12v car battery charger recommendations?

[Flopsweat]

Or he does what some of the airgun video "reviewers" do. They "buy" the gun, review it, then return it within the return time frame. Scammer scums. View attachment 830114

He doesn't strike me as the type, but I suppose you never know. I wouldn't be surprised if he sells them and recoups about 75% of the cost. You can make good money on a YT channel.

 

[Mikej]

This guy does good tests:

But he did not test chargers

Watching his vids, he covers the name of his charger - but I believe it is a Battery Tender. He uses a slow charger though - less than one amp.

Watching 7 minutes of the first video is all I could do. Saying one battery is better because of .12 difference in internal resistance seems kind of silly. Same thing with cranking amps. You're not likely to notice a difference in 5-10-20 cranking amps when were talking over 800 or 1000. And saying a battery needs charging when it still shows it to have 900+ CA available? While true, technically, your cars starter motor doesn't draw anywhere near that much. Assuming the car's charging system is healthy any of these batteries are appropriate and will give the life expected to the consumer. I still say BiMart and Costco to save $30.00-$50.00. I was interested in the differences of the Gel AGM batteries. But considering the price differences, I will still say most people that don't live in extremes climes and have circumstances present where they NEED a Gel or AGM battery they're better off saving their money for other things.

I had a Costco 100 month battery in my pickup that finally lost its oomph. Still at 12.5 volts, but didn't have the legs for a start after sitting with a dry carb. It had been run "ded" dead a couple, or three times, when I forgot to turn the radio off. It was near the eight year mark. They don't seem to rate batteries in "Months" any more. More than likely because of dummies that are constantly killing their batteries with dumb behavior.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

He doesn't strike me as the type, but I suppose you never know. I wouldn't be surprised if he sells them and recoups about 75% of the cost. You can make good money on a YT channel.

U might be right. I've never watched any of his videos so I can't say. There is one camera gear reviewer, Ken Rockwell, who even posted on his review site this is what he does. He was actually proud of it.

 

[Flopsweat]

Watching 7 minutes of the first video is all I could do. Saying one battery is better because of .12 difference in internal resistance seems kind of silly. Same thing with cranking amps. You're not likely to notice a difference in 5-10-20 cranking amps when were talking over 800 or 1000. And saying a battery needs charging when it still shows it to have 900+ CA available? While true, technically, your cars starter motor doesn't draw anywhere near that much. Assuming the car's charging system is healthy any of these batteries are appropriate and will give the life expected to the consumer. I still say BiMart and Costco to save $30.00-$50.00. I was interested in the differences of the Gel AGM batteries. But considering the price differences, I will still say most people that don't live in extremes climes and have circumstances present where they NEED a Gel or AGM battery they're better off saving their money for other things.

I had a Costco 100 month battery in my pickup that finally lost its oomph. Still at 12.5 volts, but didn't have the legs for a start after sitting with a dry carb. It had been run "ded" dead a couple, or three times, when I forgot to turn the radio off. It was near the eight year mark. They don't seem to rate batteries in "Months" any more. More than likely because of dummies that are constantly killing their batteries with dumb behavior.

Later in the videos he always does summaries with charts comparing the more substantial data. Sometimes I see minor issues but they almost always turn out to be insubstantial to me by the end of the video. What I like about his work is that he puts products to practical tests, cutting through theory, advertised specifications and anecdotal evidence and shows what happens in real world application.

 

[Mikej]

Later in the videos he always does summaries with charts comparing the more substantial data. Sometimes I see minor issues but they almost always turn out to be insubstantial to me by the end of the video. What I like about his work is that he puts products to practical tests, cutting through theory, advertised specifications and anecdotal evidence and shows what happens in real world application.

What I saw of it pretty much showed, what was on the label was correct. I have a basic understanding of all that stuff from years of paying attention, so it's easy for me to critique I guess.

 

[The Heretic]

If you look at his other tests - such as the ones on rechargeable batteries (AA, lithium, etc.) you will see the actual performance doesn't come anywhere near the claimed specs.

The car battery tests are good too - he is just listing the data he finds, and CCA is not about charge - voltage is what tells you whether a 12V car battery is charged or not. Has to be 12.8 volts to be fully charged - 12.6 volts is half charged.

As for how many amps you need - it depends on the vehicle. My Dodge truck needs two 1000 CCA or better batteries to start its diesel engine which has a 2.7KW (3.6 HP) starter that can easily draw 1000 amps when it is cold (not to mention that if it is cold, it has to run the intake grid heater for about 20-30 seconds before trying to start the engine).

