteries for long periods of time. It will keep the battery fully charged so it can be put back in use when you are ready.
2140079
If you have a 12 volt battery NO PROBLEM. I have it on a BMW and I plug it in if I'm not going to use it for days. I also have it on a Motorcycle. YOU MUST DISCONNECT BATTERY TENDER BEFORE STARTING UP.
539283
This device is only appropriate for 36V batteries, i.e. 3 12V batteries wired in series, used for things like E-bike and motorized wheelchairs that need the torque. Cars, such as the S2000 typically use 12V batteries. I use Battery Tender brand on my motorbikes and cars. Cheaper, work just as well. Higher Amperage means faster charging.
1356004
I have the same problem because of something in the electrical system drains my battery. I don't drive much anymore and if the car was left not driven for four or five days the battery was dead, very aggravating. This Battery Tender has been working very well for me, I'm an older women that knows nothing about cars. I can say this, it is very easy to use, I highly recommend it. I've had it for about three months and am very satisfied. Hope this helps you.
25764
Yes that is a problem on the first charge ! I used a 1.2 V battery tender for the first charge. You better invest in a smart charger, they are around 30.00. When you are not using the vehicle, plug in the charger. The battery will last a lot longer.............................................johan`
1348156
You can leave the battery in your vehicle still connected to your battery cables; however, I bought two of these chargers, and they both died within a year. I bought Schumacher PS-1562A DSR ProSeries 1.5 Amp 6/12 Volt Automatic Battery Charger/Maintainer , and have used it many more times than the Tender model, and have had NO problems with it. It automatically detects whether the battery you hook it to is 6 or 12 volts- no need to do that yourself on a switch selector. Go with the Schumacher!
1012484
hello: i'm taking it that when you say "maintenance" you mean that you want it kept on so that the battery never loses a charge. this unit could be used for that but a better method would be to purchase a trickle charger and use that on your battery to keep it "maintained". the optima is better used for it's intended purpose of a battery charger.
1113878
very easy the tender come with red and black connections, red + to positive side of battery black to negative - use the same bolt nut fasteners that are on battery now. but if you do not want permanent connection use the alligator style clamps supplied with tender. either way works great.
990233
It has a selector to charge Optima batteries or other batteries. I haven't charged anything besides Optima, but I'm not sure it's worth the extra money either way. I bought mine due to the claim that it can restore Optima's in not-so-optimal condition, but it failed to restore mine. Therefore I don't recommend one because they are so expensive.
830120
To my knowledge it is "optimized" for the specs of optima battaries since you have to choose which optima you are using but it does have a simple fast charge option which just wants to know if you are charging starter battaries, marine, auto, deep etc... So it should work for all.. I love mine and have had no problems. Hope this helps.
1018652
Most of the time yes but you should call the charger manufacturer as I did and ask them if their charger will harm optima batteries in any way.
1340916
I have no idea what a battery tender is. I have owned the CTEK for about 2 years now, and it does a wonderful job of de-energizing a battery and returning the battery to a full charge. It also seems to remove any memory cycle built into my deep cycle boat batteries.