So after some recent issues with my old Schumacher Ship & Shore 10A "Smart" charger falsely reporting a few deeply discharged AGM batteries as "bad," I'm in the market for a new charger. I've been looking at several different options and I think I know what I need to do, but I just wanted to ask the community here for any input prior to making a purchase.
Initially I started looking at newer "smart" chargers. Specifically the NOCO Genius10. 10A at 6/12V with an AGM mode and "Force Mode" that will enable charging even if a battery is too discharged for the charger to detect a voltage. But I started reading some of the one star Amazon reviews and realized that several people were reporting issues with the Genius10 reporting a full charge when the battery was still around 50% charged, especially with AGMs. There were other issues reported as well, including false charging errors on AGM batteries that were still good (same issue I'm having with my old Schumacher).
Considering I use primarily Odyssey AGM batteries, I then looked at their "approved charger list" and found the CTEK MUS 7002. Very similar specs to the NOCO, but 7A instead of 10 and 12V only with no "force" mode. Unfortunately it's $175 US, and the reviews report several very similar issues to the NOCO.
At this point in my research I started looking in a different direction. I have a few Deltran Battery Tenders and they work great for maintenance charging, so I realized I really just need something that will push a lot of power for deeply discharged batteries. Pretty much every "smart" or "automatic" charger seems to have issues with bringing back deeply discharged stuff, so I started checking out manual cart-style chargers with timers. Enter the Schumacher DSR139.
www.amazon.com/dp/B08PQ3RRVY
6/12V, 10/25/50A charging with a 225A jump start option. No computers, no safety nannies, just two knobs to select charging rate and time and an ammeter. For the same $175 that the CTEK MUS 7002 costs I think this will be a much better tool for what I need. I could bulk charge at 25+A and then move the battery over to one of the Deltrans for finish charging/maintenance.
Just curious to see what you all think of this choice and if you have any other recommendations. Ideally I'd like to keep the budget under $200, I really don't want to shell out $500+ for a comparable Associated or Snap-On for something I'm probably going to use once or twice a year at the most.
Initially I started looking at newer "smart" chargers. Specifically the NOCO Genius10. 10A at 6/12V with an AGM mode and "Force Mode" that will enable charging even if a battery is too discharged for the charger to detect a voltage. But I started reading some of the one star Amazon reviews and realized that several people were reporting issues with the Genius10 reporting a full charge when the battery was still around 50% charged, especially with AGMs. There were other issues reported as well, including false charging errors on AGM batteries that were still good (same issue I'm having with my old Schumacher).
Considering I use primarily Odyssey AGM batteries, I then looked at their "approved charger list" and found the CTEK MUS 7002. Very similar specs to the NOCO, but 7A instead of 10 and 12V only with no "force" mode. Unfortunately it's $175 US, and the reviews report several very similar issues to the NOCO.
At this point in my research I started looking in a different direction. I have a few Deltran Battery Tenders and they work great for maintenance charging, so I realized I really just need something that will push a lot of power for deeply discharged batteries. Pretty much every "smart" or "automatic" charger seems to have issues with bringing back deeply discharged stuff, so I started checking out manual cart-style chargers with timers. Enter the Schumacher DSR139.
www.amazon.com/dp/B08PQ3RRVY
6/12V, 10/25/50A charging with a 225A jump start option. No computers, no safety nannies, just two knobs to select charging rate and time and an ammeter. For the same $175 that the CTEK MUS 7002 costs I think this will be a much better tool for what I need. I could bulk charge at 25+A and then move the battery over to one of the Deltrans for finish charging/maintenance.
Just curious to see what you all think of this choice and if you have any other recommendations. Ideally I'd like to keep the budget under $200, I really don't want to shell out $500+ for a comparable Associated or Snap-On for something I'm probably going to use once or twice a year at the most.