I found his tests helpful. E.G., when he points out that several batteries were the same exact battery, but the distributor sold them for 50% more than the other brand on the same battery.

I especially found his cold soak tests helpful - something that is a big deal for me with my truck. Diesels are heat (not spark) ignition engines and they are much harder to start when cold as you have to turn them over until the combustion chamber gets hot enough to fire the diesel. This is a big deal when it is cold out and you need to use a diesel powered machine.

The thing is, he has a methodology with objective measurements for you to make informed decisions from. If you look at the claims from the sellers/manufacturers on the jump starter vids and then compare it to his tests, you can see where the value of his tests are.

But I suppose if you don't have the patience to sit thru the vid, then that is your problem, not his or mine.

 

[Mikej]

If you look at his other tests - such as the ones on rechargeable batteries (AA, lithium, etc.) you will see the actual performance doesn't come anywhere near the claimed specs.

The car battery tests are good too - he is just listing the data he finds, and CCA is not about charge - voltage is what tells you whether a 12V car battery is charged or not. Has to be 12.8 volts to be fully charged - 12.6 volts is half charged.

As for how many amps you need - it depends on the vehicle. My Dodge truck needs two 1000 CCA or better batteries to start its diesel engine which has a 2.7KW (3.6 HP) starter that can easily draw 1000 amps when it is cold (not to mention that if it is cold, it has to run the intake grid heater for about 20-30 seconds before trying to start the engine).

I found his tests helpful. E.G., when he points out that several batteries were the same exact battery, but the distributor sold them for 50% more than the other brand on the same battery.

I especially found his cold soak tests helpful - something that is a big deal for me with my truck. Diesels are heat (not spark) ignition engines and they are much harder to start when cold as you have to turn them over until the combustion chamber gets hot enough to fire the diesel. This is a big deal when it is cold out and you need to use a diesel powered machine.

The thing is, he has a methodology with objective measurements for you to make informed decisions from. If you look at the claims from the sellers/manufacturers on the jump starter vids and then compare it to his tests, you can see where the value of his tests are.

But I suppose if you don't have the patience to sit thru the vid, then that is your problem, not his or mine.

No problem here. These are things I've learned over the years starting at my first job at the gas station at 16. And doing a lot of my own work over the years as a mechanic, for myself and for money. His videos are for people with little understanding of how batteries and charging and all that electrical stuff works. Personally, I don't see enough difference in a battery that puts out 1080 cranking amps and one that puts out 1000, to pay another $50.00, or $200.oo if your talking of stepping up Gel/AGM. I also understand about the diesel motor and the cranking power they need compared to the Toyota Camry.

 

[The Heretic]

If you watch the whole vid to the conclusion, you will see he makes a point of the price/etc., including the difference between the AGM and flooded lead acid batteries.

I typically go for AGM because I drive over rough roads coming and going here on the mountain, and in my trucks I go off-road on my property, and it is even more rough. AGMs tend to hold up better IME.

They also can handle being tipped over and do not give off hydrogen gas.

I once had a battery explode in my face on a 4x4 because the terminal had broken just inside the top cover of the battery (while testing the voltage under load {dome light was on} to see where the problem in the system was {starter would not turn over} a spark was created inside the battery while I was wiggling the cable). Fortunately I had my head turned looking at the voltmeter so not much acid got in my eyes and I was able to wash the acid off quickly. I did have to walk home though - miles.

 

[Mikej]

I try to correct people that say Gel and AGM are just plain better batteries. I try to tell them they are better suited for some applications. Maybe for heavy diesel trucks as starting batteries. If you need that much amperage in harsh conditions you'd be better served with two batteries. Getting beat up in marine or off road situations. In tight spaces where gassing could be a corrosion issue and/or you need to lay it on it's side. Reality is if you need a battery for the family Toyota grocery getter you will get just as good of service from a quality flooded battery. At much less cost.

 

[The Heretic]

Besides the rough roads, I replaced the battery in my BMW X1 with an AGM for other several reasons:

1) AGM is the spec for the battery as the vehicle comes from BMW

2) The battery is inside the vehicle underneath the cargo compartment, so yeah, there are possible corrosion issues with regards to the vehicle and the info/stereo/etc. computer/electronics are right there next to the battery.

I need to replace the battery in my Toyota 4x4, but I am waiting on that - I want to swap in a 3 liter MB diesel and where I put the battery could change. Since it will be a diesel (one that uses glow plugs instead of an intake heater), I may also want to use dual batteries, or at least a larger battery than the one in it for the 2.4 liter 4 cylinder.

 

[The Heretic]

As a side story, when I was an "engineer" (boat crews call them engineers instead of techs, or mechs) on the MLBs at Yaquina Bay - one of the other engineers had a wrench in his back pocket and sat on one of the batteries in the engine room. These are "diesel start" marine batteries (like those in semi-trucks) where we had two of these double sized batteries in series for a 24V starting system for the twin diesels (6v53 in this case on the 44s) in the boats.

He managed to sit such that the wrench sticking out of his pocket lined up with the terminals and welded the wrench to the terminals. Caused quite a ruckus - lots of sparks - fortunately no fire or explosion, but we did have to replace the battery because the terminals melted.

 

[Flopsweat]

As a side story, when I was an "engineer" (boat crews call them engineers instead of techs, or mechs) on the MLBs at Yaquina Bay - one of the other engineers had a wrench in his back pocket and sat on one of the batteries in the engine room. These are "diesel start" marine batteries (like those in semi-trucks) where we had two of these double sized batteries in series for a 24V starting system for the twin diesels (6v53 in this case on the 44s) in the boats.

He managed to sit such that the wrench sticking out of his pocket lined up with the terminals and welded the wrench to the terminals. Caused quite a ruckus - lots of sparks - fortunately no fire or explosion, but we did have to replace the battery because the terminals melted.

Probably didn't do his pants any good either, one way or another.

 

[Mikej]

Probably didn't do his pants any good either, one way or another.

Or even the other! All three.

) The battery is inside the vehicle underneath the cargo compartment, so yeah, there are possible corrosion issues with regards to the vehicle and the info/stereo/etc. computer/electronics are right there next to the battery.

Yeah, seen that. Us folks with regular cars call it a "Trunk".

 

[The Heretic]

Or even the other! All three.


Yeah, seen that. Us folks with regular cars call it a "Trunk".

Yeah, unfortunately (in some ways) in an SUV it isn't legally a separate compartment like a trunk. In my 325ci it was a trunk - BMw tends to put the batteries in the rear to get the balance for handling that they desire

 

[Flopsweat]

Yeah, unfortunately (in some ways) in an SUV it isn't legally a separate compartment like a trunk. In my 325ci it was a trunk - BMw tends to put the batteries in the rear to get the balance for handling that they desire

In my Audi it was inside the passenger compartment, not in the trunk.

 

[The Heretic]

In my Audi it was inside the passenger compartment, not in the trunk.

Yes - Audi/VW/Porsche has done that for decades. The old Beetles had it under the back seat. That seat had a wire frame and flammable stuffing. Eventually the steel wire frame would come into contact with the battery terminals and a fire would result.



I saw more than a few of those when I worked on German cars for a living.

 

[Mikej]

Yes - Audi/VW/Porsche has done that for decades. The old Beetles had it under the back seat. That seat had a wire frame and flammable stuffing. Eventually the steel wire frame would come into contact with the battery terminals and a fire would result.

View attachment 830315

I saw more than a few of those when I worked on German cars for a living.

Sorry, had to laugh. Talking simi-luxury cars and you throw in a picture of a burning bug! Hope that wasn't yours.

 

[The Heretic]

Sorry, had to laugh. Talking simi-luxury cars and you throw in a picture of a burning bug! Hope that wasn't yours.

Nope - wasn't mine. I worked at a small non-dealership VW/Porsche/Audi shop in Salem when I was 18 - German Motors, run/owned by three guys from Austria. Learned a bit about the old airhead bugs.

 

[johnny bob]

I typically go for AGM because I drive over rough roads coming and going here on the mountain, and in my trucks I go off-road on my property, and it is even more rough. AGMs tend to hold up better IME.

They also can handle being tipped over and do not give off hydrogen gas.

I installed a wet battery in my 605 ATK dual sport and it did not last 20 road miles due to vibration. I got an AGM battery and it lasted several years with on road/off road use. Due to design issues features several motorcycles have their AGM batteries factory installed on their sides.

 

[Mikej]

Nope - wasn't mine. I worked at a small non-dealership VW/Porsche/Audi shop in Salem when I was 18 - German Motors, run/owned by three guys from Austria. Learned a bit about the old airhead bugs.

My dad was a Volkswagen Bug lover from the '50s into the late '60s. I've got some foggy distant memories of seeing the speedo at exactly top speed of 72mph driving the new freeway near Salt Lake taking mom to work. And in some pretty hairy snow. And one time catching a rock that completely shattered the windshield and he pulled of the side of the highway to a down slope, used a blanket to push the shattered glass out on the hood. We drove the last 30 miles home with no wind shield. Dad said "No More" to VW when they raised the price to $2,000.00. His next new car was a Toyota!